2019-20 NFHS Interpretations
 

Basketball Rules Interpretations - 2019-20
By NFHS on October 09, 2019

(Underlining shows additions; strikethrough shows deletions.)

RULES BOOK CORRECTIONS: 4-41-7 (Page 41): Remove “or try for field goal;” 10-6-1 NOTE (Page 66): Add “and any number of assistant coaches” after “head coach.”

CASE BOOK CORRECTIONS: 3.5.4 SITUATION B (Page 23): Ruling for (c) should be Illegal Legal.

OFFICIALS MANUAL CORRECTIONS: 4.4.3B Held Ball (Page 53): Replace “for a held ball immediately. There is no need to raise a hand for the stopclock signal” so that it reads “Give the signal to stop the clock for a violation followed by the signal for a held ball;” 5.4.3B Held Ball (Page 89): Replace “for a held ball immediately” so that it reads “Give the signal to stop the clock for a violation followed by the signal for a held ball.”

SITUATION 1: A1 is waiting at the table to substitute into the game. The official recognizes the substitute is wearing pre-wrap tied in the back as a headband. RULING: The substitute is permitted to enter the game wearing the pre-wrap as a headband provided it meets all the guidelines for a headband. (3-5-4b)

SITUATION 2: A1 is wearing a ribbon to control her hair. RULING: Illegal. Ribbons are considered decorations and the athlete should not be allowed to enter the contest while wearing a ribbon in the hair. (3-5-4e)

SITUATION 3: Members on Team A are wearing headbands that have two manufacturers’ logos. RULING: Team A members wearing headbands with two manufacturers’ logos should not be allowed to enter the contest until the headbands are removed. Headbands with one manufacturer’s logo should meet the headband requirements. (3-5- 4, 3-6)

SITUATION 4: Team A is wearing a patch on its uniforms to honor one of its teammates who was injured in an accident. The patch is the school logo with his/her number on it. RULING: This is not legal. A commemorative/memorial patch may be worn on the jersey, provided it is not a logo or number, and must be worn above the neckline or in the side insert. Such patches shall not exceed 4 square inches. (3-4-2c)

SITUATION 5: B1 is observed wearing a mouthguard, but no other member of Team B is wearing this type of equipment. RULING: This is legal (personal choice), but is not mandatory. (3-8)

SITUATION 6: During the pre-game warm-up period, an official notices that A1 is wearing a religious medal on the end of a chain. RULING: The player shall be instructed that in order to wear the religious medal, the medal must be taped to the body and worn under the uniform. (3-5-4 EXCEPTION b)

SITUATION 7: A player, for religious reasons, may not wear shorts. Would he/she be able to wear tights under the basketball uniform shorts or warmups instead of shorts? RULING: NFHS basketball uniform rules do not require that the uniform pants be “shorts.” Wearing tights below the uniform shorts would be legal. The player has the option of wearing long pants as the uniform “bottom” to be in compliance with NFHS rules as well. (3-4-5, 3-5-3)

SITUATION 8: During the pre-game warm-up, the officials observe that A4 is wearing a ring with tape covering it. The officials notify A’s head coach that A4 must remove the ring in order to participate in the pre-game warm-up and the game. The coach and A4 respond that the ring cannot physically be removed. RULING: The referee informs A’s head coach that A4 cannot participate while wearing a ring, even with the tape covering it. (3-5-7)

SITUATION 9: A1, while dribbling the ball in the frontcourt near the midcourt line, has the ball strike the midcourt line and as the ball comes up from the dribble, A1 touches the ball and continues to dribble. RULING: Backcourt violation. A1 may not be the first to touch the ball after it has been in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt, before it went to the backcourt. (9-9-1)

SITUATION 10: At halftime, Team A is leading the game. A1, A2 and A3 are passing the ball among themselves to run time off the clock while not allowing Team B to gain control of the ball. B1 goes out and pushes A1 to stop the clock. The official calls a personal foul. RULING: Incorrect call. The foul was deliberate and should have been called an intentional foul. A1 should shoot two free throws and Team A should be awarded the ball for a throw-in at the spot nearest the foul. (4-19-3c)

Freddy's Not Dead ...
 

Thanks Freddy.

Could somebody in authority please add these to the interpretations "sticky".

:confused:

"CASE BOOK CORRECTIONS: 3.5.4 SITUATION B (Page 23): Ruling for (c) should be Illegal Legal."

Tights, Long Pants ...
 

SITUATION 7: A player, for religious reasons, may not wear shorts. Would he/she be able to wear tights under the basketball uniform shorts or warmups instead of shorts? RULING: NFHS basketball uniform rules do not require that the uniform pants be “shorts.” Wearing tights below the uniform shorts would be legal. The player has the option of wearing long pants as the uniform “bottom” to be in compliance with NFHS rules as well. (3-4-5, 3-5-3)

Long pants can be any color. Correct?

Tights worn below the uniform shorts must be the solid color black, white, beige, or the predominant color of the jersey. Correct?

I'm surprised the NFHS didn't make this distinction in the interpretation.

A lost teachable moment.

Must be a paper shortage at the NFHS.

Maybe they're running out of ink in their printers.

If It's Not Legal It's Illegal ???
 

I was also initially confused, until I remembered that in previous posts Freddy told us that strikethroughs and underlining don't carry over from the NFHS website to the Forum.

Billy, didn't we have a long discussion about this play or something similar?

"SITUATION 9: A1, while dribbling the ball in the frontcourt near the midcourt line, has the ball strike the midcourt line and as the ball comes up from the dribble, A1 touches the ball and continues to dribble. RULING: Backcourt violation. A1 may not be the first to touch the ball after it has been in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt, before it went to the backcourt. (9-9-1)"

Looks like Freddy has some work to do then. :D

8/10 interps are fashion police. That might be a new record.

At the risk of being pedantic (and beating a dead horse), does no one who knows proper terminology review these interps?

Also, "at halftime" implies that the first half is over.

Fool Me Once, Shame On You ...
 

... Fool me twice, shame on me.

SITUATION 8: During the pre-game warm-up, the officials observe that A4 is wearing a ring with tape covering it. The officials notify A’s head coach that A4 must remove the ring in order to participate in the pre-game warm-up and the game. The coach and A4 respond that the ring cannot physically be removed. RULING: The referee informs A’s head coach that A4 cannot participate while wearing a ring, even with the tape covering it. (3-5-7)

During my foolish years as a young adult, on two occasions I wore my wedding ring while playing basketball that resulted in major injuries (ring caught in outdoor metal net resulting in the ring cutting my finger to the bone, finger jammed that became swollen overnight with ring acting as a tourniquet).

Technical Foul ...
 

Agree. So it must be a dead ball intentional contact technical foul.

Does anybody at the NFHS read these before publishing?

Shouldn't they have an editor? Wait ... I'm being told ... Who ... Theresia Wynns ... Never mind.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree ...
 

(Tony Orlando and Dawn, 1973)

SITUATION 2: A1 is wearing a ribbon to control her hair. RULING: Illegal. Ribbons are considered decorations and the athlete should not be allowed to enter the contest while wearing a ribbon in the hair. (3-5-4e)

3-5-D: Rubber, cloth or elastic bands may be used to control hair.

I've been screwing this up for forty years. Ribbons are made of cloth. Cloth is a legal material for hair control devices. How does one use a cloth ribbon to control hair? By tying it in a knot.

I've always allowed cloth ribbons tied in a simple knot, or simple bow (as used to tie one's shoes) to be used to control hair.

I guess that I was wrong. Not the first time, won't be the last time.

I'll be sure to rule this situation correctly for the next forty years.

Close, But No Cigar ...
 

Great memory Raymond.

When I first started reading the interpretation, I said to myself, "Finally, a citation for that weird situation that we discussed many months ago on the Forum".

But after checking my notes, I determined that this was not the same situation we discussed.

SITUATION 9: A1, while dribbling the ball in the frontcourt near the midcourt line, has the ball strike the midcourt line and as the ball comes up from the dribble, A1 touches the ball and continues to dribble. RULING: Backcourt violation. A1 may not be the first to touch the ball after it has been in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt, before it went to the backcourt. (9-9-1)

The situation that we discussed many months ago was when a dribbler in the frontcourt puts a foot into the backcourt even though the dribbler isn't touching the ball at the time (Violation. Why? Because my mother said so.).

The earlier discussion dealt with the foot touching the division line, the recent interpretation deals with the ball touching the division line.

Division Line ...
 

SITUATION 9: A1, while dribbling the ball in the frontcourt near the midcourt line, has the ball strike the midcourt line and as the ball comes up from the dribble, A1 touches the ball and continues to dribble. RULING: Backcourt violation. A1 may not be the first to touch the ball after it has been in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt, before it went to the backcourt. (9-9-1)

In ancient times the midcourt (twenty-eight foot) line separated the midcourt from the forecourt, and among other things, was used to allow a new five second closely guarded count when the dribbler crossed the midcourt line moving forward.

Doesn't anybody at the NFHS read their own stuff?

2018-19 NFHS Basketball Points of Emphasis
Officiating Professionalism And Use Of Proper Terminology
Division Line (Not Center, Mid-Court, or Time Line)

Silly monkeys (In Memoriam, Jurassic Referee).

You are mis-reading the rule.

It's NOT:
the following may be used:
a. rubber
b. cloth
c. elastic bands

It's "a band made of rubber or cloth or elastic may be used ...", or "A rubber band, a cloth band or an elastic band may be used ..."

Always Listen To bob ...
 

I actually thought about that (for the first time in forty years) before my recent post.

Makes sense. Thanks bob jenkins.

Nitpicking here. Prewrap used as a hair control device is not in the form of a band, but is tied in a knot. So would it be legal as a headband, but not legal as a hair control device? (Note: The recent interpretation is regarding prewrap used as a headband)

If A1, A2, and A3 were passing the ball, as is mentioned in the interp, that implies the ball was live. "At halftime" probably means as the clock is winding down to end the half and A1 is holding for the last shot (or just holding). Instead of "At halftime", it would have been better to say "Near the end of the 2nd quarter".

As for their terminology, a "personal foul" is fine. That is what it is. Not being further qualified implies that it is just a personal foul that isn't intentional or flagrant. The correction is that a personal foul was not enough, it should have been an intentional foul (also personal in nature but qualified). Not sure what is wrong there.

Maybe A1, A2, A3 are the officials. ;)

And, while we all knew what they meant, it *is* the phrase "at halftime" that should not be in this published interp.

It would have been more accurate to say "a common foul."

True, but personal was not incorrect. The point was they want it to be intentional and that comes across clearly.

Isn't proper terminology a POE for the NFHS?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Cause The Editors Gonna Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit …
 

With apologies to Taylor Swift (Shake It Off, 2014).

Agree. Clear as a bell.

But the interpretation still could have been better worded considering that it was going to be published for tens of thousands to read.

Many of these interpretations read like they were written in pencil on Post-It Notes for only a few people to read.

Yep. Didn't stop the term "midcourt line," which they explicitly called out in last year's POEs, from making it past their editors, as Billy pointed out below.

A Bunch Of Amateurs ...
 

Many officials are whatcha call "experts".

Editors, obviously, aren't "professionals".

Like I already said, written in pencil on Post-It Notes for only a few people to read.

This ribbon interpretation is one of the dumbest I’ve seen. A scrunchy is legal but ribbon is a decoration? Give me a break

Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair), (Roy Orbison, 1970) …
 

Before this recent interpretation, I allowed cloth ribbons tied in a simple knot, or simple bow (as used to tie one's shoes) to be used to control hair.

But I never allowed these (images below) because these ribbons are most certainly worn for decorative purposes, not for the sole purpose of controlling hair.

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.d...=0&w=300&h=300

https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.0...=0&w=300&h=300

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.L...=0&w=309&h=174

Take The Ribbon From Your Hair (Kris Kristofferson, 1970) ...
 

Now we can't allow a simple functional cloth ribbon/bow like this:

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.l...=0&w=300&h=300

And that is why it was a dumb POE on many levels.

Peace

Count The Basket ...
 

From last year's Point of Emphasis:

In an era of round-the-clock commentators using today’s latest lingo to describe game situations to entertain, officials cannot be caught up in that shift to less than professional terminology … The use of proper terminology is one of many steps to ensure that the perception of game officials and the reality of their actions, remains on a higher plane and a critical part of the game.

While I agree with the intent and purpose of this Point of Emphasis, it was the list of terms that many of us, including me, quibble with.

I didn't like most of the example terms on the list from day one, too nit-picky.

Television commentators may be able get away with confusing basket interference and goaltending, experienced officials can't, or shouldn't (I realize that basket interference and goaltending were not on the list, it's just one example of a gross vocabulary confusion).

Sure, many of the terms are a little nit-picky. Nobody has ever criticized me for stating, "Count the basket", and I hope that they never do because I'm not removing that from my vocabulary.

And I would never criticize an official who states, "Count the hoop".

In terms of vocabulary, officials must be on "higher plane" than players, coaches, fans, and television commentators. We're not their equals. Never were, never are. We're the professionals. We're whatcha call experts, and we should talk like experts whenever it's appropriate to do so.

Certainly not the entire list, but maybe a small portion of the list is worth thinking about.

And if not the list, certainly the intent and purpose of this Point of Emphasis is worth thinking about.

There certainly should be a difference between the vocabulary that officials use orally in conversation (especially amongst ourselves), and the vocabulary that we use in written form. I believe that we should be more careful using vocabulary in written form, which often will be distributed to many stakeholders.

I'm not going to criticize any current official who uses the term midcourt (I may simply mention it to a rookie official), but I found it quite humorous that the NFHS told us last year not to use the antiquated term midcourt, and then they went ahead and used the term this year.

Which is why I called them (NFHS) out on it.

Silly monkeys.