Violation ???

Question
Hi Bret.... Recently I was playing ball at the local YMCA... adults... pick-up... nothing serious.  A situation came up that was confusing, and I was wondering if you could answer it.

A player dribbled down the court... stopped at the top of the key and held the ball in two hands.  He went to pass, but a defender cut off the lane.  The ball slipped from his hands... went a foot or two... bounced on the ground.  He grabbed it.  

Can a player do that?  Can he dribble... stop... then lose the ball and go and regain it again?  No one else touched the ball.  Isn't that a violation?

Thanks... Fred Krough

Answer
Hi Fred,

If I am understanding you propely, it sounds like he went to pass the ball, and realized his pass was probably going to get picked off and "lost the handle" on the ball. Technically, if a player "Loses the Handle" on the ball, they can legally retrieve the ball without a traveling or double dribble violation being called. So in answer to your question, what he did was legal. Now if a player was dribblig the ball, and lets say was about to lose it "Out of Bounds" and passed the ball to himself to save it; that would be a violation, basically passing to yourself. I hope that makes sense and I answered your question.

Good Luck.