Expert: Bret Temple - 1/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Team A has control of the ball in the front court.  A1 is dribbling.  The ball is tipped by B1, then tipped by A2.  The ball goes into the backcourt and is touched by A3. Since Team A had control of the ball to start this series of "Tips", I believe this would be a Backcourt Violation on Team A, as Team B never had control of the ball. This is for High School basketball with NFHS rules (haven't found this situation listed in the rule or case books.  Thanks for your assistance.

ANSWER: Hi John,

The Back-court violation rule can be a little tricky at times.  If team A has control of the ball in the front-court and the defensive team tips the ball but does not necessarily gain control of it and the ball goes into the back court before Team A regains control of it, it is NOT a violation, because the ball was tipped into the back court by the defense. If the ball is tipped by team B, then Team A regains control then steps into the back court, then it's a Violation.
just remember, if the team with control of the ball in the front court ever gets the ball stripped away or tipped into the back-court, they can legally retrieve it without a violation being called.
I hope that helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Bret, I'm OK with some of your response, but, after B1 tipped the ball in the front court, it was then tipped by A2, still in the front court.  Then the ball goes into the backcourt, where A3 touches it again.
So Team A was the last team with possession and Team A was the last to touch in the front court before, it was retrieved in the backcourt by Team A.  thanks again.

Answer
John,

This is a very good question. Just because Team A was the last to tip it, doesn't mean that Team A regained control of the ball before the ball was recovered in the back-court. This is one of those plays where seeing it happen is much easier than explaining it. It's really going to depend on what the official sees and/or interprets. I hope that helps a little more.