illegal dribble?

[Camron Rust]

Consider the illegal dribble rule in a very literal sense for a moment....

1. A1 dribbles.
2. A1 ends the dribble.
3. A1, for some unknown reason, deliberately drops/sets the ball on the floor at his/her feet.
4. A2 eventually comes a long and picks up the ball.
5. A2 hands it back to A1.

Can A1 dribble again?

Is the action in 3 a fumble? No. It didn't accidentally slip from A1's grasp.

Is the action in 3 & 4 a pass? By some interpretations here, No. Hmmm. Does that make sense.

If it is not a pass, A1 can not dribble again since there was no try, no bat by an opponent, and no pass.

What if this sequence of 3 & 4 continued from A2 to A3, then A3 to A4, then A4 to A5, then back from A5 to A1. If it is not a pass, then A1 stiil can't dribble again.

Furthermore, what if the sequence even continued though all of team B. Still not a "bat" by an opponent, not a try. So, is it a pass? If not, A1 still can't dribble again.

So, do we still think this is not a pass? Of course not. I think we'd all agree that the actions in the sequence above would allow A1 to dribble again. Therefore, the actions in 3 & 4 must be a pass.

I claim that, if the ball so much as touches another player when it is not in player control, it is a pass.