Another episode of "T or No T"...you make the call

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

I also don't think it matters that there are no bodies below the shooter; one can land just as badly on an open court as on another person.

Correct, it doesn't. The rule allows a player to grasp the ring to avoid injury. But as others have said, I don't think the kid was grasping the ring to avoid injury. This looked like more of a "flourish" at the end of the move. As MTDS and others have pointed out, the kid's head went higher after he put the ball through and the only way that happens is by pulling himself up.

If I'd called a T in that spot my reaction to the complaints of the coach would've been "Coach, did he need to do what he did to protect himself or actually make the shot?"