Had a first-year ref ask me Sunday at a juniors tournament who jumps if there's a held ball right off the tap? I said the two players involved in the held ball... he thought it should be the centers rejump equivicating it with the ball being tapped out of bounds. Know what? It ain't in the Federation rules or case books. Logic dictates the players involved, but then again, this is the NFHS. Who jumps?

Guess what? NFHS casebook play 6.3.1SitC(b&c) says you're right.

If there is an immediate held ball, before the direction of the arrow is determined, the repeat jump ball is between the two players involved in the held ball.

What did he mean by this?


(Edit: I'm not concerned about the word "equivicating". Does the official in question thinks that all jump balls that are batted out of bounds are rejumped? Does he think that those touched simultaneously by two players are rejumped by the original centers? Other?)

[Edited by bob jenkins on Mar 17th, 2003 at 11:29 AM]

Just for the record, I'm assuming you meant to say, "equating." "Equivocate" means, "to deceive by being vague." Somehow, that just doesn't fit into this context!

Jewel,
Actually "equivocating" may be the exactly proper word.
SBR may have indentified and categorized the other guys explanation.
mick

Whoa, I didn't know there were so many english teachers on this site. The young ref meant if a tap went out of bounds and he couldn't tell or his partner couldn't tell who it went off of... sorry. When I get home, I'll check the case book, thanks. I dug like a mutha' looking for it yesterday and couldn't find it. Much appreciated.

The note following 6-3-3f says: "If the alternating-possession procedure has not been established, the jump ball shall be between the two players involved in the center restraining circle."
While the syntax on this is not the clearest, it means that if two players cause a held ball, either by holding the ball inbounds or by simulataneously knocking the ball out-of-bounds, the official should take those two players to the center circle and have a jump ball. Under the current NFHS rules, the center circle is the only place on the court that a jump ball will be administered.
I believe part of this rule is left over from the days when jump balls used to occur in the free throw cirlces as well.
Some of the officials out here got into an argument at the start of the season about what this particular note meant. They incorrected believed that it was instructing them to have the two players in the center circle have a jump ball. The casebook play that JR cited, 6.3.1C part c, thankfully clarifies the language of this note.