Final answer:
After the top assistant coach, who has already received an unsporting technical foul, steps up as the acting head coach due to the ejection of the head coach, one additional technical foul would result in the acting head coach's ejection.
Step-by-step explanation:
In basketball, the rules regarding technical fouls and ejections can vary slightly based on the governing body of the sport (e.g., NBA, NCAA, high school). However, generally speaking, if the top assistant coach has already been assessed an unsporting technical foul in the first half and then becomes the acting head coach after the head coach is ejected, the count of technical fouls for that individual effectively continues.
If we follow the common high school basketball rules, an individual is allowed one technical foul before being ejected on the second. Therefore, since the top assistant who has become the new head coach already has one technical foul, it would only require one more direct technical foul for the acting head coach to be ejected from the game.
It's important to note that different technical fouls (direct or indirect) might have different implications, but in this scenario, since the top assistant would be acting as the head coach, the next technical foul — whether it is direct or indirect — would result in an ejection, as both count towards the individual's total. Thus, the correct answer is:
(a) A single direct technical foul. The newly activated head coach would be ejected upon receiving one more technical foul, whether direct or indirect (bench).