WHICH CAME FIRST? THE CHICKEN...................

Here is one for the those rules aficionados amongst us.  Think about this "play" scenario, and see if you would have gotten the play right!

B1, in a marked lane space, enters the lane prematurely.  The administering official properly signals the violation, seeing the occurrence, A1 quickly launches the prettiest arcing free throw one has ever seen.  The ball does not go through the basket, and does not hit the rim.  The slot official "toots" his/her whistle, and asks for one of those impromptu meetings that officials sometimes engage in on the floor.  Amongst the discussion, they try to figure out, "which violation" occurred first.  They decide on a strategy-come out, and since B1 violated first, they award A1 a new free throw, and play on from there.  One official actually mentions to the Team B coach that his player violated first, and he buys it.

Question:  Did they get it right?  Have you ever been in a camp or clinic where during on-court observations the clinician discusses a situation where he/she exhorts you to decide what happened first?  Usually something like, "hey, did the foul cause the walk, or did the walk occur before the foul?" Many times this discussion occurs on double whistles.  That is all well and good.  In some cases we really do/should determine what happened first on the play.

BUT, in this case, you need to forget that.  The officials above got it wrong.  This play is addressed in the NFHS 2012-2013 CASEBOOK on page 53, SIMULTANEOUS VIOLATION, 6.4.3 SITUATION A.  The ruling states: " The violations by B1 and A1 constitute a simultaneous free-throw violation.  Unless another free throw follows, play resumes with an alternating-possession throw-in from a designated spot outside the end line."

SHAZAM!  It is considered a simultaneous violation.  If you are familiar with the high school casebook you know that there are over a dozen "cases" about free throws addressed.  This is the only one about violations being simultaneous.  And, it is temping to look at this play, and justify penalizing the "first" violation we see.  After all, we are "programmed" that way.  But, in this case-we need to know the rule, and the remedy.  Being the best team on the floor, means we strive to get the call right.