Dribbler goes out of bounds & is first to touch the ball again

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Nope, I am reading the literal meaning of "player control" the exact same way that the rules makers intended it to be read. If you can't immediately dribble, there is nowayinhell you can have player control at the same time. Quite simply, you can't control the ball if you can't reach it. And intent has never been inserted into the equation either, for reasons that at least to me are quite simple. We aren't mind readers. We have no real idea what any dribbler is actually intending to do. We have to guess their intent. Guessing is never a good officiating practice.

As I said, you're overthinking the heck out of the play imo by inserting your own idea of how the rule should read rather than the way that it actually does read. Intent is never mentioned rules-wise anywhere.

Player control is defined by rule as holding or dribbling the ball. And the rules also state that there is no player control during an interrupted dribble. Are you really trying to tell me that a dribbler still has player control after he batted their dribble over the defender and the dribbler now has that defender between him and the ball?

By rule, yes, he has player control because he is dribbling and it isn't, by definition, an interrupted dribble.

Player control is a tightly defined term. You aren't using that definition. Instead, you are using the concept of a player in control of the ball. They are not exactly the same.

The rule says an interrupted dribble happens when "it [the ball] momentarily gets away from the dribbler." In that sentence the ball is the actor. If the dribbler puts the ball where he wants it, it hasn't gotten away. It's been acted on, instead of acting. (Yes, the ball doesn't ever technically act of its own, but I think the way the sentence is structured shows the accidental nature of an interrupted dribble.)

We are required to determine intent throughout the rules. A few examples include intentionally kicking the ball, striking the ball with a fist, causing it to enter and pass through the basket from below (all 9-3-4), leaving the floor for an unauthorized reason (9-3-3), grasp the basket except to prevent injury (10-3-3), intentionally slap or strike the backboard (10-3-4b) and so forth.

It's not easy to determine intent, but that's why we are paid the big bucks.