Call Consistency as a Crew

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

Well I can't speak for the college game although I thought it was all the same but in the pro game it is when the off. Player starts his upward shooting motion. Can you give me the rule citation where it says that the off player has to be airborne?

I know I used to think the same thing and then read deeper in my rule book and it was different.

The NFHS citation is rule 4-23-5(d) and the NCAA citation is rule 4-35-5(d). They both basically use the same language. The NCAA language is "When an opponent is airborne, the guard shall have obtained legal guarding position before the opponent left the playing court."

That's an absolutely basic rule that's been unchanged in both rulesets as long as I've been around. It's a big mistake to confuse NBE rules and philosophies with the NCAA and NFHS ones. They are completely different.

What the pros do is irrelevant because they don't follow their own rules half the time anyway.