2023-2024 Rules Changes Announced.

[crosscountry55]

After 110 posts, one thing is for certain:

Those mandatory pre-season rules meetings this fall are not going to be the 20-minute social calls they’ve been in recent years.


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[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Those mandatory pre-season rules meetings this fall are not going to be the 20-minute social calls they’ve been in recent years.

Most of the issues will be resolved (I suspect) once the actual rules changes are posted -- and not just a description of the change.

And, some of the changes will never be specific enough for some -- e.g., the "similar colored shorts" rule -- heck, we've used the same language to describe t-shirts, but all of a sudden it's an issue worth multiple posts when it applies to shorts. Lah me.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Most of the issues will be resolved once the actual rules changes are posted -- and not just a description of the change.

Mostly agree, but we've been "burned" by the NFHS in the past in a few cases, with the NFHS taking a few years to fully clarify some changes.

Do we really believe that all pertinent questions asked in this thread will be fully answered?

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

And, some of the changes will never be specific enough for some -- e.g., the "similar colored shorts" rule -- heck, we've used the same language to describe t-shirts, but all of a sudden it's an issue worth multiple posts when it applies to shorts.

Personally, I'm perturbed because in the recent past the NFHS has made attempts to simply the “fashion” rules. References to “school color” were completely removed from the rulebook (to the surprise of some current coaches and (hate to say it) officials). Tights are allowed, and compression shorts are treated the same as any other equipment (no longer have to be the same color as the “uniform”, what ever the hell “uniform” really meant). Hair adornments are now allowed. While rules regarding undershirts were restrictive, they were very simple to understand by all.

It seems that the NFHS is now “going backwards”, instead of continuing to go from complex to simpler, it’s now going from simple to more complex by adding an additional legal color (black) to undershirts, and by seemingly restricting the color of shorts.

While I agree that rules restricting equipment colors allow officials to easily identify players on each team during fast paced action, being a “fashion police officer” is the least favorite part of my job as a basketball official. Sometimes I dread walking into a gym, while I’m always hoping for the best, I’m always preparing for the worst.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Mostly agree, but we've been "burned" by the NFHS in the past in a few cases, with the NFHS taking a few years to fully clarify some changes.

Do we really believe that all pertinent questions asked in this thread will be fully answered?

We will know what they likely intended and we will know what they did not consider. And I doubt that will make much difference either way to most.

I would not say that we were burned by anything the NF does, they just do not do the thorough duty a lot of time to deal with the impact of their changes.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... (NFHS) just do not do the thorough duty a lot of time to deal with the impact of their changes.

Well stated.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I would not say that we were burned ...

Maybe "burned" was a strong word? Probably should have said "left us hanging".

I was thinking about the throwin team control issue (only for foul purposes) that took a few years to finally clarify; the "weird" backcourt interpretation (last to touch happens at the same exact time as first to touch); and the 2014-15 change back to free throw release (that initially failed to include the timing of boxing out the free throw shooter).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Those mandatory pre-season rules meetings this fall are not going to be the 20-minute social calls they’ve been in recent years.

Yeah, I was thinking the same exact thing. My local interpreter has done something never locally done before in forty-plus years, emailed us a copy of the rule changes way before the fall meeting to prepare us for the event.

I've got some time concerns about our upcoming local meeting. Usually this meeting is 100% about rule changes, and no "business" is conducted.

However, this year, an ad hoc committee that I co-chair is scheduled to present on a non-rules issue. Our Officials Versus Cancer campaign got off to a bang fifteen years ago. Many of our local officials were enthusiastic about donating 25% of a game fee to the American Cancer Society and using a pink whistle during a designated Officials Versus Cancer week in January.

After fifteen years, that original enthusiasm has now dwindled and I've been tasked to reinvigorate that original enthusiasm. The mandatory pre-season rules meeting was chosen for the presentation because it's "mandatory", thus has the largest audience of all of our local meetings, and because it's "live", not an impersonal Zoom meeting like many of our other meetings.

My ad hoc committee was counting on a short rule change presentation by our interpreter, as has been the case in recent years.

We were, obviously, very wrong to assume that.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Those mandatory pre-season rules meetings this fall are not going to be the 20-minute social calls they’ve been in recent years.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Yeah, I was thinking the same exact thing. My local interpreter has done something never locally done before in forty-plus years, emailed us a copy of the rule changes way before the fall meeting to prepare us for the event.

Just got an email stating that our local board mandatory pre-season rules meeting will be October 18.

Thinking about that, I just realized that not only will we be discussing the many changes, some with possibly confusing wording, in this thread, the most changes that we've seen in a single year in several years, but here in Connecticut we will also be implementing the shot clock for all varsity games next year.

This may be the longest pre-season rules meeting that we've ever had.