To T or Not to T, that is the Question

[OHBBREF]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

"Home" team only has 4 players, and I was double-checking my count when partner went ahead and gave the "visiting" team the ball for the throw-in.

There are several issues here, all of which fall first on the officials.
if there were only four players on the floor their should have been a stop sign up for your partner because if a team has five eligable players they need to have them on the floor - so you need to stop the game until that happens and/or issue a technical because of that, or because they did not come out on the floor at the same time.

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Was my waving off the T because the timer told her to go ahead and enter the game a good move or not?

The timer does not have the authority to send a player into the game - and since the player did not arrive at the table prior to the warning horn - they can not enter the game until the next available oportunity. So a Technical for the Illegal substitution is waranted.

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Whether she entered the court or not is unimportant. The mere fact that she failed to return at approximately the same time as the rest of her teammates is what warrants the T in this case.

I am going to have to disagree with you here - She doesn't get the T -if she doesn't enter the game - based on what has transpiered in the post. By their playing on they have made that point irrelevant, they should have issued the T becuase their were not five players on the floor ot it they chose to after waiting for the fifth player because they didn't come out of the huddle and onto the floor at the same time.
RUW issued the T for the Illegal substitution that occured when the player came onto the floor.

Probably just a nit picky point - but that seems to be what transpired and if questions arise that would need to be what was said.
However proper deadball managment could have avoided the situation all together.

Now the final point - there are three solid reasons a T could have been given here - you gave the T, it was deserved - you need to stick by your decision. Those affected by the T will learn from it.