A: Article 17.3.2 states:
During the throw-in other player(s) shall not:
-Have any part of their bodies over the boundary line before the ball has been thrown-in across the boundary line.

An infraction of Art. 17.3 is a violation
Penalty - The ball is awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at the place of the original throw-in.

My question is with respect to never having seen this rule applied in this fashion. In fact, in every scenario I have seen where this rule would come into play, officials commonly issue a warning and then if it happens again a Technical Foul is assessed. This type of Technical foul is included within 36.3.1 (Delaying the game ... by preventing a throw-in from being taken promptly). Article 17.3 and 36.3 seem to conflict with one another, in that 17.3 does not reference a warning, only a violation, and it would seem that repeated violations of this type would be continue to be judged as violations and not carry the greater penalty of a Technical foul as 36.3 would seem to advise the official.

Maybe 17.3 just needs to be reworded to clarify that the violation should include a warning for delay of game and any subsequent action of the same type by any member of that same team may result in a technical foul.


A: Article 17.3.2 addresses a player, other than the player taking the throw-in, who has any part of their bodies over the boundary line before the all has been thrown in across the boundary line.  An infraction of this article is simply a violation.  (See OBRI 17-5 for some more clarity)

Article 36.3.1 addresses a player non-contact foul of a behavioural nature which, in this case, is assessed to a player who delays the game by deliberately touching the ball after it passes through the basket or by preventing a throw-in from being taken promptly (essentially interfering with the throw-in).  This is an unsportsmanlike behavioural act (Technical Foul).  (See OBRI 36-2.  Speaks directly to “interfering” with the throw-in.)

Remember, in the first article above where a player simply has any part of their body over the boundary line, any deliberate or repeated non-cooperation or non-compliance with the spirit and intent of this rule shall be considered as a technical foul (Art. 36.1.3).  I would presume that if a player repeatedly places any part of their body over the boundary line, they would be trying to gain an unfair advantage by slowing the game down – warning issued and then a Technical Foul.

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