Two Different Numbers on the Same Jersey
 

I heard this story from a coach at the school I teach at this morning. One of his players was listed as #33 in the book. The only problem was that on her jersey, #33 was on the front and #35 on the back. What would you do in this situation?

I found the article about the game:

Girls Basketball: Hononegah tops Belvidere 75-34 - Sports - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

It's an illegal uniform. The penalty for that is a direct T to the coach.

Bob:

I agree. The HC has bought his player's way into the game. Except, how would you handle this situation further if the team already had a #33 and/or #35 legally in the Book?

My position is that if there are no other players are wearing #33 and/or #35 then let the player in as #33/#35 in the book, but if there is a #33 and/or#35 in the book then the player with the illegal jersey cannot play until she has a legal jersey.

MTD, Sr.

Since this player was already in the book as #33, the chances that ANOTHER player was in the book as #33 seem pretty remote.

If there could be some confusion with another #35, then I agree that it needs to be fixed one way or another.

11/20 Case Situation for the week of November 17-22

Basketball

Team A has two uniforms with different numbers on the front and back of the jersey. On one jersey, number 33 is on the front and number 35 is on the back, while on the other jersey, number 35 is on the front and number 33 is on the back. The uniforms for Team A are legal in all other respects, except for the two jerseys described previously. A couple of questions were asked of our office regarding this.

1. How should a school list these players in the scorebook?
2. Can the players wearing these uniforms play in a contest? If so, is there a penalty?

Answer 1: These two uniforms are illegal. The numbers on the front and back of the jersey must be legal numbers and match. When the numbers don’t match, the school should list the number on the front of the jersey as the official number for a given player.

Answer 2: The two players in this situation could play in a contest, although if either or both plays, a single direct technical foul will be assessed to the head coach of Team A for allowing players to participate while wearing illegal uniforms, in accordance with Rule 10-5-4. This technical foul counts towards possible coach ejection, the team foul count, and the head coach will lose his/her ability to use the coaching box during this contest. There is no penalty, however, if the players do not play.

Bob:
I am sure this will take care of the issue in Illinois but it sounds entirely too logical to have come from NFHS publications. Could you favor those of us not in the land of Lincoln with a rules or case citation?

There's clearly a rule for "illegal jerseys" and when the T is assessed. 3-4-3a and 10-5-4.

In terms of the first point, well, everyone knows it's what's up front that counts. ;)