Biggest rules/mechanics changes of the last 5 years

[fiasco]

Getting back into officiating after almost a 10 year hiatus.

What's new in terms of mechanics or rules that would be noticeable?

[SNIPERBBB]

Probably free throw rules on entering the lane and team control rules. Not much on mechanics other than the ever changing free throw mechanics for two man and team control foul signal. W

[JRutledge]

The shot clock if it comes to fruition by far is the biggest change. Not really many others that changed that was that big of a deal IMO. We have had Team Control longer than 10 years I am pretty sure two-handed reporting was a huge change as well as the coaching box expansion.

Peace

[BillyMac]

1-19 New The use of electronic devices is permitted during the game.

3-4-2a A single visible manufacturer's logo/trademark/reference is permitted on the team jersey, not to exceed 2 1/4 square inches with no dimension more than 2 1/4 inches. The manufacturer's logo may be located no more than 5 inches below the shoulder seam on the front of the jersey, or 2 inches from the neckline on the back of the jersey; or in either side insert.

3-5-3 Arm sleeves, knee sleeves, lower leg sleeves, compression shorts and tights are permissible:
a. Anything worn on the arm and/or leg is a sleeve, except a knee brace, and must meet the color restrictions.
b. The sleeves/tights, compression shorts must be black, white, beige or the predominant color of the jersey and the same color sleeves/tights must be worn by teammates.
c. All sleeves/tights, compression shorts must be the same solid color and must be the same color as any headband or wristband worn.
d. Meet the logo requirements in 3-6.

10-1-3 A team shall not:
a. Use a megaphone or any electronic communication device at courtside, or electronic equipment for voice communication with players on the court.
b. Use electronic audio and /or video devices to review a decision of the contest officials.

10-4-5 Note The head coach may enter the court in the situation where a fight may break out or has broken out to prevent the situation from escalating.

Signal Chart Added a mechanic of a defensive tip (brushing one hand over the other above the head) to indicate the official has ruled the ball entered the backcourt as a result of contact with a defensive player.

[BillyMac]

3-5-3
Art. 3: Arm sleeves, knee sleeves, lower leg sleeves and tights are permissible:
a. Anything worn on the arm and/or leg is a sleeve, except a knee brace, and shall meet the color restrictions.
b. The sleeves/tights shall be black, white, beige or the predominant color of the uniform and the same color sleeves/tights shall be worn by teammates.
c. All sleeves/tights shall be the same solid color.
d. Meet the logo requirements in 3-6.
Note: In general, a brace is defined as anything that contains hinges and/or straps or an opening over the knee cap.

4-19-3d
d. Excessive contact with an opponent while the ball is live or until an airborne shooter returns to the floor.

9-1-4g
g. A player occupying a marked lane space may not have either foot beyond the vertical plane of the outside edge of any lane boundary, or beyond the vertical plane of any edge of the space (2 inches by 36 inches) designated by a lane-space mark or beyond the vertical plane of any edge of the space (12 *inches by 36 inches) designated by a neutral zone. A player shall position one foot near the outer edge of the free-throw lane line. The other foot may be positioned anywhere within the designated 36-inch lane space until the ball has been released.

10-6-12 New
The following acts constitute a foul when committed against a ball handler/dribbler:
a. Placing two hands on the player.
b. Placing an extended arm bar on the player.
c. Placing and keeping a hand on the player.
d. Contacting the player more than once with the same hand or alternating hands.
Rationale: Rather than continuing to make hand-checking a point of emphasis year after year, simply add a brand new rule that requires a personal foul be called any time this type of contact occurs on a player holding or dribbling the ball outside of the lane area. The NFHS game needs this type of illegal contact on the perimeter ball handlers and dribblers eliminated.

2014-15 MAJOR EDITORIAL CHANGES

1-12a
Its solid color shall be Pantone Matching System (PMS) Orange 151, Red-Orange 173 or Brown 1535.

8-1-4b
The lane areas from the end line up to, and including, the neutral-zone the first lane-space marks shall remain vacant.

8-1-4c
The first marked lane spaces on each side of the lane, above and adjacent to the neutral-zone marks the first lane-space marks, shall be occupied by…

Players in marked lane spaces will be able to move into the lane when the ball is released by the free-throw shooter beginning with the 2014-15 high school basketball season. Previously, players could not release until the ball touched the ring or backboard or until the free throw ended.

In an effort to eliminate excessive contact on ball-handlers and dribblers outside of the lane area, the committee added Article 12 to Rule 10-6 on contact. As a result, the following acts will constitute a foul when committed against a ball-handler/dribbler: 1) placing two hands on the player, 2) placing an extended arm bar on the player, 3) placing and keeping a hand on the player and 4) contacting the player more than once with the same hand or alternating hands.

The rules committee also expanded the definition of an intentional foul in Rule 4-19-3d, which now states that an intentional foul is “excessive contact with an opponent while the ball is live or until an airborne shooter returns to the floor.”

In the final rules change, the committee expanded Rule 3-5-3 by identifying anything worn on the arm and/or leg as a sleeve, except a knee brace. These items, including tights, will now be permitted but must meet the color and logo restrictions in Rule 3-5-3. Previously, this rule permitted only arm sleeves and leg-compression sleeves.

[BillyMac]

10-6-12: The following acts constitute a foul when committed against a ball handler/dribbler. A player becomes a ball handler when he/she receives the ball. This would include a player in a post position.
a. Placing two hands on the player.
b. Placing an extended arm bar on the player.
c. Placing and keeping a hand on the player.
d. Contacting the player more than once with the same hand or alternating hands.

Officials Signal Chart and Officials Manual: Establish a signal to be used after a basket is made and there is a stoppage in play. The signal is used by the officials to indicate the team inbounding the ball may run the baseline. The signal will be executed by extending the arm laterally, bending the elbow at a 90-degree angle, moving the hand and forearm from the elbow in a waving motion horizontally along the end line. A new picture will need to be added to the signal chart.

2015-16 Major Editorial Changes

3-4-2c: By state association adoption one commemorative/memorial patch may be worn on the jersey. The patch shall not exceed 4 square inches, shall not be a number and must be located above the neckline or in the side insert.

3-5-3c: All sleeves/tights shall be the same solid color and must be the same color as any headband or wristband worn.

3-5-4a: Headbands and wristbands shall be black, white, beige or the predominant color of the jersey and the same color for each item and all participants. They must be the same color as any sleeve/tights worn. See 3-6 for logo requirements.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SNIPERBBB

Probably free throw rules on entering the lane

Originally Posted by BillyMac

9-1-4g
g. A player occupying a marked lane space may not have either foot beyond the vertical plane of the outside edge of any lane boundary, or beyond the vertical plane of any edge of the space (2 inches by 36 inches) designated by a lane-space mark or beyond the vertical plane of any edge of the space (12 inches by 36 inches) designated by a neutral zone. A player shall position one foot near the outer edge of the free-throw lane line. The other foot may be positioned anywhere within the designated 36-inch lane space until the ball has been released.

Players in marked lane spaces will be able to move into the lane when the ball is released by the free-throw shooter beginning with the 2014-15 high school basketball season. Previously, players could not release until the ball touched the ring or backboard or until the free throw ended.

For those without a scorecard:

1970-71: Hit.
1981: Release.
1993: Hit.
1996-97: Release.
1997-98: Hit.
2014-15: Release.

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.: What was going on before 1970? Hit the peach basket?

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by fiasco

Getting back into officiating after almost a 10 year hiatus.

What's new in terms of mechanics or rules that would be noticeable?

Two-hand reporting and no more punch on team control fouls are the biggest changes. Three-person crews are also more common now than they were before.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by fiasco

Getting back into officiating after almost a 10 year hiatus.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

On my local board, after a ten year absence, such an official would be strongly encouraged to take the rule classes and mechanics classes and be required to take the written test and the floor test like a rookie official.

It was just announced today that our local board is down to 233 members compared to 271 last year. Before COVID we were up around 320 members, reaching our maximum numbers during the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009.

Not coincidentally, the board just came out with a new Former Member Reinstatement Policy having the rationale to provide guidelines for former certified members to return as a member without having to retake the rules class/exam and floor class/test.

Desperate times, desperate measures.

It's so bad with Connecticut football officials that varsity games are being played on both Friday nights and Thursday nights to insure the availability of enough officials for the games.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

It was just announced that our local board is down to 233 members compared to 271 last year. Before COVID we were up around 320 members, reaching our maximum numbers during the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009.

My local board covers approximately 75 public and private high schools. Boys. Girls. Varsity. Junior varsity. Freshmen. Any many boys and girls middle school programs.

It's gonna be a busy season.

I predict lots of doubleheaders for officials (which, over forty-plus years, has not been the norm for my local board).

Note: Connecticut game fees for 2022-2023 season: Varsity fee: $103.41; Subvarsity fee (junior varsity, freshmen, middle school): $67.11.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

My local board covers approximately 75 public and private high schools. Boys. Girls. Varsity. Junior varsity. Freshmen. Any many boys and girls middle school programs.

It's gonna be a busy season.

I predict lots of doubleheaders for officials (which, over forty-plus years, has not been the norm for my local board).

Note: Connecticut game fees for 2022-2023 season: Varsity fee: $103.41; Subvarsity fee (junior varsity, freshmen, middle school): $67.11.

If 3 officials becomes a thing, then the 2 officials doing the JV game could either be joined by a fresh official, or someone who worked a middle school game earlier (or is coming from another game).

In DC, the schedule often has JV-girls varsity-boys varsity. In that case, a JV official could stay for the girls varsity game. The other two officials show up for the girls varsity game. Then, the other JV official works the boys game with the 2 from the girls varsity game.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I predict lots of doubleheaders for officials (which, over forty-plus years, has not been the norm for my local board).

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

If 3 officials becomes a thing, then the 2 officials doing the JV game could either be joined by a fresh official, or someone who worked a middle school game earlier (or is coming from another game).

Here in official-deficient Connecticut, the push (more of a slight nudge) to go to three officials will probably take a (hopefully temporary) back seat to just getting two officials assigned to games.

Keep in mind that in my little corner of Connecticut we never "mix up" genders on the same afternoon/night, at the same site, it's either all boys, or all girls, typically freshmen (4:00 p.m.), junior varsity (5:30 p.m.), and varsity (7:00 p.m.). While the school's boys team may be at home, the girls team may be on the road, or vice versa.

Recent doubleheader assignments, locally rare before our numbers starting dropping a few years ago, are usually of two types.

One type of doubleheader assignment is for the same two officials to work both the freshmen and junior varsity games, with two "fresh" officials working the varsity game.

Another is for the same two officials to work both the junior varsity and varsity game while a different crew worked the earlier freshmen game.

Last season, between low numbers to begin with, officials opting out due to COVID, illness (COVID, influenza, etc.), injuries, and makeup games due snow, we had a few guys working tripleheaders (freshmen, junior varsity, varsity), both physically and mentally demanding, not a desirable situation, but a nice payday ($230).

Things got so bad last season that our assigner had to tell many schools that he couldn't assign "snow" makeup games on certain dates and that they had to come up with alternate dates. He had to tell two very large city school systems, with several middle schools each, that he could not assign any officials to their middle school games until late February and March, after other school systems middle school game schedules had completed.

[ilyazhito]

With 3 games, it's even easier, at least from a numbers perspective. Assuming JV/varsity are done by the same two people, one freshman official can stay for varsity to make the crew of 3. If there are freshman/JV doubleheaders, then we would need 3 distinct officials for the varsity game.

Either way, a shot clock in CT is good news, and a sign that the CIAC is adapting. Hopefully 3-person will become more common in other parts of IAABO-land (PSAL now does 3-person for its AA (largest school) games). CT is now less out of step with MA and NY.

On a different note, do CT officials cross the state border to work in MA or NY? Border crossing is VERY common in the DC area.