Yes. It's legal to touch the ball if it's outside the cylinder and still on the way up. Whether the ball touches the backboard or not is irrelevant.

On page 66 of last year's Simplified & Illustrated there is a picture of a try hitting the backboard above the level of the ring and continuing on its upward flight. The shot is now blocked by a defender while it is still outside of the cylinder. (I wish I could post the picture, but I don't know how. Perhaps someone else can.)

The NFHS caption reads:

9-11; 9-12 This block is legal as the ball is still in its upward flight and is not in the imaginary cylinder above the ring when touched by the defender. If the ball had been in its downward flight outside the cylinder and had a chance of entering the basket, it would have been defensive goaltending, if the touching had occurred with the ball in or touching the cylinder, it would have been basket interference.

In high school ... ball hits glass on a try. Can it be touched and not be goaltending?

Anybody see the movie "Groundhog Day"?

All I can say is, "Don't drive angry".

http://www.theblab.com/archive/blab_.../groundhog.jpg

SECTION 22 GOALTENDING
Goaltending occurs when a player touches the ball during a field-goal try or tap while it is in its downward flight entirely above the basket ring level and has the possibility of entering the basket in flight, or an opponent of the free thrower touches the ball outside the cylinder during a free-throw attempt.

If it hits the backboard and is on its way down, the answer is no.

Johnny, post #17 was intended to answer your question. The answer is yes, it can be touched and NOT be goaltending as long as the ball is still on its way up. This is also true in the NCAA. However, the NBA rule is different.

This is so incomplete it qualifies as just plain wrong.

Should I have said, "as long as the ball is not on its way down," Dan? :confused:

...and it has a chance to go in and it's not in the cylinder and it's above the rim.

In the context of this thread your answer says the ball can be blocked off the glass only if it's on the way up.

Ok, after putting on my hyper-technical hat, I see what you are saying.
I took Johnny's question to be that he desired to know if it was legal to block a shot that had already hit the backboard, was still above the level of the ring, was not in the cylinder, and had a chance to go in.
I simply replied that as long as the ball was still on the way up, then this is a legal block per the Simplified & Illustrated reference that I already cited.

In otherwords, I took all of the other criteria as given. In the context of his question, I was not dealing with a ball that strikes the backboard, but is below the level or the ring, or has no chance to enter the basket, or is in the cylinder.

Of course, to answer the general case, you are correct to point out that all of those other factors need to be considered.

That's what I get for thinking that Johnny asked a relatively straightforward question. Perhaps I read to much into it, but I believe that he was seeking an answer for a very specific case.

We'll just have to wait and let him clarify. Hopefully, we've both helped him to understand this better. :)

Yeah, fwiw it pisses me off too, Nevada, when Dan goes all hyper-technical on us like that.

So, it all boils down to: was the ball in it's downward flight - no matter if it hit the backboard or not. If the try is in it's downward flight and has a chance to go in - it is golatending. The hitting the backboard really has nothing to do with it.

That is correct.

3 Things
 

1. Ball completely above the rim.

2. Ball on downward flight.

3. Ball has a chance to go in.

If any of these things do not apply, you cannot have goaltending. You notice hitting the backboard is not apart of this equation. ;)

Peace