Step on Line -- Legal or Illegal?

[CMHCoachNRef]

Originally Posted by hoopsaddict

I need clarification on this, if a player is taking a throw-in out of bounds and they step on the line this is legal? The violation wouldn't occur until they actually step over/past the line onto the playing court?

addict,
The ONLY points on the OOB line that are relevant are the points that touch the court. In other words, even though the line is somewhere between 2 inches and 6 feet (or more) wide, only the razor thin line that defines the court matter.

Therefore, as long as said player's foot does not go completely through the line and make contact with the court, there is no violation. Touching the line is no different than touching the area behind the line as all of these areas are out of bounds.

[TimTaylor]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

addict,
The ONLY points on the OOB line that are relevant are the points that touch the court. In other words, even though the line is somewhere between 2 inches and 6 feet (or more) wide, only the razor thin line that defines the court matter.

Sometimes you get a mix.....we have a significant number of courts in our area that have a 2 inch line, a small gap and a wide painted area outside that. The court boundary is the inside edge of the 2 inch line.

Think of the line as defining a restricted area that includes the line. A violation occurs when a player enters or leaves a restricted area when they aren't supposed to by rule.

For example, the lane is a restricted area for everyone during a FT and for the offensive team when they have team control in their front court.

Likewise, out of bounds is an area that all players are restricted from intentionally entering when the ball is live, and which a player making a throw-in is restricted from leaving until they release the ball on throw-in pass.

The edge of the line is always the edge closest to the non-restricted area on the court. Why - common sense...it's easier to see when determining if a violation has occurred.