Seth Davis Mailbag Rule Q & A
 

I really do more than just SI, but,

In our pickup games, we use the NCAA rules as our general guidelines and we repeatedly have one item that comes up that needs clarification. If you are in bounds and you are heading out, and you throw the ball at another player, but that player already is out of bounds or has one foot out, who gets possession? A group of us think it is the player who threw it off the guy, but the majority think because the guy is already established as out of bounds, it would be just like throwing it off the post or a spectator and it goes over to the other team.
-- Shawn, San Diego

Although the person who was hit with the ball may have the mobility and basketball IQ of a steel post, he is still technically considered a human being playing in a basketball game, and therefore the person who threw the ball retains possession. By rule a player is not considered out of bounds until he or the ball is physically out of bounds, so as long as the thrower's planted foot was inbounds when he went airborne, it sounds to me like he has made a pretty heads-up play.

(His answer is accurate even if he doesn't use dots or dashes).

Read more: Why Pittsburgh could finally reach Final Four, more reader mail - Seth Davis - SI.com

I believe we see a fan/new official come here and pop that very question every now and then on the forums. It surprises that people don't know the correct interpretation :confused:...even back when I played pick up ball more often, no one argued this play when it did pop up.

I'm with you, the confusion on this play confuses me.

[QUOTE=SamIAm;706470]I really do more than just SI, but,

In our pickup games, we use the NCAA rules as our general guidelines and we repeatedly have one item that comes up that needs clarification. If you are in bounds and you are heading out, and you throw the ball at another player, but that player already is out of bounds or has one foot out, who gets possession? A group of us think it is the player who threw it off the guy,[/COLOR] but the majority think because the guy is already established as out of bounds, it would be just like throwing it off the post or a spectator and it goes over to the other team.-- Shawn, San Diego[/COLOR]


The people who think this are the same people who scream three seconds and call it both ways all game long. Any more questions????:D

That holds in rugby, which usually is easily distinguishable from basketball.
Maybe this is not the case for those pickup games. :)

Ciao

Where I grew up, we called those games "21."

Pick up Rugby games? What is knock out like on the Rugby pitch?

Hmm, so let me get this straight - it's the player who is standing OOB that is effectively, the last to touch it inbounds and at the same time, the first to touch it while OOB, even though the ball never touched OOB.

Where have I seen this before? (backcourt interp)...

:D

Basically, but with a basketball and a hoop.

I've got a quote for you, somewhere. Now what did I do with it?

" ." - rockyroad.

Is that it?

Nope, that's not it. I'll keep looking.

Misty Watercolor Memories Of The Way We Were ...
 

Does this myth have anything to do with the very old rule that when a throwin by A1 hits B1, who is out of bounds, that the violation is on A1 for not throwing the ball directly inbounds, and B1 gets the ball for a throwin at the original spot?

That rule is oh, so, 20th century.