Expert: Bret Temple - 8/13/2011

Question
A shot is taken, ball comes up short and it's an air ball..the ball is rolling on the floor. Can the person who shot the ball get in the way of an opponent who is trying to rebound the ball by using his body to push that opponent away from the ball? I was under the impression that the player who shot the ball could get between his opponent and the loose ball but had to plant his feet and could not push his opponent back with his body as if "boxing out"..

Answer
Hi Someone,

Thank you for your question. First of all just to clarify, a Loose Ball Foul is a term only used in the NBA, however the concept is still uniform no matter what level your playing at. In addition, in the NBA a shooter cannot be the first player to touch his/her own air ball or it's considered a violation, unlike high school rules where a player making a legitimate shot attempt may rebound his/her own air ball.  So if this play happened in the NBA, you can almost be certain the shooter wouldn't have gone after the ball.  

To answer your question, there is nothing wrong with a shooter in this scenario getting in between the ball and the opponent, however, he/she may not use their body to push or "displace" the opponent out of the way in order for them to gain control of the ball. That would be considered illegal contact and therefor a foul. It really doesn't have anything to do with whether or not their feet are planted, but rather if they used their body to gain an advantage and at the same time putting the opponent at a disadvantage. Both players must go after the loose ball equally in order for no foul to be committed. From what your describing in this scenario a foul should be called against the shooter and the ball awarded to the opposing team.
I hope that answered your question.