6 on the floor!!!

[Nate1224hoops]

I was in attendance the other night (only watching) a Varsity girls game. In the first quarter the home team made a subsitution. The C blows whistle and bekons player in. Well she obviously forgot to tell the other player that she was out. C point to T and T administers the ball. Ball was in play for maybe 3 seconds. Meanwhile the home coach is screaming at his player. She comes running off just as the ball passes half court. She ran off right in front of the T. Vistiing coach is histerical. T turns and says "I didnt see it." Coach replies "you have to be kidding." Trail T's the visiting coach.

My question is this: How can you overlook something like this? All 3 officials had to see that 6 players were on the court. If they didn't they must have heard the home coach yelling. The result the law abiding vistiors coach gets T'ed. Do you cut a team any slack for having 6 players on the floor? As officials we are supposed to make sure that subs enter and exit the game properly.

[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.

[buckrog64]

Been there, done that....administering official, someone I enjoy working with and trust, gives the ball for a throw-in with six on the floor for one team and I have to be the bad guy for giving the 'whack.' I've come to the conclusion that this is a situation that should simply never happen. Count and count again and be sure you have no more than ten. One more pitfall avoided.

[eyezen]

but counting to ten can get you in trouble too.

Count 5 vs 5

[Ignats75]

Well duh!?!. If I signal ten, just how do you think I do it? I hold up ten fingers. Do you think I have six on one hand and four on the other?

[Eastshire]

I had this happen to me in a girl's sophmore game last week. My partner called for the sub and signaled to me we were ready to go with 6 players on the floor. I didn't see the sixth player until I had handed the ball to the thrower. I killed it before the ball was thrown in, but in reality we should have had the T for 6 players. It was totally our fault. We didn't actually call the T but this game was already a blow out.

Do you count the players for yourself or do you trust your partner to do it?

[Ignats75]

It depends on who my partner is. If it is someone I have worked with in the past, and I know him and trust him, then I'll trust him to count for me if I am administering the throw-in. Otherwise, I will quickly count myself without showing him up.

[stmaryrams]

Originally Posted by Ignats75

Well duh!?!. If I signal ten, just how do you think I do it? I hold up ten fingers. Do you think I have six on one hand and four on the other?

It could happen. Who's the pitcher, Alfonseca? with 6 fingers

Actually had a similar situation on Saturday. Last 28 seconds, Coach of the home team is clearing his bench. Inbounding from spot in front of his bench. I have 5 of each on the floor, give partner the thumbs up and he bounces the ball to player. They inbound the ball and about 3 seconds go off when one of the home players runs onto the floor and another runs off. "T"

We also had 3 other "T's" in the game when a player pushed another in the back while going up for the layup on a breakaway. Partner had intentional foul, then two players mouth off to each other both earning a "T". Moments later I hit the Assistant Coach for one. We shoot the Intentional foul and then the bench technical. Everybody was happy.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I had this happen to me in a girl's sophmore game last week. My partner called for the sub and signaled to me we were ready to go with 6 players on the floor. I didn't see the sixth player until I had handed the ball to the thrower. I killed it before the ball was thrown in, but in reality we should have had the T for 6 players. It was totally our fault. We didn't actually call the T but this game was already a blow out.

I agree that it's your fault for not calling the "T". The ball was live when the thrower had it. Having 6 players on the court is always the coach's fault though, not the officials. If it was our fault, there wouldn't be a penalty.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I agree that it's your fault for not calling the "T". The ball was live when the thrower had it. Having 6 players on the court is always the coach's fault though, not the officials. If it was our fault, there wouldn't be a penalty.

I'm never sure why you are so against preventative officiating, but it is my fault when I hand a ball to a thrower when we haven't finished the substitution process.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I'm never sure why you are so against preventative officiating, but it is my fault when I hand a ball to a thrower when we haven't finished the substitution process.

I'm not against preventive officiating. I am against officials making up their own rules.

Methinks you've yet to learn the difference.

If you can prevent a team from having six players on the court, fine. The bottom line, though, is that it's still the coach's job to get the right number of players out there. Don't blame the officials for a coach that hasn't done his job. And if they do somehow have 6 out there, you just call the "T". If you don't, you're screwing the other team....you know, the team that knows what they're doing.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I'm not against preventive officiating. I am against officials making up their own rules.

Methinks you've yet to learn the difference.

If you can prevent a team from having six players on the court, fine. The bottom line, though, is that it's still the coach's job to get the right number of players out there. Don't blame the officials for a coach that hasn't done his job. And if they do somehow have 6 out there, you just call the "T". If you don't, you're screwing the other team....you know, the team that knows what they're doing.

Exactly. While I am very careful in not putting the ball in play with 6 on the floor, once it happens, it's a T. Period. And the coaches never blame the officials, either -- only the officials blame other officials in this situation.

I will say I've blown it dead after a parter has handed the ball to a player since, well, I had my hand up and my partner chose to ignore me. I wasn't ready, therefore, my partner CAN'T make it live. My hand was up. Tweet.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

I will say I've blown it dead after a parter has handed the ball to a player since, well, I had my hand up and my partner chose to ignore me. I wasn't ready, therefore, my partner CAN'T make it live. My hand was up. Tweet.

That is preventive officiating. You try to prevent the violation by both officials quickly counting the players, the non-administering official holding his hand up until his count is finished, and the administering official finishing his count and then checking on his partner's hand. If you've still got your hand up, either still counting or waiting for somebody to leave, then just re-set it if your partner blows through your stop sign.

[Time2Ref]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Exactly. While I am very careful in not putting the ball in play with 6 on the floor, once it happens, it's a T. Period. And the coaches never blame the officials, either -- only the officials blame other officials in this situation.

I will say I've blown it dead after a parter has handed the ball to a player since, well, I had my hand up and my partner chose to ignore me. I wasn't ready, therefore, my partner CAN'T make it live. My hand was up. Tweet.

Nice method. I count both teams every time they enter the court, no matter which position I am in. I'm not doing anything else anyway. But, as the non-administering official I would give my partner the thumbs-up. Some make eye contact, others just don't even look my way. I like the "hand up" method much better. It makes more sense.

I once was lead at the start of the quarter (2-man), right in front of the vistor's bench. I count the players and notice that V has six entering the game. My partner wasn't looking for my thumbs-up, so I start telling the coach "Count -em coach, Count-em coach....COUNT EM COACH!". Partner starts the throw-in and the quarter starts with 11 players on the court. I blow the whistle and issue the T. But I wasn't very happy about it.

I can see where your method would have prevented this from happening. Thanks.

[Camron Rust]

One unofficial mechanic that I heard mentioned (here I believe) that would prevent most, if not all, 6 player situations is to only have the official holding the ball bring in the subs. That would mean that there would be no way that the administering official could put the ball in play while a partner was bringing in subs. Again, not an official mechanic but it sounds like it could be a good idea.