Over and Back by stepping out of "bounds"

[eg-italy]

Originally Posted by Loudwhistle

Last night Varsity Girls game, I'm watching from the stands, A1 is dribbling in her front court and gets too close to the halfcourt line, she realizes that her momentum is going to carry her across the halfcourt line thus commiting a backcourt violation so before she leaves her front court she pushes the ball with one hand, basically still dribbling, so that the ball stays in front court yet she takes 2 steps in the back court and then catches up to the ball in front court and continues to dribble, ref calls over and back. Reminded me of picture in one of the case books where a guy is dribbling along the boundary line and he steps out of bounds yet the ball stays in bounds, and then he comes back in bounds still dribbling the ball, viloation! For me as a ref, it sometimes helps me to think of back court as out of bounds for the team that has established the ball in their front court. (I know there are times when players can legally enter the backcourt) A question I have from what I saw last night though is, can team players that have established front court move across the half court line trying to shake a defender? I'm talking about trying to get open to receive a pass. Of course they have to get back onto front court to get the ball.

It's one of the myths of basketball that the backcourt rule is just the same as the out-of-bounds rule (maybe adding that there is a delayed violation if the ball hits the backcourt coming from the FC).

It's not. It's perfectly legal to play in the backcourt. Players have to pay attention not to carry the ball in the BC after it has gained FC status (in FIBA the rule is slightly different, but the principle is the same): which is not the same as the ball going out of bounds.

And I believe that in NF the described play would be classified as an interrupted dribble, hence it would have been legal also to go out of bounds and reestablishing in-bounds status before touching the ball again, if I'm not mistaken.

Ciao