Passing and dribbling are the primary ways a a team advances the ball in a basketball game. A player who is dribbling the ball legally may continue to do so until he stops. He may not dribble again until he gains the ball after getting a rebound or receiving a pass. While passing to yourself is not legal in any level of basketball, there are several ways of facilitating this type of pass that are within the rules.
Out-of-Bounds Play
No player may pass directly to himself when taking the ball out on the sidelines. However, the player may attempt to pass the ball off of an opponent's body and then recover the ball and shoot or dribble it. On an out-of-bounds play, a teammate may run by the passer while the defender may be trying to catch up. The passer can toss the ball off the back of the defender and then pick it up once he has established both feet in bounds. This means merely getting both feet down before picking up the ball.
Backboard Pass
Since a player cannot technically pass to herself, she can use the backboard--or the rim--to pass the ball to herself. This occurs rarely done because if the player can make a pass off the backboard, she can also can try to bank the ball off the backboard for a basket. However, if a player throws the ball off the backboard and recovers it, she can then dribble, pass or shoot the ball legally.
Push Dribble
While there is no legal way to pass to yourself, the change-of-pace speed dribble often is considered the equivalent of a self-pass. A player who comes into the front court dribbling at a slow pace may push the ball way ahead of himself and then run with speed and dribble it again. The speed dribble can leave the defensive player flat-footed and the dribbler wide open. This is the legal equivalent of the self-pass.
Member Comments