Substitution Protocols
When handling substitutions, we want there to be nothing else going on. Prior to granting a substitution request, the responsible official should make eye contact with his/her partner(s) to ensure this fact.
Once the responsible official has determined that it is appropriate to bring subs in (ball is not live, no foul needs to be reported, the current free throw administration does not prohibit substitution, etc.), that official must sound the whistle and raise an open hand. It is also helpful to announce “Subs!” The official should beckon the subs in and maintain the hand raised (Stop clock signal) until the process is complete. The palm of the raised hand should face the official who will administer whatever the resuming play scenario is (free throw, throw-in).
Note that in some situations additional subs may come to the table near the end of the initial process. Again it is appropriate to sound the whistle to announce these additional sub(s).
Sounding the whistle is an important part of the process since it alerts everyone to the substitution process. This helps to prevent putting the ball in play inadvertently.
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