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My opinion:
I'm going to chime in with some Rule Book references here. While it never says when uniforms are to be worn properly, it does state, in ONE place, what is supposed to happen when a certain uniform violation occurs, which I personally think can be applied to uniform violations of all types. See if you follow me here:
3-4-15 A team jersey designed to be worn inside the pants/skirt shall be tucked inside the pants/skirt and the pants/skirt shall be above the hips and worn properly. A player not conforming to this uniform policy shall be directed to leave the game. A team member shall not remove the jersey and/or pants/skirt in the visual confines of the playing area. See 10-3-7h and 10-4-1h for penalty.
So the question is, if using my logic that we can apply this to all uniform violations, when is "the game," and does it include pre-game warm-ups? I think 2-2-2 tells us when "the game" is:
2-2-2 The officials' jurisdiction, prior to the game, begins when they arrive on the floor. The officials' arrival on the floor shall be at least 15 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the game.
This implies that "the game" starts when the ball first becomes live (i.e. when the opening jump ball is scheduled to occur), which does NOT include anything before that time.
Additionally, 10-3-2 refers to a penalty for a particular uniform violation, but I would hope that no one has assessed said penalty prior to the ball first becoming live to start the game:
10-3-2 Wear an illegal number or an illegal shirt or illegal pants/skirt.
PENALTY: (Art. 2) Each violation is penalized one time if discovered prior to ball becoming live for each designated starter and each substitute who enters.
So, logically, if you do not enforce a penalty for a uniform violation before the game starts......THEN YOU CANNOT ENFORCE SAID UNFORM RULES BEFORE THE GAME.
Do you direct someone to leave pre-game warm-ups for wearing an earring? No. You remind them it has to come out before they come in the game when they next get into the drill line in front of you. Do you direct someone to leave the pre-game warm-ups for having a brace made of hard, unyielding material, that is not properly covered? No. You take the issue up with the player/coach before the game starts, but you do not MAKE them stop warming up.
If one chooses to start enforcing uniform requirements during pre-game warm-ups, then so be it, but I do not think the Rule Book has any backing for it.
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