hi. i am new to basketball and we had an argument when we played. my friend attempted a lay-up which I blocked. the ball never left his hand so when he landed he still had possession of the ball. can i call this up-and-down? what is the state of the play now?

when you say "up and down" do you mean travel, or a jump ball situation? if you are referring to a jump ball you are correct, but a travel is not.

It's usually a matter of degree:
If the defense pins the ball in the shooter's hands, it's usually considered a jump ball and possession goes with the alternating arrow. Picture a shooter pushing the ball from below as the defense has a hand firmly on top of the ball preventing the shot.

If the defense hits the ball a glancing blow on the shot preventing the shooter from releasing the ball and the shooter returns to the floor with the ball in his hands, he has traveled. Possession goes to the defense.

If the ball left the shooters hands for even a fraction of a second, there is no violation. That's a rebound.

BTW - There is no such thing as "up and down" just as there is no "over the back."

I'd like to add to this question and know if they both come down with the ball and, as noted, the jump ball is called - does that count statistically as a block?

Furthermore, is there some reference material on the web that highlights how to score basketball statistics that would cover unique situations as this one?

The basic rules that you can find never really touch on stat keeping.

Thanks in advance!

My guess is that it does not count as a block, as there would be no FGA credited (can't block a shot that never occurred).

For HS, you can buy a stats manual from the NF. Alternatively, go to http://www.ncaa.com and download the NCAA stats manual.

Thanks for the quick reply Mark and especially for that fantastic NCAA stat source. That answers a lot of questions I had about different scenarios.

But based on the document it sounds like it would be a block, and in some circumstances a rebound as well to the blocker that caused a jump ball.

***

Adams is in the act of shooting. (a) As Adams brings the
ball fo r ward, Brown ties Adams up and a held ball is called. Team A
is awarded the ball for a throw - i n . (b) As Adams brings the ball fo rward,
Brown ties Adams up and a held ball is called. Team B is
awarded the ball for a throw - i n .

In (a) charge Adams with an FGA and credit him
or her with an individual rebound. Credit Brown with a bl o cked shot.
In (b) charge Adams with an FGA and credit Brown with a
bl o cked shot and an individual rebound.

***

Hey, if them's the rules, it works for me.

Couple of points...

FIBA - shot attempt is blocked, without the ball leaving the shooter's hands, and the shooter returns to the floor. There are two possible outcomes -
a) One or neither of the defender's hands are in contact with the ball when the shooter returns to the floor - correct call <b>Travel</b>
b) Both of the defender's hand are on the ball when the shooter returns to the floor - correct call <b>Jump Ball</b>

My other comment is about basing rules intepretations on what statisticians say. For example - a shot attempt according to the role that an observer is fulfilling, can be two very different things. To explain:
Red 4 shoots the ball - as soon as the shooter starts his (her) shooting motion the attempt becomes a shot attempt (as far as the statistician is concerned) but it is not a shot attempt until it hits the ring (as far as the 24 second shot clockis concerned). I hope you can all follow that :)

Oh great! Now we have more correctable errors!!!!! Was that considered a block, or a rebound, a FGA!!!!!!

AK ref SE