As long as a coach has 5 "playable" players, does he have to play 5, or can he legally play with 4?

Yes. See case book play 3.1.1

3 1 1 says he must play five unless he has no substitutes to replace injured or disqualified players, then he will continue with fewer than five.
So if, as you say, he had 5 playable, he must play them.

[Edited by co2ice on Nov 20th, 2005 at 11:11 PM]

I thought so. You know what they say, always go with your first thought.

What, you mean the movie Hoosiers was factually inaccurate as to the rules of basketball? Who could forget the scene in which Coach Dale kept Ray on the bench after the Huskers 5th player fouled out. I guess it is possible that the rule was different in the 50's. Any seasoned veterans out there who would like to interject with some 50's rules knowledge?

So what is the penalty for only playing with four when you have eligible players on the bench? I know we should not start play until we count, but if we do is the same rule used as if we started with six?

I dont have my books with me, but considering he has 30 seconds to replace the dq'ed player, I would say it would be a T.

Rade. His name was Rade Butcher, not Ray.

Be careful with this one. Who gets to determine if the players are, in fact, eligible to play? I don't want to be the one making that decision. Maybe the coach decided the player is too injured to play. Or the player mouthed off and the coach suspended him/her for the remainder of the game. I'm not going to tell the coach they have to play that player because they look ok to me.

M&M I think you are right to a point. If the coach tells me the eligible player is injured there is no way I force him to play. But, if he is being benched by the coach for a reason other than injury I would inform the coach he must play.

On what basis? Again, who gets to decide if a player is eligible?

Now, if a coach only has five players, and he's sitting his best player with 4 fouls so they can rest up for the final couple of minutes of the game while the other 4 players do their best to keep the game close, then yea, I have a problem with that. The game is meant to be played with 5 players and that's an attempt to gain an advantage by keeping that "eligible" player on the bench. (Hmm, there's that advantage/disadvantage principle.) Now what advantage is being gained by keeping a discipline problem on the bench? Couldn't it be argued that you're putting that team at a disadvantage if you force them to play that problem player?

It's just an issue that I don't think we need to look at too closely. If a coach tells me that player is no longer eligible to play, then that's good enough for me.

Rade. His name was Rade Butcher, not Ray. [/B][/QUOTE]

Ya learn something new every day. I have seen that movie many times and never realized that. Thanks for edumacating me.

On the basis of 3.1.1 (I am quoting from the 2003-04 book) which reads:

Situation: After six players have been disqualified, Team A has only four who are eligible to continue in the game as players. In a gesture of fair play, the coach of Team B indicates a desire to withdraw a player so that each team will have four players on the court.

Ruling: This is not permissible. team B must have five players participating as long as it has that number available. If no substitute is available, a team must continue with fewer than five players. When only one player remains to participate, that team shall forfeit the game unless the referee believes this team still has an opportunity to win the game.

This is a good example where everyone knows the player is available to play. But can you tell me what the definition of "available" is? Again, who makes that determination? What rule are you using to determine that an injured player isn't "available"? How about using the severity of the injury - maybe a player went out with a floor burn on their knee, and the overprotective parents don't want them to play anymore. You and I know a little floor burn isn't enough to keep a player from playing, so do we tell them to suck it up and get out there anyway? What about the player that mouths off to the coach, and the coach tells them they're done for the day; is that player "available"? Do we stand there and argue with the coach and tell them they have to play?

Thinking too much about this can lead to too many unwanted problems. If the coach tells me the player is no longer available, then they're not available. Don't get caught up trying to over-officiate a situation that doesn't affect the game directly.

If the coach tells me a player is injured that is the end of the story. They play with four. If the coach tells me s/he is a pain in the a$$ and I am not going to play her/him that is a different story.