OOB After a throw-in

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by NathanRT

I had this happen during a 7th boys game tonight. A1 throws the ball in on the sideline. B1 immediately hits the ball out of bound and off of A1 (without the ball touching anything else). Who's ball? We gave the ball back to A1 and I was real sure of myself at the time...now I'm wondering if that really was right...Coach, of course, thought it should be B's ball. But then they are usually wrong.

Nathan, this is an easy one and a lot folks will give you the rules citations for you to look up. My curiousity is this, why did you feel A1's team should have received the ball back. What was your thinking on this situation?

[Red_Killian]

There is an exception to this play....the dreaded restraining line. Early in my career I had this play happen and I called OOB for B since A's throw in player, A1, had not moved and the ball deflected off of B1 and back to A1. I made the call automatically. However, we were playing in a tiny gym with a restraining line. For the throwin, A1 was actually standing between the OB line and the restraining line. His feet were not touching the OB line. B1 was inside the restraining line legally in bounds. So as soon as B1 touched the ball the restraining line went away and A1 was now in bounds even though they hadn't moved.

Now when I made the call nobody said anything. However, after the game a fan who was an ex-official in our association pointed out my error. We had 2 gyms with restraining lines when I started officiating but they both have new facilities now.

How many of you have sites with actual restraining lines on floor?

[All_Heart]

Originally Posted by Red_Killian

How many of you have sites with actual restraining lines on floor?

I've wondered about this before. If there are no restraining lines on the playing floor then how do you enforce this?

Are you allowed to move the player back "by rule" if there are no restraining lines on the court? Do you guesstimate the amount of distance and then call a delay of game warning if he crosses this imaginary restraining line?