[Nevadaref]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

You didn't answer Mark's question,Nevada.You stated above that it is an IMMEDIATE technical foul if the defensive team doesn't fill the bottom 2 lane spaces when the resuming play procedure is NOT in effect.Mark asked you to back up that statement with a rules citation.The rules that you cited refer only to when the resuming play procedure IS in effect,and therefore aren't relevant to Mark's question.

The pertinent rules are R9-1-2(which states that it is a violation for the defensive team not to fill the bottom 2 spaces)and R9-1PENALTY2a&b(which gives you the appropriate penalty application for this particular violation).Please note that R9-1PENALTY2a&b says that it is NOT an immediate technical foul as you stated above,which was what Mark was trying to point out to you.

[Edited by Jurassic Referee on Jul 20th, 2003 at 02:59 AM]

Sorry for not responding more promptly, but I have been down in Las Vegas officiating for the past four days. Great tournament, lots of fun.
As for this discussion, I must disagree with you guys. By JR's last post, I understand your opinion to be that not filling the two bottom lane spaces when the resuming-play procedure is NOT in effect is merely a violation and not a technical foul. I believe exactly the opposite.
The two rules that I quoted above do mention the resuming-play procedure, but they also tell us much more than that, JR. They make it clear that it is a team technical foul to delay the game, since that is the first sentence in 10-1-5b and 4-37 uses the words "instead of a technical foul."

Officials should understand this to be the general case, and take the three specific actions given in 4-46, which first result in a warning, along with the resuming-play procedure (4-37) to be the exceptions to this general rule.

If a team does something to delay the game and it is not after a time-out or intermission, nor is the action one of the three specified in 4-46, by rule 10-5-1b it is an immediate technical foul.

In the play we are discussing the team is delaying the game by not filling the bottom two lane spaces because this prevents the ball from being made promptly live. (Somewhere in one of our NFHS books it says that the officials shall not administer the free throw until the defense is occupying these bottom spaces. I can't seem to find this paragraph now, though. Perhaps someone like Tony who has an electronic copy can locate this.)
Besides the reasoning above, I was also able to find a casebook play that makes it crystal clear that the penalty is a technical foul.

10.1.5 Situation C: The calling official has reported the foul at the table and proceeds to the free throw lane area to administer the first of two free throws awarded to A1. B1 and B2 are: (a) huddling in the lane; or (b) two B players are not occupying the two marked spaces next to the end line as required. Ruling: In (a), if the huddle delays the official's administration, Team B is warned. The warning is recorded by the scorer and reported to the head coach. If Team B had been previously warned for free-throw delay, a technical foul shall be charged. In (b), Team B will be directed to occupy the required spaces. If there is delay, a technical foul shall be charged to Team B.
Notice that the part in bold is almost exactly what I wrote in my first post in this thread:
"Any quality official will order the defense to fill these two spaces when necessary and only charge a T if the defense refuses to do as asked."