[reddevil19]

Thanks for the responses so far.

During one of the "lulls" while the game officials were at midcourt, I gave our coach the heads up to be prepared in the event they started discussing #25. I felt that it would be best to have the coach bring it up, and have him appeal to the officials to ask the table for help, if they did not ask first themselves. The game officials did in fact ask where 25 was when this happened and I replied that he was on the X, stood up when the whistle for the jump-ball occurred and was standing on the edge of the sideline watching when I grabbed him and brought him back to the table (3 feet between two points, but he was never on the court). However, the varsity referee told them that "it doesn't matter what anyone at the table says or saw." Right after saying that though, the varsity ref started back in on insisting to them that 25 had to go.

Since the game officials had to ask the question of "where was 25?", I think it's safe to say that they had no definitive knowledge for themselves. I answered the question when asked; I did not seek to insert myself into the discussion because I didn't feel it was my place as visiting/non-official scorer. It did indeed rub me the wrong way though when the other official proclaimed that it didn't matter what anyone at the table saw, only what the game officials saw, and then proceeded to start telling them what HE saw and encourage action be taken on that. I asked the man then why anything he saw from against the wall 30 feet away should be considered and got the answer, "Because I'm an official too."

Thankfully at the end of everything, 25 was rightfully kept in the game. My concern wasn't for keeping him in the game for the sake of the team in the game, but because any ejection that is fighting-related here carries indefinite suspension until the offender has a hearing with the Section Commissioner, and it stays with the kid until he graduates. If he had left the table and I was asked, I would have said that he left the table, and all our coaches know that I would do that without hesitation. But a player should do the crime in order to get the time.