Tech - Unsportsmanlike conduct

Question
When a shooter goes up, sometimes a defender will 'stab' with his hand/arm at the mid-section of the shooter.  Other times, the defender will 'run at' and duck his head at the mid-section of the shooter.  Usually, no actual contact is made with the shooter.
My memory says that I've been schooled that a technical foul should be called for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Again, whether or not any physical contact is made, it strikes me as unsportsmanlike to make a threatening move like this at a shooter.
Am I right or am I mis-remembering?

Answer
Tim,

There is nothing defined in the rule book specifying this is unsportsman like. A defender can slap his hands or make any kind of move, and as long as no contact is made, it's legal. The one thing a defender may not do is maliciously stick or wave his/her hands in the face of a player with the ball. That would be a Technical foul. Otherwise what you explained, generally speaking is legal. Also Keep in mind, that any action of a player, could be determined as unsportsmanlike by an official, and therefore constitute a technical foul, even if it's not necessarily in the rule book. It's up to the official to determine whether or not certain actions deserve a technical, or maybe just a warning.

Thanks for the question.