Sub never reported during TO
 

So last night we're coming out of a TO 3 mins into the game. Players line up for a throw-in on the endline. As my partner is handing the ball to the thrower, I see the scorer waving at me to come over. I get on my whistle and approach the table. He says "35 white never reported into the game." I asked to be sure "he never came to the table and no coaches reported for him?" No is the answer. I am now thinking "great, this has never happened to me before. What do we do?"

Put 35 white back at the table and move on, correct?

What level?

By rule, you have an illegal sub, T on #35.

I'm thinking once the ball becomes live you leave him in the game and play on. You said "as your partner was handing the ball" - first did he hand it or bounce it (why would he hand it?)? Secondly did the shooter have the ball at his disposal when you blew your whistle?

Once the sub was in the game and the ball became live, there is no longer a penalty that can be assesed. (3.3.3) Since your partner already handed the ball to the thrower it is a live ball.

What about casebook 3.3.3 sit B - once a player enters, even illegally and the ball becomes live there is no provision for penalizing?

It's not clear in the OP whether the ball actually became live. If it did, no penalty, resume with the throw-in. If it didn't, by rule you have the technical foul.

+1

Agree with both of you, I assumed he had the ball, but we don't know. Still wondering about the handing of the ball.

This is sort of a fine line though no? At what point do you penalize? Say they are breaking the timeout huddle and the illegal sub gets halfway to the free throw lane and remembers that he didn't report so he goes to the table (and would have to stay until next opportunity to sub)? Is he illegally on the floor then? Or are we saying that once the official is ready to administer the free throw, between that point and the time the ball becomes live, there is your window to penalize?

I think you misread his post. It was an end line throw-in, not a free throw.

Welpe,

That doesn't matter as the ball is live once the throw in begins.

Agreed. I was responding to his question about handing the ball to the thrower.

Yep sure did thanks! That solves that issue, but still doesn't tell us if the ball was live yet.

Clarification. It was boys varsity. The ball was not yet at the thrower's disposal. It was a throw-in for white on the end-line under their basket. So partner was about to hand the ball to white.

What we did: We got together, discussed, T'd white bench, indirect to head coach, black ball at mid court. But after the game we were thinking we totally kicked it because in the rules it says a substitute becomes a player once the clock starts. So we were thinking we should have just sent the kid back to the table and brought back out the kid who was subbed.

The sub was on the court without being beckoned or reporting, it's a T to the player that does not include an indirect on the coach. It's a sub T in the summary chart.

If you hadn't caught it until the ball became live, it would have been too late.

At any high school level (Freshman and above), I'd call this T without blinking. At ms and below, I'd consider sending him to the table, depending on the prevailing practice in that particular area/league.