I Was Embarrassed Last Night
 

Freshman Girls A/B doubleheader. Should have been an easy night, right?

It was for the most part...but my partner very nearly got us in some hot....no boiling....water.

Final minute of the A game Team A up by 1. Team B fouls, A has a 1-and-1. I'm the lead, administering the free throw. Coach B is saying repeatedly to his team "Rebound, timeout". So I bounce the ball to A1, and she goes through her routine, and shoots, WHISTLE, shot goes in.

I look at my partner and he's waving off the shot. I didn't see anyone in the lane early, so needless to say I was very confused. He tells everyone that Blue called timeout. He told Coach A that he thought B coach was calling a timeout, and that the request came before the shooter had received the ball from me. It still baffles me as to why he blew his whistle when he did...If I had the chance to speak freely on the floor he would have gotten an earful. It didn't sound to me like he wanted a timeout until after his girls got the rebound.

LUCKILY, A1 bailed us out and made the first of the 1-and-1 after the timeout and made the 2nd. I say luckily because B1 hit a buzzer beater 3 to send it to overtime that otherwise would have been the game winner.

Here's my questions about the situation. Should I have said uh, partner, I don't think he wanted a timeout there, ruled inadvertent whistle, counted the free throw, and proceeded with the second?

OR...I know that once you grant a timeout request, the timeout must be administered, but does that apply only to cases where Team B calls timeout when they aren't in control? If that's the case, should we have counted the first free throw and resumed play with the second FT?

I know, this stuff only happens during Freshman Girl's games. I was embarrassed with how the situation was handled, even though it wasn't my whistle. We're a team, and we look good or bad as a team.

That's what the coach gets for trying to request it early.

You may be being too harsh on your partner. Maybe all he heard was "Timeout", not "Rebound. Timeout". If he truly did want a timeout and you didn't give it to him, he'd be livid. It doesn't seem all that embarrassing the way you told it. Like Snaqs said - he shouldn't say "Timeout" until he wants one, or if he does, he should make sure the official closest to him is aware he wants a timeout on a miss. This is more on the coach than your partner.

Ball is released before the IW, score it.

But if the partner heard the timeout request before the shot was released, then the whistle has nothing to do with it.

Oh okay...

For all your partner knows, the coach wanted to ice the shooter.

Yeah, he should have whistled sooner, and that's an issue, but it's not a huge issue.

Maybe the Trail's name is Rebound? :eek:


Since players can request timeouts, the coach could have been giving instructions to his team. We should not act on an instruction like that. If I heard "rebounds, timeout", I would interpret it as the sequence of events that the coach wants, and not grant a timeout during the FT.

A timeout request is not "rebound, timeout", just like it's not "foul, timeout" or "violation, timeout" or other.

You could easily go with an IW and not proceed with the timeout, giving A1 her first FT. Yes, this is icing the shooter a bit, but there's not much you can do about that.

Just noticed that it was Coach B who wanted the timeout as A1 is at the line.

Ooops.

OK that one is a tad embarrassing. :o

Yup, maybe better awareness, but I understand how it happened.

Edit......oops also. B trying to get timeout.

If I hear "timeout" at a valid time, he/she gets a timeout unless he/she clearly prefixes it with some words that make it clear that it is not a request.

If I hear "rebound, timeout", they're probably getting a timeout. If I hear, "if we get a rebound, timeout", not.

I'm not sure what the distinction is between these two scenarios. Can you clarify your reasoning?

I've had coaches give me the "I want a timeout if we get the rebound" when I'm trail on a FT attempt, and I've granted them the timeout if, in fact, they get the rebound. Why wouldn't/shouldn't I?


I did have one coach get mad at me for not granting him a timeout when I was trail near his bench and he was behind me yelling "Thirty.... Thirty..... Thirty". As I explained to him later: "Coach, I thought you were giving your team a play call. If you want a timeout, say 'timeout'".

Chances are, I'd know what he meant, but there's no guarantee. Coaches shouldn't assume we'll know what they mean when they're leaving significant words unspoken.

When I'm asked for timeouts in advance, I just ask them to give a visual once they have control.

In the OP, it seems that the Coach was telling his players what to do, not talking to the officials at all...

Also, to stiffler3492 - why would this embarrass you? I get the fact that your partner screwed up, but I don't know anyone who has ever called a perfect game. Mistakes happen - deal with it and move on. If I am the one that screws up, I am embarrassed, but if it's my partner? That doesn't embarrass me at all. We will all learn from it together.