Back Court Questions
 

A number of situations, one of which happened in a recent GV game, are similar to some of the recent back court questions.

Sitch 1: Opening Tip: Tapper A1 taps the tip into the air near the division line. A3, who is standing with both feet in the front court, jumps to get the ball, secures possession in the air, and lands in the back court. Is this legal?

Sitch 2: Opening Tip: Tapper A1 taps the tip downward with great force. The ball contacts the floor in the back court near the division line and bounds high into the air. A3, who is standing with both feet in the front court, jumps to get the ball, secures possession in the air, and lands in the back court. Is this legal?

Sitch 3: Opening Tip: Tapper A1 taps the ball and the ball deflects off of the referee up into the air. A3, who was in the front court, jumps to get the ball, secures possession in the air, and lands in the back court. Is this legal?

Sitch 4: Throw-in: A1 throws the ball into the court via a bounce pass near the division line, A2 while standing with both feet in the front court, jumps into the air, secures possession of the ball, and lands in the backcourt. Is this legal?

None of these are BC Violations....
 

Because no team or player control was established in the front court.

The jump ball ends when the ball hits the floor or the referee. Therefore if the player jumps from frontcourt, secures control while airborne, then lands in the backcourt, 2 & 3 would be violations.

Jump ball ends when A3 catches the ball, location established when he lands on the floor in BC. Legal.

Jump Ball ends when ball contacts the floor with BC status, A3 is the first to touch with FC status, catches the ball giving it FC status, lands in BC giving it BC status. Illegal.

Hitting the referee is same as hitting the floor in the same location, so by rule same as the prior one.

Throw-in ends when legally touched. Ball does not have status until player lands in BC.

throwing in from frontcourt baseline. A2 to A1 who is standing in the backcourt. He jumps up and catches the ball in air and lands in the frontcourt. ?
I don't think this one is a violation- same but A1 is in frontcourt, jumps and lands in backcourt.

If nobody else deflects it first, any player may leap and catch the throw-in pass and land anywhere inbounds that he pleases.

I think we have a winner...
 

Except in the case of the throw-in, and there is no backcourt violation on a throw-in because there is no player or team control during a throw-in.

Right ruling, wrong reason. The reason is that there is a specific exclusion in the rules for the throw-in play.

Seems like somebody should have posted a backcourt violation quiz earlier this season. . . :D

Wrong. TC and PC were established in the FC.

These would all be violations except for the exceptions in the rule (for plays 1 and 4).

Note to Billy Mac,
As I mentioned in my post in the other forum, I am thinking that there are a lot of things that go on around the division line (what was the purpose of that thing again? :D), that officials and coaches misunderstand. This causes them to mis-apply the rules.

Had one just last night in a frosh game. A has the ball in their FC. B tips the ball. A1 grabs the ball and straddles the division line.

I replayed this in my head and whistled the violation. The A coach said, "he tipped it," which, while true, wasn't at all the issue.

I said: "That's right, coach. But your player touched the ball, and THEN stepped in the BC. That's a violation."

He had a 20 point lead and didn't say anything more. He was also asking about whether his players get "2 steps."

Let's be clear. . .http://forum.officiating.com/images/smilies/wink.gif
 

Sitch 1. No violation, due to specific exception set forth in Rule 9-9-3.

Sitch 2. Jump ball ends when ball strikes the floor, so 9-9-3 exception no longer applies. When A3 jumps from the frontcourt and secures the ball in the air, we now have Team A in control of a ball which is located in the frontcourt. When A3 lands in the backcourt, we have a violation.

Sitch 3. Ball striking the official is the same as touching the court at the official's location. Jump ball ends when the ball strikes the floor. A3 jumps from the frontcourt and secures the ball in the air, giving Team A control of a ball located in its frontcourt. When A3 lands in the backcourt, he violates.

Sitch 4. No violation, due to specific exception set forth in Rule 9-9-3.

Location of the ball and team/player control are pretty basic rules concepts.

Yes, the location of the ball and team/player control are pretty basic rules concepts. The components that make these situations more complex is that as an official, you also need to know precisely when a jump ball ends (touches anything on or associated with the court and the two baskets), vs. when a throw-in ends (touched by a player on the court or goes out of bounds or is touched while a player is out of bounds). In addition, the official must know the exceptions to the back court provisions (defensive player, first player to touch on a throw-in or jump ball).

Hence the reason more than one official got at least one of the situations wrong.

No team control - no BC...
 

I totally agree with what you just wrote, but I think it would be useful to well consider 4-12-1, which describes player control, which has not been established in any of the situations before the player goes into the BC, and 4-12-2 (describing when a team is in control).

The tapping of the ball and the end of the jump ball don't establish PC or TC. There's was no PC, so there's no TC, so you can't have BC.