Mr. Stickler chimes in..
 

Just want to remind all of you who are below the NBA level, there is no clear definition of 'loose ball' and the term is meaningless in a rules discussion for FED and NCAA. Adam nailed it with his cite of 4-12-3 for FED and I think NCAA has a parallel ruling.

Sort of. We had just finished talking about a technical I issued for a rim chin-up (the critique was good: excellent call, poor reporting) and some other situations among the crew. And then this play in question came up as a bit of an afterthought. I was still shocked that the clinician and so many other folks felt we should have gone to the arrow. I made a polite token effort to counter, but then I got to that point when it was more prudent to simply nod, acknowledge, and discard. I knew I was right. Incidentally, the clinician was not a "first year on the staff" kind of guy. It was one of commissioner's senior officials.

As for your other point that Team A was going to get the ball regardless, that's a fair point. I didn't blow the play dead, but if I had been the calling official, this would have been a lot to think through in a very short amount of time. Given the kind of collision, I probably would have blown the play dead, too. Safety first.

Excellent points.

In indicator that you possess good judgment.

I had a similar situation once in a discussion with a local big dawg (won't say which city I was in at the time) regarding whether an attempt at the wrong basket is considered a "try." I pushed a little, but there was no need to brand myself.

You look down your nose at any official who would even briefly consider stopping play for an injury ... yet fail in your answer to this question miserably. You consider yourself too high of a level to stop play, yet it turns out you're too low a level to answer this simple question. Thanks for being today's lesson in irony.

Unlike all of you other distinguished gentlemen I don't imply that I know the rule book by heart...my apologies...but I do my best in between juggling college, career and family to know it fairly well although if I kicked this call it wouldn't be the first nor the last time...

of course now I can assure you that if this play comes up I will at least get this one right! That's a start right?

I wasn't picking on you for not knowing the rule... I was picking on you for getting on your high horse about the other official, when you didn't know the rule.

My horse can be high at times...