Here's a weird one.

I'm leading under backboard. Player's tense and squaking a bit in a very tight game - were watching closly but nothing real bad, gym very loud. Players really going all out. Great game.

My partner (new) looks over to the "far" bench and the coach is hand signalling to me he wants a technical foul called (kid grabbed made basket and bounced it hard - fumbled it a bit - I didn't act. It was all emotion not aggressive or demeaning) by showing me the very familiar hand signal I know as a "T". Partner see's it and grants him a ..... time-out. Players start trotting off the floor. Opp's, coach has none left. Tech on coach.

Coach starts going through "changes" right at the table. "I didn't want a timeout!!! I want you to call a technical".

We all saw the coach's hand signalal but heard nothing.

Explained to coach that the "T" signal from a coach is a timeout. Coming from a ref ... its a tech. "Don't confuse the two Coach". Honest mistake but it happened.

Is this correctable? Restart the game? It cost them the game - player sank both Tech FT's won by 2.

This year its the most impact we've had deciding a game. Asking comments.

If I see a coach giving the "T" signal, I'm giving him the time out every single time. I understand that some coaches out there are a few cans short of a 24-pack on rules knowledge, but this one is a no-brainer.

A few years back, I had dinged a kid in a freshman game in the 3rd quarter. He was grumpy the rest of the game, then something happened in front of him that he thought warranted a technical. He had the ball, so he sarcastically turns to me and signals "T" with his hand. I gave him a time-out, they of course had none left, and the coach ripped him a new chute.

This cracks me up. Coach wanted a technical called. He got it. Be careful what you ask for. Think you handled it correctly. Unless we're supposed to "see *and* hear" the request from a coach. I know we're supposed to see him say it before calling it, but not sure if we are supposed to hear him say it; especially in a loud gym.

Snaqs

We did inspect the rule book after the game - felt bad about the impact.

Book says TO's are a "visual OR verbal" signal. We saw the visual.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Snaqwells
This cracks me up. Coach wanted a technical called. He got it. Be careful what you ask for. Think you handled it correctly. Unless we're supposed to "see *and* hear" the request from a coach. I know we're supposed to see him say it before calling it, but not sure if we are supposed to hear him say it; especially in a loud gym.

Snaqs [/QUOTE
this is similar to the fact that officials always get ripped on by the coach if you dont grant him a time out when you cant hear him.
well this is exactly why i dont like the fact that coaches can call timeouts. it only makes it tougher oon us officials having to listen from the bench if someone wants one.

I agree with everyone here, but...

I'm not usually on the side of leniency, and fudging, but...

If it were me in Ref Daddy's place (new partner granting TO when coach doesn't want it and team doesn't have it), I think how I'd handle it would depend on other things such as the level of play (8th grade? JV?) and how fast I could get in and "fix" it. If it had been 8th grade, or even a lower level JV team, I'd have summed the whole thing up as quickly as possible, called an inadvertant whistle and gotten the ball back in play. If it's the varsity game between cross-town rivals, and the winner goes to state, tough. But then, we're not going to have a new ref, nor a coach that signals T for a desired technical. In 8th grade girls, the coach is brand new, and during the unexpected time-out, he's not gaining any advantage. He's screaming that he didn't want a time-out. In fact, he's losing the advantage of setting up defense against a team that was slow to get the ball back up the floor. I know that the theory of advantage/disadvantage doesnt necessarily apply in this case, but sheez, it seems a little harsh to stick it to him if he's just an oaf and not a complete jerk.

Too funny! Thanks for sharing the story. And no that isn't correctable.

Good point. I don't like it, either. But I only grant it if I see it. If I can't see the coach saying it, I don't know who's screaming for a timeout.

snaqs

Once the Timeout has been granted, then it cannot be revoked. (all I have with me is the '01-'02 NFHS casebook.)
Tough situation, but the coach should have known better.

i have never in the 6 years i have officiated overall see a coach signal for a T as in technical foul not timeout. well, next time i guarantee hell learn the hard way for being an idiot and hell only signal for a T for timeout.

I agree that the coach made a "bone-head play" here. But, if I had told the bench that they were out of time outs and they acknowledged it, I may have been less likely to grant the time out just with a signal. Just something to throw into the discussion. When a team is out of time outs in a close ballgame I convey the time out totals to my partner as well so he would know not to grant the TO as well. But I agree with the rest, once you grant the time out it is granted. You can't take it back.

You can't un-ring the bell.

This coach blew it.

I may be taking you to literally here but 5-8-3 says nothing about not granting a TO if requested. It's just going to cost him more. As a courtesy,I do try to make sure that the coaches know their standing with TO's during the game.

Stan

Agreed. A "T" hand signal by the coach is a time out.
No question. Brand new partner is irrelevant, in fact, he did as he should.
Perhaps next time coach will stick to coaching and stop trying to ref the game.

When I do a HS game, during the pregame chat, I will normally tell both coaches, it can get very loud in here, If you want a timeout, if you can verbally say it, and give me the T signal it will make it easier. I had one team, the T signal was a play, he told me that he will verbally say it and give me the 30 sec time out signal, he also told me that he uses his 30 sec TO first, and when there done he know he will be charged the fulls. Worked for me!

AK ref SE