6 on the floor!!!

[Ignats75]

I was doing a game last month with a sick partner. He was struggling the whole game I could tell. Home trails a much better team by 2 with about :45 left. Coming out of a timeout, V were inbounding on baseline under their basket. In this situation, I normally will visibly count the players and signal my partner 10. I do it visibly so he knows that is what I am doing and will wait until I signal. This time, for some reason, I wasn't pointing. I was just counting silently. Of course, this is the one time that 6 players come out of the home team's huddle!!!! 3 seconds in, and I notice the situation and blow my whistle. Visitors coach looks at and smiles and says "that is a technical foul." Well, any hope I had that I was the only one in the gym to know that just went out the window so I issued the T. Home coach was good about it. Proving that the basketball gods are just, the V shooter missed both free throws and they turned the ball over with about :25 left!!!!. Home came down and just missed a three at the buzzer.

I wasn't happy with my partner for inbounding the ball without looking at me, but blamed myself to varsity referees after the game, saying I didn't communicate correctly with my partner. A good lesson.