Another Back Court Question

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by SWMOzebra

As a second year HS ref, this has been the source of endless confusion for me. I worked the Show-Me State games in Columbia, MO over the summer and watched what I thought were multiple BC violations go uncalled by more experienced officials (one worked state championship game a couple of years ago). When I asked, one told me that the defense had last touched the ball, so the offense could go into their BC and re-establish control with no penalty.

Right call, slightly wrong explaination. The offensive team is not "re-establishing control" in this situation, as they never lost team control. The reason this is not a backcourt violation is that the rule requires the offense be the last to touch it in the frontcourt if a violation is to be called.

So, I'm at my mechanics clinic this fall and ask the head man giving the clinic how this could be...since team control doesn't end on an interrupted dribble. He essentially told me what I thought before...it doesn't matter if the defense tips it away or not, team control doesn't change and it's a violation for the offense to retrieve the ball from BC.

He's right, team control hasn't ended, but it doesn't mean a violation has occured. There are basically two similar, but distinct, scenarios:

Version 1 - Ball in offensive posession in frontcourt, defensive tip (in either frontcourt or backcourt), offense touches ball in backcourt - no violation.

Version 2 - Ball in offensive posession in frontcourt, defensive tip, offensive touch (tip or control) IN FRONTCOURT, offensive touch in backcourt - violation.

The problem comes in that people see the defensive touch in #2 and think that the offense is subsequently absolved of any and all backcourt violations.

Yet, I have hardly worked a game at any level (JH, freshman, or rec league) where some coach or fan thinks the NBA version is the only correct version. I rarely watch NBA, so now I see where the source of some of the confusion originates.

Trust me; you're not alone.