Buzz Williams runs on court to call crazy timeout during play vs. Tennessee, draws criticism from ESPN

Emotions are high in College Station on Saturday night. Texas A&M is looking to add another Quad 1 win to the resume while Tennessee is looking to keep pace atop the SEC standings. Buzz Williams has seen his team play with a lead for most of the game but is still coaching as hard as he can.

Williams maybe went a little too far in the second half when attempting to call at timeout. It was fresh off a Texas A&M bucket and he wanted to set up his defense. A referee did not see Williams at first but that was until he was at midcourt.

Williams ran onto the court, waving his hands in the air while attempting to get somebody’s attention. After a few seconds, Williams was inside of the Texas A&M logo, and eventually, the timeout was granted.

You can check out the full moment here.

That’s the craziest timeout attempt I’ve ever seen from a head coach.

Texas A&M Buzz Williams ran out to half court to call a timeout.

What in the heck was he thinking? 😂 pic.twitter.com/SZRwqhgBsb

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) February 11, 2024

ESPN play-by-play commentator Jimmy Dykes got an explanation from the officials, saying a bench warning was given to Texas A&M. He thought Williams should have been assessed a technical foul and Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes likely agreed.

Dykes was also worried about the players on the court and their safety. Theoretically, if someone is running full speed and did not see Williams, there could be a bad collision, and cause injuries to both people.

“They just viewed it as a bench warning,” Dykes said during the ESPN broadcast. “But I still disagree with it. I just do. I mean, that’s a safety issue on the floor as much as anything, in my estimation.”

Barnes was seen on camera talking about the moment with an official and said “He can’t do that.” Tennessee did inbound the ball while Williams was out on the court but the play was halted due to the timeout.

Coaches are technically not allowed outside of a certain area around the bench, with a line on the court being the stopping point. It’s a rule that is rarely followed though, with plenty of coaches creeping toward center court.

But most of them are still on the sideline. Williams made his way onto the court in the middle of play and in Dykes’ eyes, he got away with one. The officials only deemed it as a bench warning.

If another one is assessed Texas A&M’s way, Tennessee will get technical foul shots — maybe giving Barnes some closure on the moment.