Situation:

NFHS. Team "A" has ball in frontcourt. Ball gets passed and goes into backcourt, last touched by "A". Where is the ball inbounded by team "B" if ball is retrieved in the backcourt in the freethrow lane by team "A" or even if the ball is not touched and goes out at the endline? Side (near division line) or endline (outside of lane near basket)?

At the spot nearest where the violation took place...remember that the over-and-back violation does not occur until team A actually touches the ball in the back-court...so in your situations, the ball will be given to B on the endline outside the lane in both plays... hope this helps...

The inbound spot is the point OOB closest to where the infraction took place - that is, where the ball was touched that caused the violation. If the ball goes OOB untouched over the end line, then you would inbound it there (outside the lane extended, of course).

Many times I see officials use the wrong inbound spot on an over and back call. They wind up inbounding in what was the violating team's frontcourt by a few feet. I tell them that if that really was the proper inbound spot, there couldn't have been a violation. Also, sometimes you see officials want to inbound at the division line on all over and back violations regardless of where the ball was ultimately touched. This is also wrong.

This may be b/c the NBA rules differ from NCAA/NF on this. By rule in the NBA, I believe that the throw-in after a backcourt violation is always at midcourt, regarless of where the ball was last touched.

Chuck

Appreciate the replies.

This was what I thought the replies should be. I've been told that the ball is inbounded on the side near the division line because this would give Team B unfair advantage taking the ball out under their basket. Their reasoning was since the ball crossed midcourt, it shoud be taken near the division line in Team B's frontcourt.

As you have already read, this is not the case and please tell whoever told you that to read a rulebook once in a while. Besides, I think his reasoning is faulty anyway. In my experience, teams usually have many more inbound plays from under their own basket than they do from midcourt. I bet if you polled the howler monkeys, they would tell you that, given a choice, they would prefer the ball on the endline.

Of course, that same poll would probably reveal they prefer Brazilian bananas to Honduran ones. ;)

A screwed up - how is any advantage for B that directly results from A's mistake unfair? Whoever told you this isn't thinking straight. If A is pretty much under control but makes a slightly off the mark pass, the backcourt occurs right next to their front court and B gets ball there. If they have less control and send the ball backcourt with some force and no touch by an offensive player, it may go OOB somewhere in the vicinity of B's basket or get touched way back in A's back court. Either way, B gets ball on baseline. That's the way the rules are written, and it seems fair to me.