Middle school mayhem
 

Toss the ball to start the game. During the first possesion of the home team the visiting team coach tells you that you should stop the game as they have new uniforms and the old numbers are in the book. You stop the game after the play is over and the visiting team has the rebound.

Assess a technical foul to change the numbers in the book. The home team is allowed to shoot the foul shots with no one on the line at the WRONG goal. They make both shots then you figure out they shot at the wrong end.

What do you do now?


Everything crazy always happens in middle school ball.

Take a look at rule 2-10. Recognize this as one of the 5 correctable errors (free throws: wrong player, wrong basket, award un-merited, deny merited and 5) erroneously counting or canceling a scorel . Recognize that the time frame for correcting the error has not elapsed. Cancel scoring of the made free throws, go to the other end and shoot the free throws with no one lined up, and then complete the tech foul administration with the throw in.

The first rule for correctable errors is to avoid them. I have had one and am determined not to repeat the experience.

I think this (shooting Ts at the wrong basket) is one of the most surprising things to me. It seems to happen more often than it should, and I can't figure out why it's so easy to go to the wrong end.

(To be clear, I am not "picking on" the OP. More than once each year I find myself or a partner wandering toward the wrong end before someone wakes up. And, I did have the team shoot at the wrong end once many years ago.0

I totally agree, it is so easy to do. One of my standard pre-game items is... "I don't anticipate we'll have any T's, but if we do, we're going to meet before we shoot. It'll give us a minute to calm down, and to make sure we don't shoot at the wrong end."

And if it's a partner I know well, I'll add... "Again."

One time is enough for any career. ;)

I think that's the explanation right there. Technical fouls are relatively rare and sometimes the result of hostilities, and adrenaline is designed to short circuit rational thought and make us rely on the limbic system. And then it's easy to err.