When it is contact that is clearly not legal defense (which poking someone in the stomach is clearly not), yes. I'm with BNR on this one.

I agree, and if that's what was meant, then there's nothing separating us. I was, however, taking exception to the statement that all contact against a jump shooter is a foul all the time.

The majority understood the message...
 

"There is no such thing as marginal contact on a jump shooter" is the way I had it presented to me by someone I really respect, and that phrase/philosophy has stuck with me. You're right, the rulebook says incidental so if we were arguing in a court of law you win--but I think everyone understood what it meant.

I will stand by the statement though, if someone in the act of shooting gets hit, I'm calling a foul. If you're going to reply with well any and all contact includes a defenders right thumb grazing the shorts on the left leg of the shooter--well whether or not I call that depends on if the out of bounds line around the court is red, blue or green.

If the defender is vertical, then they are legal and the contact is not their fault.

But in the case described in the OP, that's a foul.

Great point. I was envisioning the scenario as relating to the defender coming towards the shooter as they do when they do the "poke."

Sorry, I generally cringe at absolutes. :)

No, I'm not going to discuss the thumb graze. We let a lot of contact go in the post, even on a jump shooter, when it has no affect on the shooter or the shot.

I'm thinking more of a scenario where a defender, approaching a jump shooter, doesn't quite get his hand high enough and ends up getting it on the chest (flat hand, not pointed fingers) as the shooter releases but there is zero impact.

I'm with BNR, my threshold moves a lot as we move out towards the 3 pt arc, but it's not automatic. I've heard coaches try telling me "contact with a shooter is automatically a foul", which is just flat out wrong, but it's seemingly what is meant by the statement "There's no such thing as marginal contact on a jump shooter."

Now, if I end up working for someone who wants the game called that way, I'll adjust. I'm not ready to retire.

All you have to do is call this one time, this crap will stop. Players know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Peace

That was the other thing I was going to say, call it once and you won't have to worry about it anymore.