[Adam]

While I agree with Nevada in this case, without having seen this play it's really hard to tell. There's been a debate recently about whether a player can foul another (personal foul) by striking him with the ball.
The rule says live ball contact with an opponent; it doesn't exclude the possibility of using the ball. Usually, this debate occurs in the context of an offensive player pushing the defender with the ball rather than his hands. Some (I believe Nevada is in this group) will say the obvious intent is direct contact between players, others don't think this is so obvious.

Your situation is a bit different, however. Frankly, if your friend thinks the defender did it on purpose, he has to choose between an intentional personal or an unsporting technical; depending on whether you think purposeful ball on player contact can be considered a personal foul. I don't think, however, that a shooting foul is an option here.

Intentional or technical, IMO, but not a standard personal shooting foul.