If the Ball is still in A1's hands when A-HC makes his request for a TO, we are required to verify that it was the HC that made the request. The Rules recognize the fact that the A1 could very well release the Ball on a FGA and the FGA could go completely through the Basket during the time period in which the verification is being made. Grant the TO. The Ball became Dead retroactively to the moment the TO was actually requested.
Case-in-Point: Decades (and I do mean decades) ago in a girls' VAR game, less than 30 seconds left in the game, Visitors are down by three points and have the Ball Table Side in its Front Court. I was the L, Opposite the Table, in a Two-Person Crew, when V-HC, who is standing behind the T requests a TO. I did not have a good look through the Lane to look for a HC making a TO request. In that split second that my partner turned to verify the TO request V1 launched a 3-Point FGA that did nothing by tickled the net for a game tying FGA,
. The Visitors were whooping and hollering until we informed the Table the that Ball because Dead at the moment the TO request was made. After the TO the Visitor were able to take two 3-Point FGAs but neither of them were successful and the Visitors lost by three points.
MTD, Sr.