[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Rut and Rich have raised valid points with today's H.S. coaches.

As many of you know, I look at the historical context of a rule.

From a historical standpoint Coaches are an afterthought. The rules state that a team consists of five players, one of whom is the Captain. The reason that only players could request a TO was because, until the 1940's, when a team was granted a TO, the teams huddled on the court and the HC's could not talk to them.

As many of you know, this is my 41st year of officiating basketball; I started officiating in the 1971-72 (boys'/girls' H.S. using NBCUSC Rules). I started officiating women's college basketball (NAGWS Basketball Rules) in 1974-75.

The unique thing about the NAGWS Basketball Rules was that it had the same timeout rule per head coaches that the NFHS and NCAA Men's Rules Committees adopted in the 1990's. The NAGWS Basetball Rules were a combination of NBCUSC Rules and FIBA rules (but mostly NBCUSC). Only the HC (or Asst. HC) can request a TO in FIBA rules, and the procedure is not the same as in the NAGWS Rules (which is the rule now used in the NFHS and NCAA).

The NCAA took over the women's tournament from the AIAW in the mid-1980's and stopped using the NAGWS Rules. Instead the NCAA created the NCAA Women's Rules Committee which then wrote its own set of rules which were very close to the NAGWS Rules but still closer to the NFHS and NCAA Men's Rules.

So, I am saying, that I have had 38 years of experience officiating games under the HC timeout rule (and all honesty, I doubt if there is anybody on the Forum that has that much experience with the rule). What does that mean? I have seen the rule evolve in the United States over that time.

When I started officiating women's college basketball HC's did not go nuts on the sideline screaming: TIMEOUT!! TIMEOUT!! when there was a loose ball on the floor. The idea behind the rule was to enable the HC to request a TO when the Official was within easy communication range rather than to tell a player to request a TO when the Official was standing right next to the HC.

The NFHS and NCAA Men's Committees had watched the women HC's request TO's for over ten years and said: Hey! We want that rule too. The first year or so, HC's at the H.S. and men's level were composed in when they made their requests. But that composure did not last long as the battle for every possession became a fight to the death.

I understand the pressure that officials are under when a HC or both HC's are screaming: TIMEOUT!! TIMEOUT!! when there is a loose ball on the floor. It is utter insanity on the part of the HC's.

I guess I am trying to say is to stay focused in those situations. Be aware of TO requests but officiate the action on the floor first.

MTD, Sr.

P.S. Sorry for the long post.