In order to be considered a gather, the player must possess the ball. The gather applies to ball status and player control. The gather is the moment a player gains enough control of the ball to:
- Hold it
- Change hands
- Pass
- Shoot
- Cradle it against the body
- For a dribbler, the gather occurs when:
- Two hands are placed on the ball.
- The ball comes to rest in one or both hands
- The ball is otherwise controlled enough to stop the dribble.