rainmaker wroteI'm wondering what a coach could do to rectify this situation? Any refs out there have suggestions?
First thing I'd try is getting one of the players to request it. Tell the dribbler to dribble over to the nearest official and pick up the ball; repeatedly asking for a timeout until she got it. Or have all four of the other girls walk to one ref, with their hands in the TO position, each asking loudly for a TO.
Second thing I'd try is yelling across the court to the other ref. Make sure you yell loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear you.
In a blow-out game? If those didn't work , I'd walk onto the court, in front of said official/AD (bad idea at any level, btw), stand in his face and request the TO. You might get a T here, too, though, so it's a last resort, IMO. I'd wait until the other team had a throwin so you don't lose a possession, if you could. Not always possible, though.
BTW, I wish coaches wouldn't have stopped teaching their kids to mirror their timeout requests.