Travelling: What do you think of this?
 

Just received this as part of a longer email.

Using up time at end of a quarter or game when an offensive player, staying still, in essence throws the ball back and forth from one hand to another. It is the ending of a dribble each timethe ball goes from one hand to the other. Officials are observing the play and ruling this Illegal act as being Legal.

Got this too and I can't figure out what exactly they are talking about. Can't visualize the play they are talking about.

Legal play ...

Caseplay
4.44.3 SITUATION D:

(a) A1 tosses the ball from one hand to the other while keeping his/her pivot foot in contact with the floor; or (b) A1 throws the ball over the head of B1 and then takes several steps before catching it.

RULING: Legal in (a), but a traveling violation in (b). In (b), since the ball did not touch the floor, the tossing and subsequent catch is illegal. (9-4)

That's ridiculous. The definition of a dribble and how a dribble is started both include the phrase " to the floor" (or similar wording). Since the ball isn't being thrown/pushed/batted to the floor, it isn't an illegal dribble.

Who sent this email out? I certainly hope it was not an assignor or State Interpreter!:eek:

LOL ... probably a coach who wanted an illegal dribble called.

Agree. I hate when people send out such rulings from positions of the authority. It basically undermines just about any credibility they may have had when the exact case is in the books and has the exact opposite ruling.

"Dear sir:

Your email was apparently forwarded to me in error. I deal with Basketball, where the act you describe is legal.

Since you confidently state that the act is illegal, I can only assume that you were watching a sport other than basketball. If you let me know which sport that was, I will forward the email to the appropriate person."

I have heard over the years this example used by coaches to try to suggest that any fumble should be called a travel because they could not give a rulebook reason for why it was not a travel.

Peace

Coordinator of IAABO interpreters.

Holy.

Crap.

I would love to hear the reasoning being used in that interpretation if he/she ever explains it.

Ask'em what's illegal about the act.

A clarification has been requested from IAABO ... please stay tuned.

For us sutherners ... which state is the I in that? Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho? (Or is my USA-ism showing? Iraq? Iran? Ivory Coast? Iceland? India? Indonesia? Ireland? Israel? Italy? (Um ... I think that's all of them...))

More like International ... International Association of Approved Basketball Officials.

I'm guessing we'll see a retraction before an explanation.

I got the email, too, and emailed our local rules interpreter to see how we should be calling this here. ;)