Missing contact sitch

[mick]

Slashing A1 with ball dived into a crowd. A finger, an elbow, a shoulder, or something went into his eye and a soft contact lens came out. No foul called and Team A is awarded the ball out of bounds.

[Play stoppage looking for contact]

A1 went to bench with watering eye while others looked on the floor.

Coach B wants A1 (the Team A stud) replaced instead of being allowed to continue. Coach A wants A1 back in the game without having to re-enter.

My thoughts:

Eye wear is allowed to be replaced.

This is not injury or blood to buy with a time-out.

As I am appeasing both of the coaches, the ripped contact was found and the player had no replacement lens. Eye was still watering and he wanted to sit. Long and short of it was that the situation fixed itself.

I would have been willing to allow a replacement lens and the player to return without sitting if the replacement could have been put in "immediately". (Immediately would have been my judgement.)
However, since we had used a few minutes of post-game time, I was inclined to and did ask the Coach for a substitute, which he did provide.

I ask for guidance on this subject.
mick

[RookieDude]

I agree with you mick...I would have let the player back in without the team having to use a time-out.
Also, I would have let the player have a new lens put in if, as you said, it was done "immediately".

Maybe we feel this is somewhat of an amends to the player not getting a call for getting poked in the face, which rarely gets called anyway. (In fact, had a no call last night where a player got a finger in the eye.)

Having said that...could we treat the contact lenses the same as player's equipment?
Would we allow a player to replace a ripped shoe?
A torn jersey? Without getting a substitute to replace the player while he replaced his equipment?

Dude

[williebfree]

I would require a TO to "buy" the player back, because I view this as an injury. If we are halting to search for a contact lens then the player needs to sit.

The only exception I would tolerate would be if there was no "real" delay. As mick said, "A replacement could have been put in "immediately". (Immediately would have been my judgement.)

BTW: I have had a similar situation and done as indicated.

[zebra44]

Hey Mick, I thought basketball was a "non-contact" sport!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

We have two seperate situations in this play:

1) Player who who had a finger stuck in his eye, i.e., injured player.

2) Lost contact.

The question that has to be asked is: Why are we stopping the game? Because the player came out of the stands holding his eye or because he told the officials his contact came out? I would be inclined to stop the game because the player is holding his eye, which would have me leaning toward an injured a player situation.

Having made the decision that I am stopping the game because the player is holding his eye, the contact lense is only a secondary matter. I would treat the player has an injured player and apply the injured player rule in this case.

[mick]

Originally posted by zebra44
Hey Mick, I thought basketball was a "non-contact" sport!

zebra44,
Not too bad for Yooper humor.
Eye am begining to undertan.
mick

[mick]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
We have two seperate situations in this play:

1) Player who who had a finger stuck in his eye, i.e., injured player.

2) Lost contact.

The question that has to be asked is: Why are we stopping the game? Because the player came out of the stands holding his eye or because he told the officials his contact came out? I would be inclined to stop the game because the player is holding his eye, which would have me leaning toward an injured a player situation.

Having made the decision that I am stopping the game because the player is holding his eye, the contact lense is only a secondary matter. I would treat the player has an injured player and apply the injured player rule in this case.

Mark T.,
And ya know what? I have no idea why the whistle was blown, but next time, per your reasoning, I'm definitely going to find out.
Thanks.
mick

[BktBallRef]

I have to agree. If the kid goes to the bench because his eye is watering, I have an injury. If he stays on the court and looks for his contact, he's not injured IMHO.