Nev, I've thought about this several times since I first saw your assertion that the ac doesn't get hc privileges. Every time, I keep coming back to these thoughts:
- It seems to be at odds with the spirit of the rule, and the general tenor of the rules overall, to deny the field-promoted assistant coach the ability to perform all legitimate coaching activities.
- Denying the ac hc status and privileges further punishes the team. But it can be an uneven punishment. If the home team's head coach gets tossed in the first quarter, and the visiting team's in the fourth quarter, this further punishment is very unequal.
- If I toss the head coach, I still want a head coach. I want that coach to be personally accountable for the actions of bench personnel. If I say he isn't the head coach, whom do I whack if the bench gets out of line?
- The head coach's ability to call time outs has been with us for a while now. If the NFHS really wanted that priviledge to disappear with the ejected head coach, they would have made that clear.
- The rules are generally about what is forbidden, not about what is permitted. Generally speaking, if the rules don't say I can't do something, I can. The rules don't say that the ac can't become the hc.
I really think you're reading something into the rules that was never intended. Just my $0.02