Overtime Goof.....what to do?

[wadep1965]

Hello folks,

PLAY: (Federation) Team A & B are tied at the end of regulation play. At the beginning of the first overtime period, R steps into the center circle, tosses the ball, and Team A controls the tap. Team A dribbles across the division line, and U blows his whistle. Team B's coach shouts out, "He's in the backcourt. That's a violation." The U informs the coach that he would talk to his partner about the mistake, but that a backcourt violation would not be an option.

In case I've lost you already, here's the "nuts and bolts" of the play situation. At the beginning of the 1st overtime, the officials inadvertently pointed the jumpers in the WRONG direction. After Team A controlled the tap and proceeded across the division line, the umpire noticed the mistake.

Is this a backcourt violation?

What is the proper thing to do in this situation?

Here's what the crew on the court did. Since the rule and case book do not specifically cover this instance, one of the officials (a veteran of collegiate and ABA ball) implemented some common sense and employed a rule from NCAA and NBA codes. He informed coaches that the clock would be reset, the jumpers turned in the correct direction, and the overtime restarted. Was a rule circumvented, in the interest of fairness?

Of course, the coaches were not happy! What is the proper thing to do? I would appreciate it if you could cite references for any rules you may give me. If this has happened to you, or your association, or if you know the proper ruling, please let me know where it's written. We could use this as a wonderful teaching tool with our younger officials.