2010-11 NFHS Rule Changes

[Scrapper1]

I'm very late to this party. Sorry. I followed the link from a more recent thread. I just want to comment on one post:

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

"At disposal", "live ball" and "count" all start at the same time.If you have one, you have them all. If you don't have one, you

I disagree with this. The ball can be at a player's disposal long before the official starts the count. When the ball clears the net after a goal, and a player from the throw-in team catches it, the ball is obviously at his disposal. He's holding it, so it's obviously available to him to begin the throw-in process. This is true even though the official usually doesn't start the throw-in count until the player is out of bounds.

Similarly, if the official puts the ball on the floor in the free throw circle next to the free throw shooter, the ball is available to the shooter. It's right there for her to pick up and try for goal. This is true even though the official probably won't start the count until she has moved into her normal Trail (or Center) position.

The point of the clarification is that the non-throw-in team can be granted a time-out request after a basket even if the throw-in team player is holding the ball (ball is available to him), because the ball doesn't become live until it is available AND the official starts the count.

There had been some very technical debates about whether we should grant a time-out request from the scoring team in late game situations when the ball falls through the basket and into the hands of a player from the throw-in team. Technically by the old rule, we should NOT grant the time-out in that situation, because the ball became live as soon as it was at that team's disposal. But most of us DID grant those requests anyway. So the clarification was made to bring the rules in line with practice.