CASEPLAYS

Dribble on Throw-in

Play: Following team A’s successful goal, B1 takes the ball out of bounds along the endline in team B’s backcourt. B1 dribbles the ball once by bouncing the ball on the endline, catching it and then dribbles again by bouncing the ball on the playing court inbounds, and catching the ball again. The entire time, B1 remains standing out of bounds. Does any part of B1’s dribbling of the ball during the throw-in result in a violation?

Ruling: Yes. The dribbling rule and double dribble violations do not apply during a throw-in, so it is not a violation for B1 to dribble once or multiple times while out of bounds during a throw-in. But when B1’s second dribble touched the floor inbounds, and then B1 was the first to touch the ball again, that action results in a throw-in violation by B1 because B1 failed to pass the ball directly into the playing court so that after it crossed the boundary line, it was touched by another player who was inbounds or was standing out of bounds (NFHS 9-2, Basketball Rules Fundamentals 5; NCAAM 9-4.1.b; NCAAW 9-4.1.b, Appendix VII 5).

First to Touch a sleeve, except for a knee brace, and must meet the color restrictions in rule 3-5-3: black, white, beige or the predominant color of the jersey, and the same color worn by all teammates. All sleeves, tights and compression shorts must also be the same color as any headband or wristband that is also being worn (3-5-4).

Play: A1 is holding the ball outside the three-point line near the 28-foot line in team A’s frontcourt. A2, who is on the other side of the lane near the endline, cuts toward A2’s side of the court. While doing so, A2 runs out of bounds along the endline in team A’s frontcourt to avoid players from both teams. A2 then steps back onto the court near the three-point line on A1’s side of the court and receives a pass from A1. Is this play legal?

Ruling: No. A player who steps out of bounds under the player’s own volition and then becomes the first player to touch the ball after returning to the playing court has committed a violation. Had A2 not received a pass after re-entering the court, no violation would have occurred. But since A2 was the first to touch the ball after A1 had possession, the result is a violation (NFHS 9-3-3; NCAAM/W 9-3.1).

If in doubt, coaches and school administrators should confirm legality with their state association prior to purchasing any uniforms, equipment or apparel.

Bench Decorum

The rules committee remains concerned about bench decorum rules violations by coaches and bench personnel, and stresses the need for officials to enforce existing rules so coaches and bench personnel will exhibit appropriate and acceptable behavior.

Coaches are expected to remain within the 28-foot coaching box, and an extension to that current length adopted six years ago was intended to allow for communication with players near the endline. Coaches who go beyond the 28-foot line in either direction, and more importantly, who come onto the playing court, gain an advantage that is not within the spirit and intent of the rules.

Also, while the bench area expands during a timeout, it does not extend beyond the 28-foot line, and coaches and other bench personnel may not move to the expanded bench area until the timeout begins to ensure inadvertent contact does not occur with opposing players still out on the playing court. Coaches who leave the expanded bench area to engage officials inappropriately are also subject to bench conduct warnings or technical fouls.

Misconduct by players, coaches and bench personnel is not permitted. Again, there is continued support for officials to use all tools at their disposal, including administrative warnings and technical fouls if warranted. Players taunting, baiting, finger-pointing, trash-talking and using inappropriate gestures remains a problem. Players and coaches are permitted to celebrate an individual or team accomplishment, but that celebration cannot be directed at the opponent. Also, players and coaches are not allowed to disrespectfully or inappropriately address or gesture toward an official.

Finally, assistant coaches are not authorized to approach the scorer’s table at any time. A team manager or statistician may obtain information from the table when the clock stops and the ball is dead. A head coach is permitted to go to the scorer’s table to request a 60-second timeout to confer with personnel about a potential correctable error or to prevent or rectify a timing or scoring mistake or an error with the alternatingpossession arrow.

Throw-ins – Proper Locations

Proper inbound spots contribute to the overall flow and fairness of the game and ensure the offense and defense have an equal chance to contest the possession. Coaches design specific plays and develop strategies based on where the ball will be put in play. Therefore, it is essential for game officials to be diligent in administering the ball at the proper throw-in location.

With the adoption of rules 7-5-2 through 7-5-5, coaches, players and officials are reminded of the following rules governing throw-in locations:

•Any time a team causes the ball to go out of bounds, the throw-in occurs from the spot where the ball went out of bounds.

•When a violation, defensive foul before the bonus or dead ball occurs that will result in a throw-in, officials must ask themselves three questions: Where did the foul/violation occur? Is the throw-in team in its frontcourt or backcourt? Where was the ball when the interruption occurred?

When a team has control in its backcourt, or the ball is loose in the backcourt and the defensive team commits a violation or foul before the bonus, play will resume with a throwin at either the point of interruption or the designated spot nearest to where the violation or foul occurred.

When the ball is in team control in the offensive team’s frontcourt and the defensive team commits a violation, a common foul prior to the two-shot penalty or the ball becomes dead, play will resume with a throw-in from one of the four designated frontcourt spots (the nearest 28-foot mark along each sideline or the nearest three-foot spot outside the lane on the endline).

When the offensive team commits a foul or violation in the backcourt, the defensive team, now in its frontcourt, will commence play with a throw-in from one of the four designated spots.

End-of-Game Protocols

As games near their conclusion, game officials need to remind each other about game-ending procedures to prevent potential issues. As seen in the PlayPic, late-game timeouts provide a good opportunity to confirm with the scorer the accuracy of the scorebook, the number of timeouts remaining for each team, and the number of team fouls and impact on bonus free throws. These timeouts are also a good time to remind the timer to watch the officials for clock-start and clock-stop signals, and be prepared to assist the officials regarding whether last-second tries have been released prior to the end of playing time. Finally, officials should discuss among themselves last-second shot responsibilities, the fact that no try can be attempted following a throwin or free throw with three-tenths of a second or less remaining unless it is a tap, the proper administration of intentional or flagrant fouls, and whether or not free throws must be administered when a foul occurs and the game-ending horn sounds.

If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the officials should inform each team and the table officials of overtime procedures, such as the length of the extra period and the addition of one 60-second timeout per team.

Finally, following the game-ending horn, the referee should confirm with the scorer everything is correct before leaving the floor with the remaining officials. In situations where the score is separated by three points or less, it may be necessary to verbally confirm this information. In games with a larger margin of victory, a visual signal such as a thumbs-up should suffice. Be confident everything is correct before all officials leave the visual confines of the playing court. *

Officials should use late-game timeouts to confirm all pertinent scorebook information to avoid potential issues in the closing moments of tightly contested games.