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I need to ask about a sitch that happened today at a girls' JV tournament. Team B had seven names in the book, but only six bodies on the floor, because one girl was "sick". I'm still not sure whether she ever played. But her name was in the book, and she was apparently eligible to play. Game goes along. End of third quarter B5 fouled out. Coach says he will play on with four players. We go along. With about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, table buzzes my partner over and there's this little conference, and then I get called over. It appears that coach B had another player who had played in the first and second quarters, but was now sitting the bench. My partner thought that the rule was that if there was a player available, she was required to play. I went over to coach B, and asked about #34. He said he wanted to play without her, because he was saving her quarters for the varsity part ofthe tournament later today. (In Oregon, HS players are only allowed to play in 5 quarters in one day). I told him he was required to play her, since she was eligible and available. There was a good deal of discussion, but I finally insisted that she play or the coach could forfeit. He finally put her in, and she finished the game.
The "sick" girl was dressed down, and there, but he wouldn't put her in. I don't know why she couldn't have just stood in the corner of the floor, so the team could finish the game, but he refused to put her in, too.
Now comes the question. I can't find anywhere that it definitely says she must play, but several refs all agree that it's the rule. 3-1-1 says, "Each team consists of five players, one of whom is the captain." and then there's a Note, "A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace disqualified or injured players, it must continue with fewer than five."
I suppose it all hinges on that little "if" -- if a team has no substitutes. In my situation, there was a substitute, so the if doesn't apply, and the implication is that #34 must play.
Furthermore, he tried to claim that she was injured and therefore, not "available." I said that in that case, she would be injured for the varsity game as well. But this istn't really my jurisdiction, is it? But it felt as though he were manipulating the rules unfairly, and I'm hoping that perhaps 2-3 would apply here.
If he had just had her leave the building at half-time, we'd never have known, and they'd have finished (and lost) the game with four players, and she would have gotten her precious 3 varsity quarters.
So what are the ins and outs of this situation?
[Edited by rainmaker on Dec 28th, 2002 at 01:23 AM]
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