Administrative T
 

My first one in YEARS tonight. At least 10-15 I'm thinking. We start after a timeout and as the first ball goes through the twine, we get a horn. #14 on the court is #20 in the book. She didn't play to this point and they didn't catch it at the table till after the ball was live.

My partner had called me over to the table, so I had sent both teams to their team areas and I told both coaches what was happening and I got a shooter from the other team -- my partner went to administer. I had the PA announcer say "There is an administrative technical foul on [the visiting team] for an incorrect number in the scorebook.". I know, I know, it's not technically accurate, but it worked for me...

Apparently the girl wearing 14 quit the team and 20 decided to wear 14.

The scorer wasn't convinced it was a team foul. I assured her it was. It was the 9th of the first half and we still had 5 minutes until halftime. Oy.

Maybe the scorer also works the table at NCAA games.

Resisting. Temptation. To. Make. Relocation. Comment.

Isn't there a certain scorer from the NW available? :D

I can answer that. While I thought about that for a split second (and thankfully I work just enough that I know the difference), I am as sure as one can be that she does not.

And actually, I told her during a later timeout I was really pleased at the moment she chose to hit the horn (as the ball went in the basket after a transition) and thanked her for how she handled things. I didn't get to the whistle until the ball was at the disposal of the thrower-in.

I get why she was able to play for a bit -- yes, our scorers mark the number of quarters each player plays, so just entering the game *always* results in marking something on the scorebook, so we don't really have to worry about someone playing, coming out of the game, and never getting in the book. But a sub heads to the table, says her number, and I've probably already whistled her in and we're back in play as soon as we can be. By the time the scorer didn't find the number in the book, we were already off and running.

The timer told me a story about the game where a team had home and away numbers and the officials charged every player in the game and every sub that entered with a technical foul. No clue how long ago that was (it might have even been the rule then), but I mentioned to him that these days, we can have a maximum of one administrative technical foul.

I always joke that basketball is the easiest sport from a rules perspective, because we really don't need to know the minutiae of the rulebook -- but we do, it's just that in basketball the minutiae comes up a lot less often in other sports and the rules really don't change all that much from year to year.

Thank you for saying "Oy" during Hanukkah. :)

I don't know what the rule was then, either, but when I was a senior in high school (1977) the home team put their wrong numbers in the book and we started the game by shooting 5 technical foul free throws. Was each T only one shot then? Also, our coach wanted a non-starter to check in to shoot the free throws, but this was not allowed.

Yes. I think it was changed late 80's. Not sure when the rule regarding just one T, no matter how many infractions or when a sub was allowed to enter to shoot the FTs.

Ts were 1 FT if on a player and 2 if on a coach. Admin Ts were 1 FT. I had graduated by 1977, but was in my first season (1976-77) as an official.

I actually like the fact that all technical fouls count towards the bouns in NFHS. Makes it easier to remember and handle on my end.