Free Throw Disrupted By Fan

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Notice that the OP stated that this was a member of the boys varsity team from the home school.

Good point. In this case the distracting fan was very easy to identify, other times, it may be more difficult, or even impossible.

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

There is no rule allowing you to give a replacement free throw for this.

How about Fundamental #16: The official’s whistle seldom causes the ball to become dead (it is already dead).

The officials couldn't sound their whistles in time to stop the try, so, in reality, the player may have shot a dead ball. Try again.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

How about Fundamental #16: The official’s whistle seldom causes the ball to become dead (it is already dead).

The officials couldn't sound their whistles in time to stop the try, so, in reality, the player may have shot a dead ball. Try again.

Sorry, but this doesn't mean we can just declare the ball has been dead because it's more convenient. There is a list of things that make the ball dead, and none of them involve a fan.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Adam

Sorry, but this doesn't mean we can just declare the ball has been dead because it's more convenient. There is a list of things that make the ball dead, and none of them involve a fan.

A fan committing an act which results in a team technical foul would make the ball dead, barring a try being in flight. Of course, the official would have to be stopping play to charge the technical foul!

[just another ref]

My first question would be how certain are we the miss was because of the fan? If it was too late to stop it.....

[BillyMac]

We see fans (granted, mostly in higher levels, college, NBA; but some in high school) trying to distract free throw shooters all the time, without any repercussions. What makes this situation so special? Because the offender was a member of the opponent's other gender team?

Technical foul is a nuclear option. Rules really don't allow us to give a replacement free throw. We're stuck.

2-3, although not technically relevant, seems the most appropriate way to approach this matter.

Maybe it's one of those "sometimes we just have to officiate" situations.

Maybe we just ask the site director to keep fans away from the endline during free throws, and move on.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

We see fans (granted, mostly in higher levels, college, NBA; but some in high school) trying to distract free throw shooters all the time, without any repercussions. What makes this situation so special? Because the offender was a member of the opponent's other gender team?

My guess is that the fan was on the floor rather than in the stands. I think that's a significant difference.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

My guess is that the fan was on the floor rather than in the stands. I think that's a significant difference.

Fans are often on the floor. How else are they going to get to the concession stand? In a Catholic middle school game, I once had an adult fan, in a very crowded gymnasium, walk onto the court (with a hot dog in his hand) and get in the way of an errant pass that was on it's way out of bounds and ended up staying in play.