FT Shooter Fouled

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

How the heck would you accidentally foul a free throw shooter who still has the ball?

Probably won't happen in a million games.

Freshman is sitting on the varsity bench all season. Finally, in a lopsided game, he gets his first chance to play in the varsity game. His adrenaline kicks in. He lines up as a defender on the lane line for the second of two free throws. Head coach yells to him to be sure to box out the shooter. Free throw shooter has a little hitch in his shooting motion. Freshman enters the lane before the release (delayed violation), and crosses the free throw line, also before the release (another delayed violation), and now, with his back to the shooter, boxes out and displaces the shooter while the shooter is still in the act of shooting, possibly as an airborne shooter.

It won't happen, but that doesn't mean that it, theoretically, can't happen.

In a real game, I don't have to decide if the illegal contact is accidental, or on purpose, because I've got all the rule backing for an intentional foul that I need with: Contact that neutralizes an opponent's obvious advantageous position.