Odd scenario tonight.
 

Girl's MS game (that tells you a lot right there). Visitor's coach had been a little vocal all night but not enough to give her a T. Game goes into OT.

Home team scores with 2 seconds to go to go up by two. I am transitioning to Lead opposite table side. I glance at visitor's bench expecting a TO to be called. I can't hear her so I keep watching and she keeps looking towards the court gesturing with her hands as if she is telling her players where to go. Time runs out and then she says "why wouldn't you give me a TO?" I say "Coach you never requested a TO - you waved your arms around like you are telling your players to get down the court - you never gave me an indication that you wanted a TO" Then she said "You should have known I wanted a TO " I said "Coach, I am here to officiate basketball - not read minds. If you wanted a TO you have to request it with a mechanic I recognize - I don't understand waving arms around aimlessly".

I have her again in two weeks - will see if she learns the TO mechanic by then. :rolleyes:

The weirdest signal I've seen given by the coach was a full timeout signal. I'm used to the "T". I'm used to the 30 second timeout signal. But the full timeout I've only seen one coach use that (and that was of course in a middle school game). It took her waving a couple of times and screaming at the top of her lungs to finally get her timeout. At the end of the timeout, I gently remind the coach that the universally recognized signals are a "T" or 30 second.

Those two you mentioned and I've also commonly seen a clenched fist in the air too.

Clenched fist in the air? :confused: Like a personal foul signal?! Never seen a coach call for a timeout with that. The only other signal I've seen regularly is a simple point, but that's usually at some point when everyone knows the coach is calling for time.

The fist in the air for a timeout is common around here. Except that some coaches run a play that's (you guessed it) a fist in the air.

Yep and yes, the first time I saw it I thought the coach was hacked off about something, they yelled time at the same time. Must be a local thing. I did have a MS coach stand and give the double foul signal. I looked at him twice and he just smiled at me. I said, is that a time out request? He says well yeah! After the time out I told him I wasn't trying to be an arse, but his signal was for a double foul. I encouraged him to yell time and use the "T" symbol. He laughed and said oh. Since then he's started to officiate lower level games. Incidentally, was the old way of indicating a full time out the double foul signal? Last year I saw two older varsity reffs use this to indicate a full time out.

On the opposite side, I worked with a guy early in my career who told the captains (this was back when players had to request TOs) that the "T" sign was for a technical, and if they made it, he'd give it.

New for me too
 

Had the "fist time out" from a coach for the first time just last night. Took me a couple of times to realize exactly what he was doing.

I had a game last year where I was the new lead after a basket, oppisite the tabel. I saw the HC do a sideways "T" above his head. I blew the whistle, pointed to their bench, ran over ans asked what he wanted, 30 or full. It turns out it he was calling a play. I said sorry coach,and went on with POI.

I believe he was trying to form an "A" but one his fingers were not together one set came down to his palm.

".....which in your case would be particularly difficult". :p

I had a partner report a time-out to the table like that once.:eek: [Yes, that was my facial expression].

Back when I used to do volleyball, it would take me a few games to stop making a T to signal timeouts as that is (or at least was) the volleyball timeout signal.

WOW! :eek: I don't have the words to describe the stupidity in that.

My favorite is the play some coaches up here run. It 's called 5 out. So imagine them stading up yelling this real fast. Needless to say i granted a time out when there was no request. :D POI

I call in the southern US and during a middle school game the Home coach started yelling at "Tom," who never answered. During a break he asked why I wouldn't give him a "tom ayouuuut." Sheesh. I grew up here and couldn't understand him. Try explaining that one to an already irritated coach.