Playing w/ 4 players?
 

Community College girls game earlier today. Team A only has 5 players because some of their girls are on the volleyball team which is at the state championships.

Middle of the second half, A1 has blood so one of my partners alerts the coach and gives her 20 seconds to remedy the situation. After 20 seconds, the player is not ready so Team A calls a time-out. At the end of the time-out, A1 is still not ready. My partner tells the coach that they cannot play with 4 because a 5th is available and she needs to call another time-out.

The coach took another time-out and A1 was ready at end of the 2nd time-out.

After the game, we started to wonder if we should have allowed them to play with 4 since a bleeding player isn't really "available."

Thoughts? Rule references?

Thanks.

Pardon my ignorance, (again) but I don't know what CC is. But if NFHS rules apply:

3-1 Note: A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace disqualified or injured players, it must continue with fewer than five.

Cut and dried, isn't it? Giving her 20 seconds could be viewed as a courtesy, but I see no provision for it in the rules. The fact that no substitute is available is irrelevant to the blood issue. They can call time out and get rid of the blood, or play on with four while it is corrected.

I edited above post. CC is Community College. In women's NCAA rules, you give the player 20 seconds to remedy blood or a contact lens before they have to make a decision to sub or take a time-out.

By rule, the bleeding player must be removed from the game, unless her team chooses to take a time-out. The removal is mandatory; the time-out is not. If they have to take her out and choose not to take a time-out, that's their business. Let 'em play with 4 until the next opportunity to substitute.