Back Court (or not!)
 

A1 takes a 3 point shot and the ball hits the back of the rim and a "long rebound" results. The ball remains untouched as it bounces toward the division line. Player A2 secures the ball in the air as he jumps from his front court and lands in the back court. A back court violation was called.

I thought this play might be the same as a throw-in (no team control) where a teammate of the thrower-in leaps from the front court, catches the ball in the air and lands in the back court. There is no violation on that play and I thought that there might not be a violation on this "long rebound" play for the same reason since there is no team control on a try for goal. There is nothing in the National Federation Rule or case book that I can find to help me out.

The back court exception applies only on throw-ins. When A2 jumps from the front court, he is still in front court until he lands in back court or OOB. When he catches the ball, he establishes player control and therefore team control at that moment. When he lands in back court, it is a violation because all four requirements of a back court violation are met:

1) the ball has achieved front court status (it did when he caught it while he, technically (no pun intended), was in the front court
2) there is team control
3) the team in team control is last to touch the ball in the front court
4) that same team is first to touch the ball after it has been in the back court (which it was when he landed in the back court holding the ball)

It is a violation. A1 gained player control (And thus team control) when he gained control of the ball. He had frontcourt status since he jumped from the frontcourt. (You are where you jumped from until you get where you're going) He caused the ball to go from the frontcourt and was the first to touch it when he landed in the backcourt.

The throw-in is an exception to the rule and doesn't really mean much in terms of team control in that particular situation.

Slight correction to the previous posts. The exception applies to throwins, jump balls, and defensive players.

This is not a throwin nor a jump ball, so the only possibility is a defensive player. It's obvious in this case that the shooter's team doesn't qualify for this, but neither does the other team since there is no team control once the shot was released.

They added a case play a couple of years ago showing that those three situations are the only times the rules committee wants the exception to apply. Personally, I'd like to see the exception applied to any situation in which team control is initially gained by an airborne player with FC status, but it's not my rule book; I just follow it.

It should be the same, but it isn't. ;(

What's a defensive player? :D

Rabble rouser.

I'm not sure how exactly to define it. But when you try to talk to them, they're always making excuses for whatever it is you're talking to them about. ;)

They never like the answers given to them either.