Hey there partner,
You may have already had your first game this season or maybe it's coming up soon, but the questions are already flying in! This week's questions were mostly about free throws as such we brought in an additional rules expert to the staff to help us sort it all out properly. Please, welcome Dylan Koury to the team. He has an encylopedic knowledge of the rules, and we are blessed to have his expertise, so let's get started.
Free throw Question # 1: "A1 is fouled by B1 and both teams are in the bonus. Before the administration of the free throw, A1 receives their second technical foul and is ejected from the game. We let the sub for A1 shoot the free throws and then we had team B shoot the tech free throws and then team B got the ball at half court. Did we get it right?"
Spoiler alert: You nailed it! First off, what a great question!? Secondly, this must have had a very interesting game. Let's go to the rule book to find the justification for the answer. There is an entire rule on just free throws (Rule 8) and in the second section we find our answer. Rule 8-2 states: "The free throw(s) awarded because of a personal foul shall be attempted by the offended player. If such player shall withdraw because of an injury or disqualification, the offended player's substitute shall attempt the throw(s) unless no substitute is available, in which case any teammate may attempt the throw(s) as selected by the team captain or head coach."
Great job officiating that one partner!
Rule 8-6-2 helps us to know what to do on resumption of play procedure. It says, "if there is a multiple throw and both a single personal and single technical are involved, the tries shall be attempted in the order in which the related fouls occurred, and if the last try is for a signle technical foul...the ball shall be put in play by a throw-in."
Your crew was two for two!
Free throw Question # 2: "If a violation occurs on team A while team A is shooting (a free throw) and makes it (the free throw), does it count?"
While you might be tempted to look in that same rule about free throws for the answer to this one, the question is really about a violation during a free throw. That helps us to locate the answer in the rule on Violations and Penalities, Rule 9.
Rule 9-1 Penalties: (Section 1): "If the first or only violation is by the free thrower or a teammate, the ball becomes dead when the violation occurs, and no point can be scored by that throw."
How should you adjudicate this play? You should signal the violation by your whistle and placing a hand in the air indicating violation. Additionally, following your violation signal, wipe the shot off to indicate to the scorebook and both teams that the free throw was not awarded as a result of the violation. It might be a good idea to check the scoreboard and ensure the teenager with air pods in running the scoreboard didn't inadvertently give them one more point.
Now it's your turn Rules Gazette fans to answer an interesting scenario from a game last night:
Bonus extra credit free throw scenario:
"I was the lead official during the last free throw attempt for Team A attempting a free throw. After the ball was at the disposal of the thrower I watched B1 step into the lane prior to the release of the ball. I marked this violation with a delay violation signal to my partner. Before the try was attempted, A2 who was standing above the 3 point arc stepped into the space below the arc. My partner blew his whistle. What should he have done in this scenario?"
Please use the NFHS Rules Book to justify how you would handle this particular situation. What would you have done? Publish your answer in the comments.
Rules Gazette Staff Writers,
James Frazee
Dylan Koury
