4 players on the floor????

[sdubb]

Can a team play a game with only four players even if others are available? What is the penalty if the coach doesn't put a 5th player on the floor? What is the penalty if only 4 players are on the floor when the ball is put in play?

[mick]

Originally posted by sdubb
Can a team play a game with only four players even if others are available? What is the penalty if the coach doesn't put a 5th player on the floor? What is the penalty if only 4 players are on the floor when the ball is put in play?

sdubb,
Welcome to the forum.

In your situation, why has the coach refused to play with five?
mick

[WhistlesAndStripes]

Originally posted by sdubb
Can a team play a game with only four players even if others are available? What is the penalty if the coach doesn't put a 5th player on the floor? What is the penalty if only 4 players are on the floor when the ball is put in play?

If he's got 5 available, he's gotta have 5 on the floor. Tell him to send in 5. When he refuses, that's failure to obey a request by the referee. Technical foul.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Whistles & Stripes
If he's got 5 available, he's gotta have 5 on the floor. Tell him to send in 5. When he refuses, that's failure to obey a request by the referee. Technical foul.

Actually, I think this falls under the forfeit rule in 5-4-1. If a team fails to play after being instructed to, the referee shall forfeit the game. I'd tell him, "Coach, if you're not going to put your team on the floor, then we're not playing." That should change his mind.

[sdubb]

The coach said that his bench player had a bad attitude and he didn't want to play him. I wanted to honor his request but felt I had to enforce the rule. He said he would kick the player off his team the next day. I told him that was his business and I didn't need to know about it.

[mick]

Originally posted by sdubb
The coach said that his bench player had a bad attitude and he didn't want to play him. I wanted to honor his request but felt I had to enforce the rule. He said he would kick the player off his team the next day. I told him that was his business and I didn't need to know about it.

sdubb,
I had a feeling that was the case.
I would, and have, allowed the coach to play with only four after discussing the situation [and getting approval] with the opposing coach and my partner.
Allowing a bad attitude on the floor is a safety problem which I choose to avoid.
mick

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by mick

sdubb,
I had a feeling that was the case.
I would, and have, allowed the coach to play with only four after discussing the situation [and getting approval] with the opposing coach and my partner.
Allowing a bad attitude on the floor is a safety problem which I choose to avoid.
mick

Could you say that the player is dq'd by the coach? Is there anything that says a coach can't dq a player? Or that a coach CAN dq a player?

[zebraman]

Originally posted by sdubb
The coach said that his bench player had a bad attitude and he didn't want to play him. I wanted to honor his request but felt I had to enforce the rule. He said he would kick the player off his team the next day. I told him that was his business and I didn't need to know about it.

I would have done what you did sdubb. If the players attitude was bad enough to affect the game, our crew would have already dealt with it. What the coach wants to do tomorrow is his business, but both teams deserve to play 5-on-5 if possible (and by rule). Coaches aren't allowed to DQ their own players.

Z

[ChrisSportsFan]

Originally posted by Whistles & Stripes

If he's got 5 available, he's gotta have 5 on the floor. Tell him to send in 5. When he refuses, that's failure to obey a request by the referee. Technical foul.

Does he HAVE to have 5 out there? What about that once in a refs career when teams break from a TO and A had 5 players while only 4 players from B take the floor and the refs allow the ball to be inbounded? Now B realizes it and wants to send in another player. If they just run onto the floor it's a T so they have to wait for a dead ball to be beckoned in.

If coach wants to play with 4, I don't know of a rule that would prevent it unless he was up by 30 and he's trying to embarass the other team.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by ChrisSportsFan
If coach wants to play with 4, I don't know of a rule that would prevent it unless he was up by 30 and he's trying to embarass the other team.

Case 3.1.1

[zebraman]

Originally posted by ChrisSportsFan

Does he HAVE to have 5 out there? What about that once in a refs career when teams break from a TO and A had 5 players while only 4 players from B take the floor and the refs allow the ball to be inbounded? Now B realizes it and wants to send in another player. If they just run onto the floor it's a T so they have to wait for a dead ball to be beckoned in.

If coach wants to play with 4, I don't know of a rule that would prevent it unless he was up by 30 and he's trying to embarass the other team.

Case Book Rule 3.1.1 makes it pretty clear that a team must play with 5 players if they have that many available. Bob Jenkins beat me by a minute... he must have his case books at his desk or one amazing memory.

Z

[ChrisSportsFan]

thanks

[ThickSkin]

Originally posted by ChrisSportsFan

Does he HAVE to have 5 out there? What about that once in a refs career when teams break from a TO and A had 5 players while only 4 players from B take the floor and the refs allow the ball to be inbounded? Now B realizes it and wants to send in another player. If they just run onto the floor it's a T so they have to wait for a dead ball to be beckoned in.

If coach wants to play with 4, I don't know of a rule that would prevent it unless he was up by 30 and he's trying to embarass the other team.

If that is the case, I believe the player needs to be off the bench. I can remember when I played JV, we were only allowed 5 quarters a night. In the fourth quarter, the coach would have us leave the bench so that if somebody fouled out we wouldn't be on the bench and therefore have ot enter the game.

[mick]

Originally posted by rainmaker

Could you say that the player is dq'd by the coach? Is there anything that says a coach can't dq a player? Or that a coach CAN dq a player?

...Not that I know of, and apparently not that you know of, either.
Nor does it say that three good wheelbarrows and one broken wheelbarrow can be on the floor.
My guess is that all the possible situations are not covered.
mick

[Ref in PA]

Could not a coach strike a name in the scorebook? It would cost him a T but now that number is not in the book.