Time out

[Scratch85]

Originally Posted by tref

Can he say I didn't want it to get out of a technical foul?

Nope. I would never let a coach change his mind. If he requested a time out, I would grant it and charge it. But if I believed I misunderstood his communication, I would be willing to consider that it may have been my mistake and maybe he should not be granted or charged a TO due to my mistake.

I know I am adding to the OP somewhat but, since the ball is not live and the clock is not running, it is easy for me to believe that I may have misunderstood the coach. In fact he tells me I misunderstood him. Believeing that, I would tell him, similar to what I have done before, If you want a TO when they reach the division line you will need to make a request then."

Actually it happens more as trail when a coach's team is shooting FT's. The coach may say, "If he makes this FT, I want a TO." And maybe coach will even give the T signal as he says TO. We've all heard it. I usually respond with, "OK but you will need to request it after he makes the FT."

Do you throw the TO at him because he said time-out and made the T signal? Probably not.

I may have twisted the OP into my own benign little world a bit. But I do believe it is possible to be a basketball official and be cooperative with players and coaches. It ain't all a battle.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Scratch85

Nope. I would never let a coach change his mind. If he requested a time out, I would grant it and charge it. But if I believed I misunderstood his communication, I would be willing to consider that it may have been my mistake and maybe he should not be granted or charged a TO due to my mistake.

I know I am adding to the OP somewhat but, since the ball is not live and the clock is not running, it is easy for me to believe that I may have misunderstood the coach. In fact he tells me I misunderstood him. Believeing that, I would tell him, similar to what I have done before, If you want a TO when they reach the division line you will need to make a request then."

Actually it happens more as trail when a coach's team is shooting FT's. The coach may say, "If he makes this FT, I want a TO." And maybe coach will even give the T signal as he says TO. We've all heard it. I usually respond with, "OK but you will need to request it after he makes the FT."

Do you throw the TO at him because he said time-out and made the T signal? Probably not.

I may have twisted the OP into my own benign little world a bit. But I do believe it is possible to be a basketball official and be cooperative with players and coaches. It ain't all a battle.

Essentially, the OP was not the official's fault for misunderstanding the coach, but the coach's fault for asking for a TO when they weren't entitiled to one (for some point in the future). Another part of 5.8.3(E) specifically states that if an official mistakenly grants a TO to a team that requests one, but isn't entitiled to ask for one, the TO is still granted. Think of it in terms of both the coach and official screwing up, but the TO is still granted anyway. We can't say, "Whoops, we screwed up - nevermind, play on." In the part of case you're citing, it's 100% the official's fault, as they heard something that was not said at all.

In the OP, the coach did verbalize and signal a TO. Even though they were trying to add qualifiers (at some point in the future), it's not 100% the official's fault for not understanding those qualifications.

In the case of a coach asking me for a TO at some point in the future - "Give me a TO if he makes this second FT" - I don't consider that the request, but rather a heads-up that the coach will be making a valid request at a particular time in the near future, and I will now be aware of it to grant the request at that time. Many times I'll reply, "Thanks for letting me know; give me a nod again after the FT". The nod is now the request that is granted at the proper time.