Backcourt (one last time)

[John Choiniere]

Team A shoots the ball. Rebound comes long (past top of the key). Player A1 and B1 go toward ball for rebound. With both players arriving almost simultaneousle, Player A1 reaches out and tips the ball toward A2. Ball is never touched by team B. Ball goes into A's backcourt, where A2 retrieves the ball. I would not call this a backcourt violation because there was no team control. Can the tip by A1 establish control?

[Bart Tyson]

No. Always be 110% sure when it comes to team control. when in doubt, favor on side of no control.

[Mark Padgett]

Of course there was no team control in this situation, and since team control is one of the four elements needed for an over-and-back call, there is no call.

Team control was lost on the shot. During a period of no team control, a team gains control by one of its players gaining player control. To do this, a player must be holding or dribbling a live ball inbounds. Merely touching the ball is neither of these.

A saw a ref in a freshman high school game call a violation when a shot was taken, the ball hit the backboard and caromed into the backcourt where it was touched by a member of the shooting team. Of course, the coach didn't say anything (since we all know coaches don't know the rules), but the guy's partner overruled him. The ref making the call was a third year ref. I was doing the eval. At our next meeting, he got a private seminar on the rule.