Case play 7.1.1 is not correct

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Jimgolf

No. I'm saying it's not as clear as you might think.

I know the image is of a player leaping out of bounds and recovering the ball after a heroic effort. Change the picture to a player tip-toeing in and out of bounds and tell me why it's the same ruling? Logically, if the player has never lost control of the ball then it's not an interrupted dribble.

If the player saves the ball, steps out of bounds with one foot, then steps back in, then the dribble hasn't been interrupted, since the ball has always been under the player's control. Is there another definition that I'm missing here?

Jim,
Good judgment about player control is needed here. If in the opinion of the official the player continuously maintained player control, then this is a dribble and a violation. If the decision is that there was a momentary loss of player control, then the play is legal.

The case book play is operating under the premise that there is a temporary loss of player control when the player tosses the ball to the floor inbounds and then lands out of bounds.

The important rule here is 4-12-1.
RULE 4, SECTION 12 CONTROL, PLAYER AND TEAM
ART. 1 . . . A player is in control of the ball when he/she is holding or dribbling a live ball inbounds. There is no player control when, during a jump ball, a jumper catches the ball prior to the ball touching the floor or a non-jumper, or during an interrupted dribble.

Due to this definition, there can be no player control when a player is out of bounds. The only way that the play in the Case Book can be deemed legal is because of an interrupted dribble.

I would advise you to understand the Case Book ruling as telling officials that under these circumstances a player should be considered to NOT have control. Otherwise, any time a player saved a ball just prior to touching out of bounds, it would be a violation as soon as the player touched OOB regardless of who touched the ball next! That would be absurd.

If you are going to allow a teammate or opponent to come up and grab the ball without blowing the whistle, then you need to allow the original player to do the same, once he has reestablished inbounds status.