[rainmaker]

Originally posted by bgtg19

The answer to why a player might not end up shooting when they intended to shoot before they got fouled is ... becuase they got fouled. As a player, I can recall starting my shooting motion, getting some contact, not knowing whether the official *will* call the contact a foul, and then dumping off the ball to a teammate as the whistle blew. I usually didn't get to go to the line in this situation, and as soon as I heard the whistle I wished I had continued the shot attempt. I also remember that, as a player, I would start my shooting motion, get some contact that I was sure would draw a whistle, continue the attempt which had no real chance of success but gosh-darn-it-this-way-I-know-I'm-going-to-the-line and ... no whistle. As the other team was headed down court with the ball, I wished I would have dumped the ball off to a teammate instead (well, O.K., what I really wished for was for the official to blow her/his whistle!).

I tend to side with those who think that a player should be awarded the free throws *if* in that official's judgment the player was going to shoot the ball when the foul occurred. Yes, we make judgments all the time. And sometimes we make a mistake. I think I have a pretty good idea about when a player is planning to take a shot or kick it out, but I'm sure that I'm not perfect.

I think both interpretations and judgments are valid and explainable -- but I think the spirit of the rules is to award a player two (or three) free throws if a foul prevents them from making a basket when they were attempting a shot at the time of the foul.

One other point here: there usually is a little lag time between the contact and the whistle and, often, that explains why a player would not continue to shoot (as I earlier said, a player will not know whether s/he will get the whistle). I disagree with whomever suggested a "patient whistle" will work here. I think the whistle needs to be as quick and clear as possible. However, I think that a "patient signal" may be helpful so that you can allow all that happens to inform your judgment before you make the call. [/B]

I think this is a good explanation of what I see and perceive when this play happens in my games. Sometimes, it's not obvious enough to give the benefit of the doubt, but often it's easy to tell. Especially if the shooter has shot from the spot several times before, or if the shooter has a characteristic shooting style that is employed and then suddenly changed half-way through.

The other thing that occurs to me is that this may be a difference between girls and boys. I'm doing mostly girls these days, and it may be that boys are much more likely to follow through with shooting than girls. I'm not sure about this...