Requesting timeout on layup situation???

[billyu2]

Originally Posted by just another ref

You can debate it or not debate it but this is one of those examples of the rule says one thing but the way it is done is another. We had a long discussion about this a while back as it related to the player going out of bounds asking for timeout. He asked for timeout a split second before he lands out of bounds, but he lands before the whistle. Do you give him the timeout or call the violation? A strict reading of the rule says one thing but the way things are says another.

Not quite the same situation. Here the official has accurate knowledge there is player control at the time of the request. The fact the whistle came after the player touched OB is not an issue. Same could be said on a last-second shot situation: Ball is clearly touching hand when the horn sounds. Official whistles and signals no shot just after ball is airborne. Is anyone going to question the official for not being able to sound the whistle while the ball was still touching hand? In most all the other situations here, we have a request from the coach requiring the official to look away from the ball to verify it was the HC. The official then sounds the whistle to grant the time out without having accurate knowledge of the status of the ball.