[Back In The Saddle]

I do not understand your hesitation on this point: The illegal number doesn't seem as easy to penalize. It seems that it's only penalized if the team member actually plays, or "participates". What if #86 played in the first period, undetected by the officials, but at half time, the scorekeeper informed the officials that #86, wearing an illegal number participated. Is it too late to penalize, or must the officials wait until #86 "participates" in the game again?

If "penalized when discovered" means what it means for excess time outs, how would it mean anything different for an illegal uniform/number. If #86 plays, he has participated. At any point from when he's beckoned onto the floor until all officials have left the visual confines of the court at the end of the game, the head coach is on the hook if it's brought to the official's attention.

Seems very clear to me.