Made FG Timeout
 

In a high school varsity girls' basketball game recently the following took place.

The Home team scored to take a two point lead with 90 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. The Home coach quickly tried to call a timeout, but was not acknowledged by either official. The Away team in-bounded the ball and took about three dribbles up-court. Then, one official blew the whistle to signal time out for the Home team.

Rather than an inadvertent whistle being declared, the two officials had a brief discussion and granted the Home team a timeout anyway. During the timeout, the Away head coach addressed the officials for an explanation as to why a timeout was granted. During this time, the Away head coach was told that the other official was deaf and did not hear the Home coach call the timeout. The Away coach reiterated that it was too late to acknowledge the timeout when the Away players were already advancing the ball up the court. At that time, a technical foul was called on the Away coach by one official.

Can the officials back track and declare they did see the Home coach calling the time out? If they did, why wasn't the whistle blown right away? If an official has a disadvantage (such as being deaf in this case), why was this not addressed during the pre-game meeting?


side note - I feel for the two officials who were put into a difficult position. It is understandable a deaf official would not hear a coach asking for a timeout, but why assign the official a varsity game? Isn't it too much asking two teams of players and coaches to compensate and/or be penalized for one official's disadvantage?

Are you asking as a fan?

I'm asking as an official...just genuinely curious.

Based on your description, there are just not enough facts to know exactly what went down and why. If indeed one official was deaf, I have to believe that was discussed with the coaches prior to the game. Whether that official should be working in a Varsity game or not really has nothing to do with him being deaf. It just sounds like you're coming from the perspective of a parent or fan from the losing side and venting.

All their speculation and discussion after the fact is moot. Once a team is granted a timeout, even if by rule they shouldn't, the timeout is granted.

5.8.3 SITUATION E: A1 is dribbling the ball in his/her backcourt when: (a) the Team B head coach requests and is erroneously granted a time-out by an official; or (b) the Team A head coach is yelling “side out” offensive instructions to his/her team and the official stops play believing the coach requested a time-out.

RULING: In (a), Team B is entitled to use the time-out since it was requested and granted; once granted it cannot be revoked and is charged to Team B. All privileges and rights permitted during a charged time-out are available to both teams. Play will resume with a Team A throw-in nearest to where play was stopped. In (b), an inadvertent whistle has occurred. Team A was not requesting a time-out, and therefore, should not be granted or charged with one. Play is resumed at the point of interruption. (4-36-1; 4-36-2a)

This is a really poor choice of words and is frankly uncalled for. I've had a few deaf players in varsity games - should they not be allowed to play because they can't hear the whistle? There's a school for the deaf that has a team here - a good team. Half the time I can't hear a coach yell timeout and I can hear just fine. There are reasons why the officials might grant the timeout, even late. We don't know what happened, and you're just speculating.

We can't answer that unless one of those officials partipates in this forum.

How do you know that it was not addressed?

Your original post displays a complete misunderstanding of the rule.

Thank you all for replying. The comments did help me very much.

Unfortunately, tone and perspective are difficult to convey in an online forum, but I do understand why one could believe my original post was "venting". That was not my intention.

Thanks again!

To elaborate on Adam's comment

How do you know that the timeout wasn't acknowledged by one of the officials right away? Just because the whistle hasn't been blown yet doesn't mean that the timeout hasn't been acknowledged. The official's whistle might've fallen out of his mouth, causing a delay while he brought it back to his mouth. Not saying that's what happened necessarily, but it's happened to me before.

See my comment above.
But even if it was an IW, the timeout is still granted. (APG posted the appropriate citation).

So Away coach asked for an explanation, got one, then wouldn't let it go (my guess is that Away coach wasn't exactly quiet and collected during the conversation) and got whacked? Good work by the officiating crew.

Once the timeout is granted, that's the end of it.

Doesn't matter. The whistle doesn't make the ball dead, the ball is already dead by rule.

Does not merit a response.

As in the OP, after the timeout was granted, could the officials put time back on the clock with definitive knowledge?

Yes.

And they should've been able to (since the new trail should've had, at the very least, a 10-second backcourt count going).

If so, then it is definitely granting the time out during the dead ball following the basket.

Suppose the official says, "My bad, I shouldn't have blown that whistle, It was an IW. But we have a dead ball so the timeout will be granted." In that case, I assume there is no way to add time back on the clock, with or without knowledge of how much time ran off between dead balls.

Correct. If the timeout was granted during the dead ball after the goal, put time back on the clock based on the 10-second backcourt count (and 5-second throw-in count, if there was one).

If the timeout was granted after an IW, no time is put back on the clock.

Had a situation somewhat similar to this this weekend, A1 has the ball, A coach calls timeout; I hear it and see the ball in A1's hand, I turn to make sure it is the A1 coach calling for it. In the time it took me to turn my head to verify who called it and blow my whistle (maybe a second and a half), B1 had stolen the ball and was beginning a fast break. I ended up awarding the timeout to A and giving them the ball (as if the steal never happened). B coach was of course not happy. At least mine occured in the first quarter and not in the last minute.