A thrower-in A-1 reaches through the plane of the boundary line and shoves defender B-1 prior to releasing the ball. Is the official correct to call this a player control foul?

In the scenario described, the action of A-1, the thrower-in, reaching through the plane of the boundary line to shove defender B-1 prior to releasing the ball, constitutes illegal contact. For a throw-in, players are allowed to step over the boundary line to retrieve the ball but cannot make contact with an opposing player in a way that would constitute a foul.

This specific act of shoving while still in the throw-in situation is not classified as a player control foul. Player control fouls typically occur during active gameplay when a player with the ball commits a personal foul against a defender. In this context, A-1 has not yet released the ball for play, meaning they are not considered to be in active play yet. Therefore, the official would correctly assess the situation as not constituting a player control foul. As such, the action disrupts the proper conduct of the throw-in process and would be addressed under different rules related to throw-in violations rather than being labeled as a player control foul.