[Camron Rust]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

The only place it talks about players with regards to position and jumping is:

Rule 4-23. GUARDING
Art. 1...Guarding is the act of legally placing the body in the path of an offensive opponent.
Art. 4...Guarding an opponent with the ball or a stationary opponent without the ball:
b. If the opponent with the ball is airborne, the guard must have obtained legal position before the opponent left the floor.
[/B]

NFHS rule 10-6-3NOTE states the general principle to be used:-"The guard may not cause contact by moving under OR IN FRONT OF a passer or thrower after he or she is in the air with both feet off the floor. The key phrase is "in front of ....."! The same principle applies to a shooter or passer,also.They similarly can't cause contact by moving under or IN FRONT OF a defensive player after he or she is in the air with both feet off the floor.

That's what JeffRef is trying to say,I think.If it is,I agree with him,and this language backs him up. [/B][/QUOTE]

Does the same principle apply? I'm not so sure it does.

Consider this play: A1 is driving from the top of the key...straight down the lane. B4 rotates from the corner to help. B4, anticipating a shot, jumps while running towards the lane. A1 continues down the lane and pulls up for a 3 foot jumper about the time that B4 lands on him.

By the analogy you made: "The same principle applies to a shooter or passer,also.They similarly can't cause contact by moving under or IN FRONT OF a defensive player after he or she is in the air with both feet off the floor."

the foul would be on the shooter for moving under the defender after the defender jumped. I assert that this foul should be on the defender.

What would this mean if your analogy were true? If the two players are on convergent paths, the first (perhaps only) one off the ground could not foul. Example: If I, as a defender, saw an opponent driving, I could cut towards a point along his intended path, jump towards it before he got there and before he jumped, crash onto the dribbler/shooter and draw a foul on the him.

Of course this is not the case. This foul is on the defender. Therefore, a defender does NOT always get a guaranteed place to land even if path was clear when they jumped. The fouls the defender can draw while jumping must conform to the requirements of legal guarding position and/or verticality. The clauses granting a landing spot specifically talk about the offensive player. If it were to apply to both, it would not single out the offensive player in both locations.

(I've only consider body contact fouls...a shove by a hand can always be a foul regardless of who jumps when or where).


[Edited by Camron Rust on Jun 13th, 2003 at 05:54 PM]