Fouling 3-point shooters

Originally Posted by Adam

You were told (or assumed) incorrectly. This is generally incidental contact. Also, a lot of those shooters are throwing themselves to the floor to get a call. We have to decide how they got there and rule accordingly.

Got any tips for me on judging this kind of contact? Should I only call it if a players gets thrown to the floor? If a player can get his arms hit after releasing the shot, how hard is too hard?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by seanwestref

Got any tips for me on judging this kind of contact? Should I only call it if a players gets thrown to the floor? If a player can get his arms hit after releasing the shot, how hard is too hard?

All contact is not a foul. So that needs to be your starting point. Secondly is no a player does not need to be thrown to the floor. Actually sometimes they hit the floor because they are off balance or trying to fake that they were fouled. And how hard an arm is hit is really up to your experience and seeing plays. I never call a foul if the contact does not change the follow through to some extent or if the player does not come back to the floor and gets contact that knocks them to the floor (not faking). But one of the biggest mistakes young officials make is call every little contact a foul. Don't be that guy.

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by seanwestref

Got any tips for me on judging this kind of contact? Should I only call it if a players gets thrown to the floor? If a player can get his arms hit after releasing the shot, how hard is too hard?

If it is hard enough to twist the shooter around or alter the shooter's ability to land straight, sure, it can be a foul. But not just merely contact. You have to watch out for the shooter's acting it up too.

As an example, a defender coming across from the side or even from the front and mostly passing by but going through the arms with enough solid contact to bring the shooter with them....call it. I even had such a foul last week on a made 3-pointer...the defender came rushing out and, even though the contact was 100% arm and after the release, it still knocked the shooter back and actually down to the floor. So, it can happen, but it is about effect, not some ambiguous "protect the shooter"

A tap on the wrist/forarm that doesn't change the shooter's landing, nothing.

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

If it is hard enough to twist the shooter around or alter the shooter's ability to land straight, sure, it can be a foul. But not just merely contact. You have to watch out for the shooter's acting it up too.

As an example, a defender coming across from the side or even from the front and mostly passing by but going through the arms with enough solid contact to bring the shooter with them....call it. I even had such a foul last week on a made 3-pointer...the defender came rushing out and, even though the contact was 100% arm and after the release, it still knocked the shooter back and actually down to the floor. So, it can happen, but it is about effect, not some ambiguous "protect the shooter"

A tap on the wrist/forarm that doesn't change the shooter's landing, nothing.

I called one of these an intentional this year. Defender came running by the shooter, no contact with the body or anything but he came through with the tomahawk about takin goff the shooters hands. I ruled it as excessive contact. Just block the shot. No need to come in swinging.

[APG]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

I called one of these an intentional this year. Defender came running by the shooter, no contact with the body or anything but he came through with the tomahawk about takin goff the shooters hands. I ruled it as excessive contact. Just block the shot. No need to come in swinging.

Maybe I'm just envisioning this wrong, but I have a hard time seeing as an intentional foul.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by APG

Maybe I'm just envisioning this wrong, but I have a hard time seeing as an intentional foul.

Me too. It's pretty hard to have excessive contact only on the arms. Not impossible, but very difficult.