6 on the Court -- unnoticed...

[Freddy]

Synthesizing all the present and past rules book and casebook references I could find, I derive this:
1. Sixth person discovered on the court prior to ball being made live: no penalty.
2. Sixth person discovered on the court while ball is live: team technical ("participating simultaneously", 10-2-12)
3. Sixth person discovered after that during dead ball: team technical ("participating simultaneously", 10-2-12)

Thus, a person can be "participating", as in this case, even though the ball is dead. Admittedly, without a definitive definition of "participating" by the NFHS, this could be a hard sell.

I'm really challenging the concept, seemingly based on logic and reason only and on no rule that I can find, that, "participating" is necessarily equivalent with "only while ball is live". The logical gymnastics necessary, as previously placed into evidence, without any clear expression from any rule reference only emboldens my challenge to what my beloved and respected NevadaRef presents. I do bow before him, but want to politely disagree until persuaded otherwise.
Aw heck, it's so pathetically rare of a chance that this would even happen in as game, why should I even bring it up?
I reserve the right to be wrong...

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Freddy

... it's so pathetically rare of a chance that this would even happen in as game, why should I even bring it up?

“… not because they are easy, but because they are hard” (President John F. Kennedy, 1962)