The Official Forum  

Go Back   The Official Forum > Basketball
Register FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old Sat Dec 06, 2025, 08:18pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,047
Illegal number - how to handle?

Twelve minutes before the game starts, the R checks the books and notices that the home book has the rosters of both teams correctly entered. In looking at the numbers however, one player of team A is designated as #6. Some of you have mentioned that officials are not coaches and some of advocated preventative officiating. Given that....

1) Do you inform the Team A coach so that the illegal number can be corrected before the 10 minute mark?

2) If the Team A coach is notified, how do you handle the change when the correction is not done before the 10 minute mark?

3) How would you handle it if the book was checked at the 5 minute mark and you noticed the illegal number? Tell the coach? Ignore and address it as the player enters the game? Other?
__________________
If some rules are never enforced, then why do they exist?

Last edited by bucky; Mon Dec 08, 2025 at 07:40pm.
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old Sat Dec 06, 2025, 10:11pm
Do not give a damn!!
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: On the border
Posts: 30,589
I always have the coach review what was submitted and what is in the book. If they have an issue, I let it be changed. Then, if it is correct, they give their initials, saying that everything is correct. So if there is a wrong number, I might tell him that it is there, and let them decide if this was a mistake on someone's part. Really, it's not illegal until they come into the game anyway.

Peace
__________________
Let us get into "Good Trouble."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Charles Michael “Mick” Chambers (1947-2010)
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Sat Dec 06, 2025, 11:09pm
Statistician/Ref Hybrid
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: 127.0.0.1
Posts: 1,045
This may be a check your local listings situation in terms of handling it correctly. Assuming this was a high school game, I'd use the directives given in our association meetings:
  • I'd inform the coach #6 is an illegal number.
  • I'd ask the coach if there was a legal uniform available or tape available to temporarily change the front and back numbers to something legal.
  • If either change was possible, I'd allow it to be done immediately without penalty and be sure the scorer(s) received notification of the change as required by rule.
  • If neither change was possible, I'd remind the coach that being assessed a single direct technical foul is the penalty for players participating with illegal uniforms. I believe I'd also be required to submit an online report to the state association about the player participating with an illegal uniform.
I've only had this come up once when a team's new uniforms didn't arrive before the season started and they used taped-up numbers on their practice jerseys as they waited out the supply chain issues. Upon seeing #17 in warm-ups and the scorebook, I informed the coach #17 was illegal, but he could have the top part removed off the 7 which would give the player #11 - a legal number - instead. He chose that option, we made sure the scorers knew #17 was now #11, and the coach appreciated us being preventative.
__________________
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." – Dalai Lama

The center of attention as the lead & trail. – me
Games officiated: 525 Basketball · 76 Softball · 16 Baseball

Last edited by Stat-Man; Sat Dec 06, 2025 at 11:28pm.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old Sat Dec 06, 2025, 11:48pm
Do not give a damn!!
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: On the border
Posts: 30,589
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stat-Man View Post
This may be a check your local listings situation in terms of handling it correctly. Assuming this was a high school game, I'd use the directives given in our association meetings:
  • I'd inform the coach #6 is an illegal number.
  • I'd ask the coach if there was a legal uniform available or tape available to temporarily change the front and back numbers to something legal.
Can we consider that this was incorrectly put in the book?

Peace
__________________
Let us get into "Good Trouble."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Charles Michael “Mick” Chambers (1947-2010)
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old Sun Dec 07, 2025, 09:43am
Esteemed Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 23,555
Havlicek Stole The Ball ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stat-Man View Post
Upon seeing #17 in warm-ups and the scorebook ...
John Havlicek.

Best sixth man ever.
__________________
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old Sun Dec 07, 2025, 10:51am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 18,249
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyMac View Post
John Havlicek.

Best sixth man ever.
Technical foul for too many on the court
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old Sun Dec 07, 2025, 02:57pm
Administrator
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A.
Posts: 8,182
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyMac View Post
John Havlicek.

Best sixth man ever.

All-American from THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!

MTD, Sr.
__________________
Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
Trumbull Co. (Warren, Ohio) Bkb. Off. Assn.
Wood Co. (Bowling Green, Ohio) Bkb. Off. Assn.
Ohio Assn. of Basketball Officials
International Assn. of Approved Bkb. Officials
Ohio High School Athletic Association
Toledo, Ohio
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old Mon Dec 08, 2025, 05:53am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 15,034
Quote:
Originally Posted by bucky View Post
Twelve minutes before the game starts, the R checks the books and notices that the home book has the rosters of both teams correctly entered. In looking at the numbers however, one player of team A is designated as #6. Some of you have mentioned that officials are not coaches and some of advocated preventative officiating. Given that....

1) Do you inform the Team A coach so that the illegal number can be corrected before the 10 minute mark?

2) If the Team A coach is notified, how do you handle the change when the correction is not done before the 10 minute mark?

3) How would you handle it if the book was checked at the 5 minute mark and you noticed the illegal number? Tell the coach? Ignore and address it is the player enters the game? Other?
First, know that what is in the scorebook is not important. Find what the team submitted to the scorer. That list is what matters.

1. Prior to ten minutes before tip-off, I would tell the coach that #6 isn’t legal in a HS game and see if he can get it changed. Coaches rarely know all of the admin rules. I’d rather not have to penalize for this, if we can avoid it.

2. If the team cannot get it fixed by the required time, then we penalize if the team member plays or if the book needs to be changed.

3. Too late to do anything preventative. Penalize if the team member plays or if the book needs to be changed.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Illegal number--NCAA TriggerMN Basketball 14 Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:22am
Illegal uniform number DrPete Basketball 37 Sat Dec 16, 2017 06:26pm
Illegal number WDEvol Basketball 33 Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:02pm
Illegal number ??? BillyMac Basketball 6 Fri Nov 14, 2008 07:51pm
Illegal number? JugglingReferee Basketball 4 Mon Jan 14, 2002 08:38pm


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:47am.



Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0 RC1