HS Rules question:

Shooter goes airborne to shoot 3 point shot. Hard foul by defense, so hard shooter never releases ball. Both shooter & Defensive come down in heap on floor.. ball still in hands of shooter.

ref calls foul.. awards 3 shots to shooter.

Defensive player argues it is not a shooting foul, as ball never left hands of offensive player. He was airborne, and clearly attempting to shoot.

I can't believe defensive player is right, otherwise players could just hammer shooters so hard they can't get the shot off.. and it wouldn't be a shooting foul.

Please educate me, rule citation & quote would be sweet to pass on to defensive player...

The shot does not have to be released (i.e. leave the shooter's hands) to be "in the act of shooting."

I don't have the citation handy, but I believe its in Rule 4 under one of the definitions of act of shooting, try, etc.

4-41 defines when a try starts and when it ends. As part of the rule, the "act of shooting" is defined. Article 3 says it best: "The try starts when the player begins the motion which habitually precedes the release of the ball."

If fouled after that motion starts (certainly being in the air for a jump shot qualifies) then free throws will be shot, even if the ball is not release after the foul. The ref is the judge if the try was started or not. So, don't ever listen to a player about if the try was started or not.

And if the defensive player says one word after I give him the fisheye for initially arguing the foul, there's going to be a couple more FT's on top of the original 3.