Players and coaches run onto court
 

Last night I was at a varsity game and this situation happened and I did not think it was handled properly. How would you have handled it?
Team A has the ball, shoots a 3 pointer to tie the game with 4.3 seconds left. The head coach from team A and 5-6 players from the bench all run onto the court and start celebrating the tie.
Team B tries to inbound the ball but there are still members from team A and the coach on the court and time runs out.
Nothing was said and nothing was done. Team A's coach and players from the bench were just "allowed" on the court.
How should this have been handled?

Technical foul on Team A

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

How do you know there were exactly 4.3 seconds left? The clock never stops after a made basket in high school–only on a whistle.

Scoreboard is behind the basket offset to the right, very easy to see, team B had the ball and was trying to in bound with 1.8 seconds left.

Agreed. There's an exception in the NCAA rules if "the actions don't affect play" (or some such wording). No such exception in HS.

Thanks for the reply guys. appreciate everything you do for our sons, daughters, and the game.

Direct Technical foul on Team A coach.

Agree, and I would add that there shouldn't be such an exception in NFHS for the precise reason that the clock does not stop on made baskets in the final 59.9 like it does in NCAA.

At least in NCAA with a stopped clock, if play isn't affected it gives the officials and assistant coaches a chance to fix the shenanigans without adversely affecting the opponent's entitlement to make a throw-in and advance the ball.

The collegiate poster event for this rule came a few years ago when a University of Montana recruit came out onto the court like an idiot during a Big Sky semi-final game, then realized what he done and scratched and clawed his way back to the bench as quickly as he could. Ultimately, IIRC, the officials did not assess a T because they didn't feel it affected play.

[Curious lurker from other slow sports boards . . .]

My uneducated take is that basketball benches seem very close to the legal playing surface relative to other sports.

Bench personnel are given similar exceptions to volleyball in that they can stand to celebrate exceptional plays (as in this OP) or greet substitutes. They also are required to move down the bench during live play to the scorer in order to enter. [HC also get an exception; I just read that it doesn't extend to the court which shocked me based on what I've seen in limited experience.]

Obviously, interference (or unsporting conduct) is a clear standard. Otherwise, how do you officiate bench personnel who are clearly conducting themselves in a normal fashion but are placed very close to the legal surface.

For instance, I can picture an adrenaline-filled team member in the OP jumping naturally from a bench seat, turning to hug a fellow bench-mate on one side, giving a high five to 2-3 other bench players, having that take a couple of seconds, now being step or two in front of his chair (which places him on the court), and still "immediately" returning to his seat (IF time remained, which it may not at that point). That seems a very difficult to adjudicate situation absent direct interference with play (or a ruthless zero tolerance policy which I suspect is not present) . . .

Not trying to be difficult or defend a team that actually runs out early, is unsporting, or out-of-control, I am just curious how a different sport deals with that kind of positive celebration.

In this situation not only were the kids off the bench and high fiving the players in the game, on the court, so was their coach. Several of the players were within the free throw lane. They were literally mixed with the teams on the court, clearly interfering with normal play.

You can celebrate. You cannot interfere with play. If said player is on the court and the ball is passed his way and he directly interferes with play. TTTTTTTTTTTT

Fish, Or Cut Bait ...
 

So, which is it?

Seems like a tech on the guys on the bench, making it indirect to the coach. But I honestly don't know for sure, and my book is not nearby to check.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

Both (or either, I suppose).

If the coach is one of the knuckleheads, I'm charging him directly.

If it's just one team member, that team member gets it, and the coach gets an indirect.

If it's more than one team member, then it's charged to the team and the coach gets an indirect.

See (last year's)10.4.4B

What this guy said. I said direct T on coach because he was one of the participants.