Last week, we talked about one of the most common phrases officials hear from the stands: “Over the back!”

This week, we are moving to another gym favorite: “She’s reaching, ref!”

Sometimes a coach yells it. Other times it comes from the bleachers. And sometimes it comes before the defender even gets close enough to touch anyone.

I understand why fans say it. A defender sticks a hand in, the ball handler tries to protect the ball, everybody starts moving, and the play can look messy in a hurry.

But reaching in itself is not a foul.

A defender is allowed to reach for the ball. They can try to poke it loose, knock it away or make a clean steal. The foul happens when the defender makes illegal contact with the player.

That is the part that matters.

If the defender hits the arm, grabs the wrist, bumps the body or uses contact to slow the ball handler down, refs will put a whistle on it. But if the defender reaches in and gets the ball cleanly, that is just good defense.

There is also a rule that surprises a lot of people.

The hand is considered part of the ball when it is touching the ball.

So if an offensive player has their hand on the basketball and the defender slaps that hand while making a play on the ball, it is not a foul. The hand is treated as if it were the ball itself.

Now, that is not a pass for defenders to start swinging away like they are trying to chop firewood.

If the contact affects the ball handler’s movement, rhythm, speed, balance or quickness, that can be illegal guarding contact.

In other words, officials are not judging whether a player reached. They are judging what happened because of the reach.

Did the defender make contact with the ball? Was the hand struck while it remained on the ball? Did contact occur with the offensive player’s arm or body? If so, did it place the offensive player at a disadvantage?

That is the difference between a clean defensive play and a foul.

Think of it like reaching into a cookie jar.

If you reach in and grab the cookie, congratulations. If you knock the jar off the counter, now we have a problem.

Basketball works the same way.

“Reaching” has become one of those basketball phrases that people yell because they have heard it forever. It is part of the soundtrack of a gym, right along with squeaking shoes, bouncing balls and someone asking how many fouls No. 23 has.

Reaching is not a foul.

Illegal contact is a foul.

Officials have a split second to make a call from the angle they have on the floor. They may see contact or lack of contact from a completely different view than a fan sitting in the stands. That is when you will likely hear, “She’s reaching, ref!”

Until next week, that is all, folks.

Brittni McCoy is the sports editor at the Mountain Citizen.