First time I've seen this.........and commentary
 

GV game tonight: Girl is fouled as the buzzer sounds to end the 3rd. She goes to the line to shoot 2 with the lane cleared. She misses the first, and as she catches the ball to attempt the second she steps on the line. I whistled the violation. She looked incredulously at her own foot, then at me and gave that bewildered "Who, me?" look that fits every situation. The crowd was not happy, but not in agreement. First a lady: "What?? NOOO!!! She wasn't even on the line! NO WAY WAS SHE ON THE LINE!!" Then a man: "That ain't right! She can stand on the line as much as she wants to as long as she moves before she shoots!" I couldn't help it. I glanced up to see the source of the second comments. He explained his credentials: "I've called games!"

As she catches it? Really? I'd probably boo, too.

violation.

I'm not even looking yet.

I get the "dont be that guy" but at what point would you call it. What if she stood there longer? What if she took a few more steps towards the endline?

How is she violating the spirit of tbe free throw?

When she starts her throwing motion, then I'll care.

Did she step on the line while receiving the ball because of a bad pass from the L? I'd find it VERY hard to fault the thrower for that.

Spirit of the rule is that a violation occurs because the player is standing on the line to gain an advantage (specifically, being slightly closer to the goal on the shot attempt). In this case, I don't see the advantage being gained.

If she delays for a few seconds after receiving the ball or is on the line when she starts her shot attempt, by all means, call the violation.

I always check to see if players are legally in their spots before administering the free throw. Sometimes players are going over what to do after the free throw, getting instructions from coaches, etc. So they aren't thinking about being lined up 100% legally yet.

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Kids try to adjust the foot to the line while holding the ball. At times, while trying to get it into place, it slides over or steps on the line. That is a violation by rule but I have never and will never call that. The foot, 99% of the time, then gets into the proper place behind the line. FT goes off as normal. If it stays on the line or they cross over early sure, ill call it. I view this as a "gotcha" call…a "prove I know the rule call." I have it right next to the multiple foul rule. just my opinion.

Put me in the camp that's booing this call from the sideline as well. Especially nowadays where we don't hand them the ball. If my throw is short or low, and they step forward to catch it, it's not really on them is it? This is grabbing the excrement-covered end of the stick.

I would have a hard time calling this on the catch for two reasons:

1)Assuming you called this as the C (or T in 2-man)-- it could have been a bad pass from your partner that caused her to step forward to catch it. That's not unlike the player fumbling the pass -- you just re-administer the throw.

or

2) she had her foot outside the free-throw semicircle before the pass was made. If that was the case, some preventative officiating could have avoided this by simply telling her to check her feet solves the issue. I do this for players in (or almost in) marked lane spaces all the time.

I recall some areas want these calls made by the book. Mine does not.

Exactly. I'm not calling a violation in the above situation and absolutely not as the player is catching the ball. That's boo worthy officiating IMHO.

".....it is important to know the intent and purpose of a rule so that it may be INTELLIGENTLY applied in each play situation."

This is not applying the rule intelligently.

We had a quandary here a few years ago...for some reason some girls started take their to right foot, stick it 6" past the line and draw it back as they were going through their lineup ritual.

I guess I should have told the whole story. She stepped on the line, and stayed there. The whistle was blown as she started her throwing motion. This wasn't the point, but rather that I'd never seen a violation by the shooter on a shot with the lane cleared.