5-8-3-A: Time-out occurs and the clock, if running, must be stopped when an official: Grants and signals a player’s/head coach’s oral or visual request for a time-out, such request being granted only when: The ball is at the disposal or in control of a player of his/her team.
Must the player control be when the timeout is requested, or when the timeout is granted?
Situation: A loose ball situation occurs and Red #22, while on the floor, is able to get both hands on the ball. Knowing that a held ball is about to occur, Red head coach requests a timeout. Official glances over to insure that it is, indeed, the Red head coach, and then looks back at the players to see that both Red #22 and White #23 have hands in control of the ball in a typical held ball situation. Request was made while only Red #22 had control of the ball. If a timeout was to be granted it would have been granted when both Red #22 and White #23 had hands in control of the ball in a held ball situation.
Ruling?
I would think "granted" goes with player control. In a slightly different situation does an official want to sound a whistle for a timeout when a ball might be bouncing loose on the floor a few feet away from any players? Or during a try? Or during a violation? Or after a ball is out of bounds? "But coach, she had the ball in her control when the timeout was requested".
I believe that the rule language is a little ambiguous (
request being granted).
Can we pull just this out of the rule: Granted only when the ball is in control of a player of his/her team (and ignore the word "request")?
Or must we use the word "request" in our ruling?
As we read the rule language, do we "emphasis" the word request, or the word "granted"?
Such
REQUEST being granted only when the ball is in control of a player of his/her team.
Such request being
GRANTED only when the ball is in control of a player of his/her team.
Because of the juxtaposition of granted and only, I say the player must be in control when the timeout is granted.
This question is based on a recent IAABO make the call video where many say that request is the key parameter.
There hasn't been an "official" IAABO ruling published yet.
I thought that I would start the debate early and head 'em off at the pass.
