IAABO refresher #76
 

A-1, who has the ball in the front court passes the ball toward A-2. B-2 bats the ball to the floor in A's frontcourt so it bounces toward the backcourt. A-1 runs into A's backcourt and catches the ball before it strikes the floor. The official rules this is a backcourt violation. Is the official correct?
I say yes.....

The catching by A-1 caused the ball to be in the backcourt?....violation...A-1 first to touch in the backcourt. Had A-1 let the ball touch in the backcourt..no violation..B-2 was the last to touch the ball once the ball had backcourt status.

I am in the minority at our rules meeting on this one.....help me see the light!

You are correct. That is the interp we were given. I believe there is somthing on the NFHS site that exactly refers to this but thanks to an OOO firewall here at work, I cant get to it right now...

Ahhhh... here it is...

SITUATION 10: A1, in the team's frontcourt, passes to A2, also in the team's frontcourt. B1 deflects the ball toward Team A's backcourt. The ball bounces only in Team A's frontcourt before crossing the division line. While the ball is still in the air over Team A's backcourt, but never having touched in Team A's backcourt, A2 gains possession of the ball while standing in Team A's backcourt. RULING: Backcourt violation on Team A. Team A was still in team control and caused the ball to have backcourt status. Had A2 permitted the ball to bounce in the backcourt after having been deflected by B1, there would have been no backcourt violation. (4-4-1; 4-4-3; 9-9-1)

By rule, they're right. By official NFHS interpretation, you're right. :)

We also discussed that question and came up with no back court. Rule 9-9-1: ...if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt before it went into the backcourt. B1 was the last to touch in the froncourt. Whether A1 made the ball attain backcourt status or it attained it on its own should be irrelevant. By making that a violation, you're allowing B1 to bat it and then catch it in the air, while A1 can't, thereby creating a disadvantage for A that he/she had no hand in controlling.