HC on the floor
 

Can the HC, by the rules, come out onto the court to request a Time out? Referring to NFHS rules.
Thanks

Technically no. However, if it’s a loud gym, he/she is perhaps behind me, critical spot in the game, etc., and steps a few feet out to improve the chances I’ll see or hear him/her, then I will cut them some slack. So long as it’s professional and doesn’t interfere with play in any way.


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Thank you

For Educational Purposes ...
 

As a sidenote to the original post:

10-6-1-C: The head coach may stand and/or leave the coaching box to confer
with personnel at the scorer’s table to request a time-out as in 5-8-4.

5-8-4: Responds to the scorer’s signal to grant a coach’s request that a
correctable error, as in 2-10, or a timing, scoring or alternating-possession
mistake be prevented or rectified. The appeal to the official shall be
presented at the scorer’s table where a coach of each team may be present.

What would you do if, after you so graciously granted their TO request, they feel compelled to tell you how to do your job?

Unsweetened please...
 

Unless he is extremely quiet and polite about it, this becomes a T! Especially if he is still on the floor.

Timeout Area ...
 

It depends on what he says, not where he says it.

Once the timeout is granted he has a right to be on certain parts of the playing court.

1-13-3: The timeout area shall be the area inside an imaginary
rectangle formed by the boundaries of the sideline (including the bench),
end line, and an imaginary line extended from the free-throw lane line
nearest the bench area meeting an imaginary line extended from the
coaching-box line.

Words Matter ...
 

Even if he has a legal right to be there?

If he's charged with an unsporting technical foul during the timeout, my game report will probably not include any reference to where he's standing, unless he's standing outside of his timeout area, and even then, his words are probably (with few exceptions) more relevant than where he's standing.

I'm going to bet that most unsporting technical fouls given to coaches during timeouts and intermissions are not given to coaches standing in their coaching boxes, but within their timeout areas.

Now if a coach runs across to the other side of the court to offer his criticism to me personally, well that's another story for another day.

Yeah...rules are in placed but we as officials have to use game management..

So he can request the TO from the table, but not out on the court, per the rules.

Walk right past him like he doesn't exist anymore and report the time-out to the table.

Only for the purposes of addressing a correctable error. And he/she will only be charged that time-out if no error gets corrected.

OK, so as crosscountry55 stated, "technically no", there is nothing in the rules that gives the coach permission to come out onto the floor to request a TO. Of course, we can use good judgement/management in that situation.

I routinely tell HC's in pregame that if it gets loud or I otherwise can't see them, as long as they don't get in the way I have no issue with them coming on to the court a step or two to get our attention. Is it explicitly allowed in the rules? No. But we see this in football too - HC's aren't allowed to leave their coaching box, but they have the ability to run down as far as they want to get a TO if they want it, we've all seen that.