[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I do not have my rule books in front of me but I am going to give the posting a go at it.

Since this game was probably played last night, it was either a boys' or girls' jr. H.S. game, because the freshmen, jr. varsity, and varsity regular seasons have not started yet, or it could have been during a scrimmage game.

Under both NFHS and NCAA rules, the definition of fighting does not state specifically state that a fighting foul is a technical foul and the definition of a flagrant foul includes some of the attributes of a fighting foul that are found in the definition of a fighting foul, but in the technical foul section of Rule 10, it states that a fighting foul is technical foul.

The foul described in the originally posting could be either a fighting foul and therefore a techincal foul or it could be a flagrant personal foul (because there was contact while the ball was live).

How would I have called it under NFHS rules? Since there was contact, I would have charged B1 with a flagrant personal foul. B1 is ejected, A1 shoots two free throws, and Team A gets the ball for a throw-in nearest the spot of B1 foul.

The fighting foul is cumbersome to apply, and if one just takes the time to apply the rules as they are written, the net effect is the same.

I made a mistake in reading the original posting. I missed the first foul by B1. This makes the situation a false multiple foul. The first foul by B1 is a live ball contact foul and therefore is a personal foul and it is a common foul. The second foul by B1 is a dead ball contact foul and therefor is a technical foul which at the very least is a flagrant foul and possibly a fighting foul.

I would still stand by my original decision to treat B1's second foul as a flagrant foul (technical one because it occured while the ball was dead). This means that anybody (NHFS: two different players, one for each free throw; NCAA: the same player must shoot both free throws) from Team A can shoot the two free throws of the technical. Under NFHS rules the fouls are penalized in the order that they occured meaning the Team A will get the ball for a throw-in at the division line opposite the Scorer's Table; under NCAA rules the technical foul free throws are shot before the penalty for the common foul are imposed and the ball is put into play is if the common foul was the only foul that occured.

The OhioHSAA does not have in extra penalties for fighting per se. The first time a player is ejected from a basketball game during the season, the player is suspended for the rest of the day and from all basketball games that the school plays until the school has played two games at the level of the game from which the player was ejected. This rule also applies to coaches. An example would be if the varsity coach, who is an assitant coach during a freshmen game, is ejected from the freshmen game. If the school plays four varsity games before the freshmen team plays two games, the varsity coach cannot return to coaching until after the second freshmen game is played. (This would type of penalty would apply to a player because in Ohio a player is allowed to play 80 quarters during the regular season; freshmen can spread their 80 quarters over freshmen, jr. varsity, and varsity games, and sophomores, junior, and seniors can spread their 80 quarters over jr. varsity and varsity games.) The second time a player or coach is ejected from a game during the season, the player or coach is suspended for the rest of the season including post-season play, and the coach must go to Columbus with his principal to have a personal meeting with Clair Muscaro, the OhioHSAA Commissioner. And I would think that is not a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive that a coach would want to have to take with his principal.