Bench player intereferes

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

Now, lets look at the original play in a different way. Lets assume that the officials did not see B6 illegally enter the court and did not realize that Team B did not have six players on the court, until B6 blocked A1's field goal attempt at the buzzer. The only infraction that can be penalized is Team B having six players on the court.

[/B]

Care to cite a rule or case book play that will back up your opinion above, Mark? If B6 hadda punched A1, would your same opinion still hold? [/B][/QUOTE]



Jurassic Referee:

I don't have my rules books in front of me because my basketball rules briefcases (see posts by Chuck and Dan) are still up in the attic, but I do not have to quote a rule to tell you that if you discover Team B playing with six players, you do not charge B6 with a technical foul for illegal entry and Team B with a technical foul for having six players participating on the court at the same time. How do I know? There is not one basketball official here that has not had at least one game in his/her career where he/she has discovered a team playing with six players and each and every time that has happened we all have only charged the team with a technical foul for having too many players on the court; there were no other technical fouls involved.

If B6 had punched A1, then I would have two separate fouls, a technical foul against Team B for too many players on the court and one for the flagrant foul by B6 for punching A1.

MTD, Sr.