Interesting scenario
 

Player A1 passes the basketball from mid court to A2 on break. A2 is standing outside the key, not moving. B1 runs with hands in the air trying to block A2's view of the ball. The ball hits the back of B1's hands and deflects out of bounds. At that point B1 had reached A2 and his hands were in front of his face. I whistle a T for a player technical. My partner comes to me and says he has never heard that called before. I told him it was under player technicals in the rule book. By definition was that the right call?

I think you mis-interpreted the intent of the rule if I am reading things correctly. The ball deflected off B and went out of bounds. A's ball on the violation. The 'face guarding' is not occurring if the ball is dead and the violation for OOB has been called.

IMO, the technical was unwarranted. However, you cannot rescind it. The rule you applied is when the player is closely guarded and the opponent places his or her hand directly in the face of the player with the ball. Since, the ball went OOB give the ball back to A and play on.

I called the T before the ball went out of bounds, I whistled it when B1 raised his hands to block the view of A2. I am sorry I did not make that clear. I was uncertain about the call of face guarding. When and were do you call it. It has happened to me twice in the same day different games.

Face guarding occurs when the defense places a hand directly in the face of the offense.

How about if the offense player is shooting?

This will be a no call!

Maybe this will help.....

From the 2004-05 rulebook--POE # 4A--<b>Face Guarding:</b>
-<i>A new rule that calls for a technical foul for face guarding regardless of whether or not the offended player has trhe ball calls attention to the problem. The NFHS first defined face guarding as being illegal in 1913. The rules have essentially been unchanged and have received various degrees of emphasis through the century. Face guarding is defined in rule 10-3-7d as purposely obstructing an opponent's vision by waving or placing hand(s) near his or her eyes. The penalty is a technical foul. Face guarding could occur with a single hand and a player hand(s) do not have to be waving; the hands could be stationary but still restrict the opponent's vision. The committee does not intend for good defense to be penalized. Challenging the shooter with a hand in the face or <b>fronting a post player with a hand in the air to prevent a post pass</b> are examples of <b>acceptable</b> actions. The rule and the point of emphasis is designed to penalize actions that are clearly not related to playing the game of basketball properly and that intentionally restrict vision. Often that occurs off the ball or as players are moving up the floor in transition.</i>

This sentence was included in the <b>COMMENTS ON THE 2004-05 RULES REVISIONS</b> too-- <i>"Guarding a player's eyes should not be allowed as an effort to obstruct <b>any player's movement and is an unsafe act</b>.</i>

So, did the hand in the face obstruct a player's movement? Was it an unsafe act? Judgment call.