[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I have had a long weekend and I really didn't want to write an article but I guess I am going to have to write one.


Allowing the Head Coach to request a timeout in NFHS and NCAA Men's games is a recent development. This rule change was a straight adoption of the NCAA Women's timeout request rule. The NCAA Women's timeout request rule was one of the NAGWS rules used by the AIAW and the NCAA for women's college basketball before the NCAA Women's Basketball Rules Committee was created. The NAGWS timeout request rule was an adaption of the FIBA timeout request rule; it combined the NBCUSC (National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada and is the legal predecessor of the NFHS and NCAA Men’s (which eventually became the NCAA Men’s/Women’s Rules Committees) rules committees).

If one goes back in time even further (try the late 1930’s and early 1940’s) and one will see that the Head Coach could not talk directly with the players on the court during timeouts and between quarters. When a team’s request for a timeout was granted the players of both teams had to huddle on the court and could not talk directly with their Head Coaches.

As one peruses the rules below (I couldn't quote the rules because of space limitations), one will see that the Head Coach is rarely mentioned. Some of his most important duties include designating who shall shoot technical free throws (and this to was also only the duty of the Team Captain until recently), designating replacements for disqualified and injured players, and informing the game official whether a team’s timeout request is for a thirty second or a full timeout.

As one can see the NBCUSC wanted the Team Captain to be the supreme leader of the team and not the Head Coach. Today’s rules still reflect that philosophy.


NFHS, NCAA, and NBCUSC rules.

NFHS:

NFHS R3-S1-A2 NFHS R3-S3-A1e

NFHS R8-S3-A1 NFHS R10-S5-A1

NFHS R10-S5-A2 NFHS R10-S5-A3

NFHS R10-S5-A4


NCAA:

NCAA R3-S2-A1 NCAA R3-S4-A18

NCAA R8-S2-A3 NCAA R10-S4

NCAA R10-S4-A4a, b, d, e NCAA R10-S4-A5


NBCUSC: National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada

This is the legal predecessor to the NFHS and NCAA Men's/Women's Rules committees.


NAGWS: National Association of Girls and Women in Sports.

The Basketball Rules Committee for women's college basketball (and girls' H.S. in some states in the Northeast) for the AIAW and NCAA women's basketball prior to the creation of the NCAA Women's Rules Committee.


FIBA:

FIBA R3-A6.1 FIBA R3-A6.2

FIBA R3-A7.1 FIBA R3-A7.2

FIBA R3-A7.3 FIBA R3-A7.4

FIBA R3-A7.5 FIBA R3-A7.6

FIBA R3-A7.7 FIBA R3-A7.8

FIBA R3-A7.9 FIBA R4-A19.1

FIBA R4-19.3.1 FIBA R3-A7.9