Free Throw Question?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by Smitty
What does the rulebook say about a fake attempt? Even with the fact that a defender shouldn't be jumping into the lane till the ball hits backboard or rim, I still just think a practice shot is wrong. I don't have my books handy, so I would be tempted to call this a fake attempt and penalize the shooter.

Man, that's just too big of a reach for me, Smitty. Call a ball thrown 4 feet straight above the FT shooter a practise shot? What is he practising? How to miss his free throw?

This is a nit that should never be picked. The kid just has his own way of getting himself prepared for his free throw. No harm/no foul--leave it alone and let him do it. We got a heckuva lot more things to worry about in a game than this one.