Technical Free

[Hawks Coach]

JR
I would love to see a casebook on this, but I have to agree with Nevada on this. We do not have a substitution here, by rule. We have a change in designated starting player. Nowhere in the substituion rule does it reference that a change in starting players is a substitution.

Rule 3-2
ART. 1 . . . At least 10 minutes before the scheduled starting time, each team shall supply the scorers with the name and number of each team member and designate the five starting players.
ART. 2 . . . After the time limit specified in Article 1, a team is charged with a maximum of one technical foul regardless of how many infractions of the following are committed (See 10-1-1, 2 Penalty):
a. Changing a designated starter, unless necessitated by illness, injury, illegal equipment or apparel, etc., or to attempt a technical-foul free throw.

Additionally, the definition of a sub is one who replaces a player. A player is one who was legally on the court. That was not true in this case. We are not replacing anybody on the court because the game hasn't started.

Rule 4
SECTION 34 PLAYERS/BENCH PERSONNEL/SUBSTITUTES/TEAM MEMBERS
ART. 1 . . . A player is one of five team members who are legally on the court at any given time.

Rule 3
SECTION 3 SUBSTITUTION
ART. 1 . . . A substitute who desires to enter shall report to the scorers, giving his/her number.
ART. 3 . . . A substitute becomes a player when he/she legally enters the court.
ART. 4 . . . A player who has been replaced, or directed to leave the game shall not re-enter before the next opportunity to substitute after the clock has been started properly following his/her replacement.

We don't have the new starter report, the coach changes the list of starters. The new starter does not go to the scorer's table - they are officially a starter now, not a sub. There is nothing in the substitution rules that allows you to have a sub that does not report to the table, and nothing to suggest that a sub goes in for anybody except a player who is legally on the court.
As a final point, this change in starters (not a substitute) was done before the game has started.

Rule 5
SECTION 6 BEGINNING, END OF QUARTER OR EXTRA PERIOD
Each quarter or extra period begins when the ball first becomes live.

The book should not reflect that the original starter (B1) has played - we have changed the list of starters and the game has yet to commence. B1 is no longer listed as a starter. The game starts when the ball is live, which only happens when it is at the disposal of the new starter, B6, who is not, by rule, a sub. Once B6 has shot, B1, who was never a player, can legally sub for B6 unless you have a rule that indicates otherwise.