Correctable Error Question

[La Rikardo]

It's really too bad that change of team possession is not a well-defined term in the rulebook. A quick search on the online version of the rules on Arbiter reveals that 2-10-6 is the only time the phrase "change of team possession" appears in the rulebook.

I can buy arguments both ways. On the one hand, I think this situation would strike the average basketball fan as a change of possession. A was the last team to possess the ball when the CE occurred (I'm assuming we can all agree that "team possession" means having TC) and B was the last to have TC when the CE was identified.

On the other hand, from a strict rules perspective, I think the most obvious way to interpret the phrase "change of team possession since the error was made" is any team which has or gains TC either when the CE occurs or after the CE occurs, loses TC, and their opponents gain TC. In this case the CE occurred at the moment the officials allowed the ball to remain live following the first free throw. At that moment in time, neither team had TC. By my interpretation, this would require the next team that gains TC to lose TC and for their opponents to gain TC before the CE is identified in order for 2-10-6 not to apply. B was the first team to have TC after the CE occurred. B lost TC when their player was fouled. At this point the CE was identified, but A did not gain TC before that CE was identified. Because of this, I believe there is an argument that 2-10-6 applies in this situation.

Buuuuuuut, to add another caveat, there is no provision in 2-10 that allows the officials to cancel the personal foul by A. The only time a foul can be canceled is if the CE was an unmerited FT or a FT at the wrong basket, the foul occurred during the FT's "activity", and the foul was not unsporting, flagrant, intentional, or technical. Obviously the foul by A does not meet these criteria for cancellation. The fact that there is no provision in place to cancel most fouls occurring after a CE implies to me that "change of team possession" does not necessarily require opponents to gain possession.

At a minimum, I think a "change of team possession" requires a team to have TC at the time of or following the moment the CE occurs and the team must then lose TC before the CE is identified. I think the correct adjudication here is to award A their merited FT and resume at POI with B's FTs. If the CE is identified before the foul occurs and before B loses TC for any reason (like when B is first bringing the ball into the FC after the rebound), then 2-10-6 should apply and the second FT should be shot as normal.

JMO