NFHS Rules Changes 2016-17
 

We normally get the rules changes about this time each year. Has anyone heard anything at this time?

I completed a NF questionnaire a couple months ago regarding:

1) compressing the "5-second closely guarded" to state "within 3 feet" instead of "within 6 feet".

2) affording Team A a spot throw-in at the 27-ft. line instead of endline after a time-out called by Team A (when going the other way).

I presume it's these and other such items are currently being deliberated; however, I've yet to hear any confirmation of such changes--though I'm expecting something soon.

Usually comes a week or two in May.

Peace

I filled out a similar questionnaire last year. There must have been over 30 rules change ideas ranging from practical to ludicrous.

Absolutely none of them got adopted.

I think those surveys are as much about gaining insight on long-term opinion trends as they are about next year's rules changes.

T Minus Eleven Days And Counting (With Apologies To Jack King) ...
 

2015-16 NFHS Basketball Rule Changes were released on May 18, 2015.

https://youtu.be/ae6ofz3fgD8

NFHS Twitter feed says they'll be released this week.

Grab your popcorn.

I Left Cookies Out For Him ...
 

I hope that Santa doesn't bring us too many new rules.

If he does I'm blaming your bad baking.

One rule Santa would like to see changed is that players may not wear shiny red noses during the game. :p

Merry Christmas
 

Not many changes. It appears only one rules change was made to the actual playing of the game.

Peace

And now the gnashing of teeth about the semicircle violation actually being added to the rule book will begin.

15 seconds for a sub on a DQ player. Wonder what the horn sequence will be.

I guess enough officials defaulted to "managing cheerleaders" wasn't in our rule book that the NFHS was forced to add it.

To clock operator, "I need 15 seconds, start with a horn and end with a horn!"

That's a guess, though.

I did not see this enough to matter. At least it is in the book now and not a speculation as to if we call a T or not.

Peace

If we could just get them to go to a biennial publication cycle for all of the books. Simply put, there is absolutely no need to produce new books every year.

I know they need to make some money to fund their operations. They could reduce the rules meeting similarly and save money. They could charge $1-2 more for each book and profit the same money as they do know.

There just is no need for new books for such insignificant changes.

They could offset different sports across different cycles so that they have similar revenue each year.

Thanks Santa ...
 

New Rule on Free-Throw Lane Violations Approved in High School Basketball
May 18, 2016

A new rule regarding free-throw lane violations in high school basketball has been added for clarification. Players occupying the marked free-throw lane line spaces cannot enter the free-throw semicircle until the ball touches the ring or the free throw ends.

Rule 9-1-3h was one of five rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its April 20-22 meeting in Indianapolis. The changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

After reviewing the entire free-throw process, the committee approved the addition to Rule 9-1-3 in an effort to make the rule easier to understand and to create a safer environment for the free-throw shooter.

“This new rule was approved by the committee in order to reduce rough play,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the rules committee. “Part of what we had observed over several seasons was pushing and the displacement of the free-throw shooter after he or she shot the ball. The new rule will hopefully stop rough play.”

In addition, the Basketball Rules Committee added Rule 1-20 regarding non-playing personnel – such as cheerleaders – on the court during a short time-out. The new rule states that “non-playing personnel shall remain outside of the playing area during a 30-second or less time-out during the game. Non-playing personnel shall stand outside the free-throw lane lines extended toward the sidelines throughout the game.”

By formalizing awareness of the standards set for non-playing personnel, game officials are able to direct non-playing personnel to an appropriate place outside the playing court.

“The main reason for this additional rule is to minimize risk for everyone,” Wynns said. “Whether a cheerleader or a photographer, having restrictions will help with the overall safety of those near the playing area.”

In addition to these new rules, the rules committee reduced the time to replace a disqualified or injured player from 20 seconds to 15 in Rule 2-12-5. The committee believed that the amount of time presently given is too long and allows for gamesmanship to be displayed.

“After coaches have seen a player get injured or foul out, they already have an idea of who they want in the game as a replacement,” Wynns said. “But they tend to use that time for other reasons, so lessening the time will help uphold the principle of the rule.”

The rules committee also removed restrictions pertaining to player equipment. All extra apparel is permitted to have one logo according to Rule 3-5-6. Last year the committee simplified the color requirements to be consistent on all sleeves, tights, wristbands and headbands. Adding the compression shorts to this rule will assist officials in simplifying enforcement of the uniform rules.

I think this is a major revenue stream for them. I doubt that will happen unless they can sell something else to fill the void.

Also my state already gives out books every other year. So this might be something your state would have to do first.

Peace

If this had a "Like" button I would click on it.

I'm just relieved that they didn't completely forget about it again. How much you wanna bet this one was already decided in the hotel lobby before the committee ever saw a conference table? ;)

More important then the rule itself will be the supporting case plays. There is a whole range of truths and myths about how to handle this violation and any complicating fouls. I thought the pre-season guide and the interps last year did a decent job of laying out those situations. Problem is....many officials, especially new ones....never read that stuff.

I would hope no warning horn at all. I always thought the warning horn five seconds in was stupid, and most table personnel had no idea how to handle that anyway. My thinking is that it's the coach's responsibility to know that once he's notified, his 15 seconds is soon to start and when the horn sounds, he better have a sub identified and standing up. For me, I probably give him one final chance to stop screwing around ("Coach, I need a sub right now!") and absent an immediate response I'll consider a T.

I saw it a fair amount. Typically I'll see one of two outcomes: either the sub is already on his way to the table when I'm notifying the coach, or the coach milks it for every second he can get. I don't see much in between.

Your remark implies that the rule wasn't clear in the past on when a T is appropriate. I disagree. The rule has always been clear, but officials often give a lot of leeway. I'm not sure this will change just because we remove five seconds from the interval. Because both 2-p and 3-p mechanics call for the calling official to stay tableside, that official, who has probably already irked the coach for DQ'ing his player, now is left to "pile on" and enforce the replacement interval. So there's a natural hesitation to enforce a T when you already just DQ'd a player. To make the rule effective, it will take heavy-duty state and assignor support for whacking coaches in this situation, and I just don't envision much of an appetite for that.

No hesitation here. No sub by the second horn is a technical foul. No reason to give extra chamces -- that what the warning horn is for.

If there is a warning horn. There might not be one now.

Regardless, as an official who might work a game or two for you in the next few years, I consider myself notified (and appreciative) of your philosophy.

No warning horn would be a step backwards, in my opinion.

Going the way of the NCAA
 

If they treat it like the NCAA, it'll be a warning horn right away when the official notifies the table, and a T if there's no sub report d by the second horn.

NCAA-W made the change to 15 last year and it went fine. Just have to be deliberate in notifying the player, coach, partners, then table to 'work with' coaches in this instance.

This is the best solution. I've run into the same issue with table personnel even after having pre-gamed with them. 5 seconds and then a horn was just silly.

Devils Advocate here.....Is the bench now considered non playing personal? I don't think the bench is considered non playing personal.

I don't see how it's needed, although the first year could see a few more Ts if they don't have one as coaches who aren't aware of the change are expecting a warning horn.

But in reality, my verbal direction to the timer to start the 15 second clock IS the warning.

I've only had to give one T for this in the past, and he didn't get any coaxing from me once I started the timer. 2nd horn went off, and my whistle followed.

And I'm going to assume the Team control/back court cluster fark is still broken.

My comments were not about the D'Q interval butt he FT rules. I think you are lumping my comments into someone else's comments.

Peace

As I said, they just have to raise the price of the book by $1-2 to replace what they'd lose by alternating years.

If you mean did they address anything with this issue, the answer appears to be no with rules changes. Maybe an editorial change was accomplished. That really is the only way this can be corrected.

Peace

To not get money for a year might be big from a revenue point of view. Again, without knowing how this fits into their annual budget I cannot honestly say if that is a good choice, but I would think even a small raise might hurt their budget. Also states often appear to pay for these books on some level with their membership to the NF.

I am not disagreeing with you in principle, just stating that might be the roadblock from their point of view. Also my state is not what they call a 100% membership state as they no longer include the officials in their payment or buy into the insurance part of the NF. So my state would have to pay more for the books and they decided not to do that or pass in onto the officials in fees.

Not sure all the details of our current membership status but I am sure that your state could go to a similar model and not have books every year.

Peace

From The NFHS Website ...
 

Basketball Rules Changes - 2016-17
By NFHS on May 19, 2016

1-20 NEW: Non-playing personnel, e.g., spirit participants, media, shall remain outside of the playing area during a 30-second or less time-out during the game.

Non-playing personnel shall stand outside the free throw lane lines extended toward the sidelines throughout the game.

Rationale: Making officials aware of the standards set for the spirit participants allows the official to manage them when they may not be in an appropriate place.

2-12-5: Sound a warning signal to begin the 15 seconds (maximum) permitted for replacing a disqualified or injured player, or for a player directed to leave the game.

Rationale: The amount of time presently given is too long and allows for gamesmanship to be deployed.

3-5-6: Undershirts shall be a single solid color similar to the torso of the jersey and shall be hemmed and not have frayed or ragged edges. If the undershirt has sleeves, they shall be the same length. See 3-6 for logo requirements.

Rationale: This would now allow all extra apparel that is worn to have one logo. Last year we simplified the color requirements to be consistent on all sleeves, tights, wristbands and headwear. This would be one more step to assist our officials in simplifying the enforcement of the uniform rules.

Delete 3-5-7: (Compression shorts shall be a single solid color similar to the predominant color of the uniform; the length shall be above the knee. Undergarments shall not extend below the pants/skirt. See 3-6 for logo requirements.)

Rationale: This rule is no longer needed and would simplify the enforcement of the uniform rules for our officials. Compression shorts will be added to rule 3-5-3.

9-1-3h NEW: Players occupying marked free-throw lane line spaces may not enter the free-throw semicircle until the ball touches the ring or until the free throw ends.

Rationale: The addition of this information makes the rule complete and easy to understand.

Sometimes The NFHS Listens To Us ...
 

Delete 3-5-7: (Compression shorts shall be a single solid color similar to the predominant color of the uniform; the length shall be above the knee. Undergarments shall not extend below the pants/skirt. See 3-6 for logo requirements.)

Rationale: This rule is no longer needed and would simplify the enforcement of the uniform rules for our officials. Compression shorts will be added to rule 3-5-3.

This was my suggested change. When "color of the pants (shorts)" was changed to "color of the uniform", in regard to compression shorts, a few years ago, with no definition of "uniform", this made the legal color for compression shorts ambiguous, and confusing to enforce.

Now, headbands, wristbands, arm sleeves, knee sleeves, lower leg sleeves, compression shorts, and tights, shall be the solid color black, white, beige, or the predominant color of the jersey, and the same color for each item, and all participants.

How do you like the change, Freddy? Are you going to play "paper dolls" with Mugsey and Manute?

The single most annoying thing to me about rules these days deals with elbows. An elbow in movement is intentional foul...and on and on. Nowhere to be found in high school book. 2012 POE I think. I like to make calls that I can back up with rule book....

Ahh. You quoted issues regarding both, and I thought you were talking about the interval. My mistake, sorry.

Silly NFHS Monkeys ...
 

Agree.

2012-13 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

2. Contact above the shoulders. With a continued emphasis on reducing concussions and decreasing excessive contact situations the committee determined that more guidance is needed for penalizing contact above the shoulders.

a. A player shall not swing his/her arm(s) or elbow(s) even without contacting an opponent. Excessive swinging of the elbows occurs when arms and elbows are swung about while using the shoulders as pivots, and the speed of the extended arms and elbows is in excess of the rest of the body as it rotates on the hips or on the pivot foot. Currently it is a violation in Rule 9 Section 13 Article.

b. Examples of illegal contact above the shoulders and resulting penalties.
1. Contact with a stationary elbow may be incidental or a common foul.
2. An elbow in movement but not excessive should be an intentional foul.
3. A moving elbow that is excessive can be either an intentional foul or flagrant personal foul.

If you don't have a warning horn there's always an opening for a coach to be able to say they didn't know when their time started, etc. The warning horn standardizes everything (i.e., "Coach, you now have 15 seconds and counting.")


Hopefully the wording is changed on this one since there isn't any such thing as a time-out of less than 30 seconds. How about..."Non-playing personnel, e.g., spirit participants, media, shall remain outside of the playing area at all times except during an intermission or a 60-second time-out."

Forthcoming. Will be easier for us to teach and hopefully easier for the coaches to maintain.

I think this honestly is so that if there is ever a change in the timeout structure or a state uses some form of time-out less than 30 seconds, no one is splitting hairs with "It was not a 30 second time-out." Probably not that big of a deal, but that is why the change was made IMO to that wording. And if they even changed the times of a time-out, they do not have to go back and clarify this position.

Peace

Like a Doctor: Lots of Patients
 

I think I'll wait for the new books to come out so I can include whatever unannounced rule changes are thrown at us by surprise. There seem always to be some. Remember the prohibition on "extensions" on headbands last year? That was an unannounced change, amongst others. And who knows what POE's we'll get which again lack an accompanying rule. No sense assuming that these preliminary press releases express all the changes we'll need to adapt to for next season, right?

Agree. I do a lot of policy writing in my day job, and two things you learn when writing manuals and instructions are A) make the language as flexible as possible and B) don't write yourself into a corner.

I contacted the NFHS office directly a few weeks ago hoping to submit a last-minute rules change proposal. I got passed around quite a bit but finally spoke with a lady named Lori Brown who told me that I had missed the deadline for this year but emailed me the proposal form. Apparently submissions still go through the states but this is the form we are supposed to use.

The rules I think need changing are:

1. Goaltending rule, change to college/NBA rule where ball cannot be blocked off the backboard
2. Remove resumption of play procedure, make it a delay of game warning instead
3. Change delay of game warning to college rule where you get two warnings per type of warning
4. Clarify team control during throw-in only applies to fouls, not back court violation

Any others? I volunteer to write up the first three on my list.

#1. Why. It is often harder to judge since no official is looking across the plane of the backboard....on the way up/down is easier when you're looking at it from outside.
#2. OK....no big deal.
#3. Two warnings per type of delay? Might as well delete the delay warnings completely in that case.
#4. Yep.

1. Doesn't happen enough. And you add one more element to judge. The rule is fine for HS.

2. No problem there.

3. The rule is fine the way it is.

4. Well they already have done this, they just need to make a editorial change. I do not see anyone seeing this as a problem but mostly those that are in places like this (nothing wrong with that BTW).

Peace

Yea Rah Rah ...
 

Didn't the old 5-11-5 already cover most of this? Couldn't media/photographers just be added to old 5-11-5?

5-11-5: ... No on court entertainment should occur during this time (30 second timeout).

The problem with 4 is that there's nothing in the book to clarify this. The actual fix is much simpler, but they won't do it. Eventually, as time moves on, people will start enforcing the rule as written rather than as intended, then they'll just change it to the way it's being enforced.

I agree with you for the most part, I just think that they the conflict is not that deep. I think you have to clear up some things, but it seems like there is no interpretation also that is confusing. Like you said, this is an easy fix.

Peace