Originally Posted by Rich1 (Post 1047959)

When they become a player and the ball becomes live they have participated.

Originally Posted by BillyMac (Post 1047960)

Sounds good. When do they stop "participating"?

Originally Posted by Rich1 (Post 1047962)

When is a player no longer a player? A player stops participating when they become bench personnel, an intermission begins, or the game ends.

Originally Posted by BillyMac (Post 1047787)

Team A has six team members participating, which goes unobserved by the officials. Official calls a travel violation on Team A. There are no substitutions after the whistle. Before administering the throw in, officials observe that Team A has six team members (on the court) ...

Originally Posted by BillyMac (Post 1047787)

A) Head coach of Team B requests, and is granted, a timeout, at which point he immediately complains to the officials that Team A has six team members participating. The sole purpose of his timeout is to call attention to the officials that Team A has six team members participating. Officials, who have been unaware that six team members have been participating up until that point, count six Team A members on the court before they head into their timeout huddle.

J) Made basket by Team A, immediate time-out by Team A is granted by the officials, officials notice six team members departing the floor for Team A.

Originally Posted by Camron Rust (Post 1047956)

... It wasn't discovered during the live ball ... You either recognize it in time or not.

Originally Posted by BillyMac (Post 1047964)

Live ball?

Discovered during the short (few seconds) dead ball time period between a made basket and disposal? Not discovered (counted) before, not discovered after, but during the dead ball time period? Whistle to "count" prolonged the dead ball and prevented the disposal.

Maybe the official was reacting to a fan yelling, "Six players", and didn't actually count until the ball was dead.

Originally Posted by Camron Rust (Post 1047967)

I think a player is participating if they're in the game and the ball has been live. They became a player when the ball became live. They're a player until something happens to make them not a player. Once such an event occurs, it becomes too late to penalize.

Originally Posted by Rich1 (Post 1047962)

A player stops participating when they become bench personnel, an intermission begins, or the game ends.