When the offensive player has gone airborne, it presents one of the more challenging plays for basketball officials. Calling these plays correctly is at the heart of good officiating. There will be many in each game you work.
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 Airborne First. The defender must establish legal guarding position prior to the offensive player leaving the floor.
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 Verticality. In the defender’s effort to “wall up” (protect the basket by forcing the offensive player to shoot over the top), she establishes her arms in a vertical position.
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 Point of contact. Officials do not want to split hairs with how straight her arms are. Instead, consider the point of contact. Does the defender move her arms and create contact with the offensive player? Or does the defender maintain her position and the offensive player initiates the contact into the defender’s arms?
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 Arms coming down. Keep in mind that a defender getting hit in the chest here is going to naturally cause her arms to collapse into the defender. That natural reaction in not a foul when the offensive player initiates such a collapse of the arms. Do not be fooled or surprised by such a play.
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 Help. In NCAA or games with a restricted-area arc, secondary help will be needed. The official on the opposite side of this play, likely the center or perhaps the trail, is going to have to pick up the defender’s position. The lead may need the added information that the defender is in the restricted-area.
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 Defender #1. If green number one were more involved in the play, the trail (or secondary official) would help with the action of this player. She becomes a backside defender and the lead won’t be able to officiate all the action alone.
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