Unannounced Rules Book Revisions
 

There are very few shaded previously unannounced rules revisions in this year's new book.

One some might consider of significance is the addition of the underlined words to 4-40-1:
"A screen is legal action by a player who, while touching the playing court, without causing contact, delays or prevents an opponent from reaching a desired position."

As reported in a separate thread,
this was added to 9-9-1: "EXCEPTION: Any player located in the backcourt may recover a ball deflected from the frontcourt by the defense."
The correlating "COMMENTS OF THE 2018-19 RULES CHANGES" states (as previously announced):
"An EXCEPTION Added to the Backcourt Violation (9-9-1) - To ensure that an offensive team is not unfairly penalized when the ball is deflected by the deense from the frontcourt to the backcourt. This exception allows the offense to recover the ball (that still has frontcourt status) in the backcourt without penalty. This also makes the play situation on the deflected pass consistent with other codes with very similar team control and backcourt rules."

In 1-13-2, this sentence:
"At this point, a line drawn from the sideline toward the team bench becomes the end of the coaching box going toards the end line."
...is replaced with this sentence:
"A line, perpendicular to the 28-foot line and placed at each end, with a minimum length of 2 feet, shall be extended toward the team bench so that the coaching box boundary is evident."

2-7-11 is corrected now to read: "Reporting a team warning for head coach/bench personnel misconduct to the official scorer and then to the head coach of the offending team."

In 2-11-11, the word "rules" in the second to last sentence is replaced with the word "determines."

3-3-7 now includes this: "(See NFHS General Guidelines for Sports Hygiene, Skin Infections and Communicable Diseases in Appendix E on Page 84.)"

I have not looked, but is this some different wording than initially stated?

Peace

Yes, the COMMENT in the new book is the same as that previously released.

Wicked Screen ...
 

So now screens can't be legally set in the hallway outside the gymnasium in front of the trophy case?

Nor can they be set by a player who can levitate above the floor, à la magician David Blaine?

I Got The Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Johnny Rivers, 1972) ... ...
 

Coaches and captains meeting: Players legally equipped? Players wearing uniforms properly? Practice good sportsmanship? Everybody get their influenza vaccinations?

I'll note that a few years ago the NFHS used the term playing court to mean both the inbounds and out of bounds areas of the floor.

If that is not what is intended here, then I expect clarification to come near the start of the season.

A Rule Beloved By All Architects ...
 

I had the same question as Nevadaref, thus my hyperbolic post.

However, while the rest of rulebook does a slipshod job at differentiating "court" and "playing court", NFHS 1-1 makes it pretty clear that the "playing court" is within the boundaries, while the "court" includes areas surrounding the playing court. Please note the statement, "These are the dimensions for the playing court only".

1-1: The playing court shall be a rectangular surface free from obstructions and with dimensions not greater than 94 feet in length by 50 feet in width. IDEAL MEASUREMENTS ARE: High School Age – 84 by 50 feet. These are the dimensions for the playing court only.

The term "court" likely refers to this:

Table 1-1 SUPPLEMENT TO BASKETBALL COURT Court Specifications: If possible, building plans should provide for a court with ideal measurements as stated in Rule 1-1, ample out-of-bounds area ...

Thanks Nevadaref. It's been almost forty years since I paid any amount of real attention to Rule 1. I had forgotten how detailed it was, and at the same time, how irrelevant much of it (but not all of it) was to on-court basketball officials. The great detailed diagram of a fan-shaped backboard really helps in my pregame. I use it all the time. That page is always dog-eared in my rulebook for easy reference.

Coach, You, And The Horse You Rode In On, Have Been Warned ...
 

What? We have to report the warning to the head coach of the offended team? Where's the fun in that? No more double secret probation?

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.X...=0&w=240&h=165

I make my warnings loud and obvious enough when I report them so I don’t separately need to tell the coach “you’ve been warned.”

Let's Keep It Our Little Secret ...
 

C'mon SC Official. You can do much better than that. That statement lacks passion. It should be, "Coach, you, and the horse you rode in on, have been warned". The horse part is a comment on how arrogant the coach is. It's always a nice added touch. A "plus" is that few people understand the insult so it usually won't come back to bite you in the butt. Insult the coach, with no repercussions, it's a win win situation.

So, last season, how many officials secretly crept over to the table and whispered to the official scorer, "Write an official warning in the scorebook against the Team A coach for unsporting comments, just don't tell anybody, let's keep it our little secret", and then secretly creep away from the table? Obviously the NFHS believed that this was a major problem last season. They'll probably make it a Point of Emphasis in a few years. And maybe put it in the Basketball Rules Simplified & Illustrated book. It will have a great illustration of an official sneaking up to the table while the coach's back is turned.

Postulates, Theorems, And Corollaries, Oh My ...
 

What am I missing here?

Wouldn't a line perpendicular to the 28 foot line be parallel to the sideline boundary? What good is that? Shouldn't it read "parallel", not "perpendicular"?

Mr. Feore, my ninth grade Geometry teacher, would be very disappointed that I have forgotten all my postulates, theorems, and corollaries.

I've got to be reading this wrong? Right?

https://image.ibb.co/kJW8by/nfhs_1_13_2.png
Here is how I envision the new rule change for 1-13-2, assuming I read it correctly.



The black lines above are the sideline and the 28' line. The green lines are the new lines that help define the coaching box boundary.

I was envisioning something similar. Of course, it will probably be something entirely different.

An eye screw in the floor 14' from the endline and a leg tether would be a lot cheaper and much more effective.

I like this.

Or officials could stop brushing off their responsibilities by letting the coach closer to the table because "he's coaching his guys."

I'm confused by Stat-Man's diagram, with green lines on both sides of the sideline (the horizontal black line). This looks like the coaching box projects into the court.

Am I misreading something?

Alternative to the Newly Revised 1-13-2
 

An alternative for the revised 1-13-2 was included in the recently released NFHS Video Illustrated Rules Changes download that I was reviewing just now. This apparently is for those schools who don't want to incur the expense of painting even more lines on the court. I'm not saying I agree with it, only that it's been approved.

Limits to the 1-13-2 Box

Outta My Way ...
 

Haven't you heard? Coaches are now allowed to stand a few feet inbounds on the playing court as long as they're in the newly defined coaching box, as long as they don't physically interfere with players, or officials, and as long as they are actually coaching their players and not taking the opportunity to yell at officials. It's true. It's true.

28 Foot Hashmark ...
 

Do all schools still have a 28 foot hashmark on the playing court? Didn't we do away with the 28 foot hashmark when we did away with the reset of the closely guarded dribble count, and got rid of the lack of action rule.

Our 1-13-2
 

Here is how our state clarified what was issued in new 1-13-2:

"Coaching Box – tableside. Bounded by a line drawn 28 feet from the end line towards the division line. At this point, a line drawn from the sideline toward the team bench becomes the end of the coaching box going towards the end line. The same directions should be followed for the other side of the scorer's table."

Makes sense to us here.

Hmm, If I'm understanding this correctly, it sounds like NFHS wants a two-foot extension of the hash mark into the out of bounds area (similar to NCAA) to designate the edge of the box closest to the table.

Even with the 28' foot box this year (MI didn't have it last year), I wonder how many warnings there will be for coaches being out of the box in '18-19.

Midcourt And Forecourt ...
 

The oldest rulebook that I've kept is 1996-97, and that rulebook, and more recent rulebooks, do not show a 28 foot hash mark on the playing court diagram. All of my IAABO Mechanics Manuals do not show a 28 foot hash mark on the playing court according to the "The Court As Officials See It" diagrams.

I'm guessing that the 28 foot hashmark disappeared in the early 1990's, around the same time that the NFHS did away with the reset of the closely guarded dribble count (midcourt to forecourt), and got rid of the lack of action rule.

We can talk about a distance 28 feet from the endline, but we can't talk about a 28 foot hashmark. By rule it's not there any more (we no longer divide the midcourt from the forecourt). It may still be painted on some high school, and middle school, courts, but, by rule, it's no longer there.

Now, would somebody please get out their protractor, yardstick, pencil, scissors, and floor tape, and please tell me exactly what the hell this means (below):

1-13-2: A line, perpendicular to the 28-foot line and placed at each end, with a minimum length of 2 feet, shall be extended toward the team bench so that the coaching box boundary is evident.

Stat-Man's diagram came close, but there should be no lines extending onto the playing court. There should just be lines on the out of bounds side of the sideline. The 28 foot hashmark can't be there, because the rules say it it no longer exists (even if it's still painted on the playing court of your local gym).

It just says "...the 28-foot line.." and does not mention the word "hashmark."

No Hashmark ...
 

Stat-Man mentioned "hashmark". I'm of the opinion that it no longer exists.

I'm not sure the 28 foot line is the same as the old 28 foot hashmark. The 28 foot line has defined one end of the coaching box for many, many years. The 28 foot coaching box line is completely out of bounds, the 28 foot hashmark was completely inbounds. They're not the same.

The new rule sounds like there should be an additional two foot line perpendicular to the 28 foot coaching box line, making it parallel to the sideline, both completely out of bounds.

1-13-2: A line, perpendicular to the 28-foot line and placed at each end, with a minimum length of 2 feet, shall be extended toward the team bench so that the coaching box boundary is evident.

I'm adding a floor marking tape manufacturer to my stock portfolio. That should push me over the top to finally buy that retirement villa in Tuscany.

The "28' line" is the portion of the sideline beginning at each end line and extending 28' toward the division line. It's not a separate line on the court.

Tuscany?!? There is nothing available there..........unless your are the Maestro!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPkmLWOqwwA

Always Listen To bob ...
 

1-13-2: A line, perpendicular to the 28-foot line and placed at each end, with a minimum length of 2 feet, shall be extended toward the team bench so that the coaching box boundary is evident.

Great explanation. Now this new rule wording makes perfect sense. Thanks.

Retirement Home ...
 

Wait a minute? Are you trying to keep me out of Tuscany?

I was thinking about putting a deposit down on this little fixer-upper.

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.7...=0&w=280&h=168

But it doesn't have a vineyard. I was looking forward to using my feet to stomp on grapes.

You'd be good at it -- you do a lot of "whining" already.