2023-2024 Rules Changes Announced.

[JRutledge]

Rules Changes for 2023-2024

NEW Rules Announced

Peace

[BillyMac]

Thanks JRutledge.

2023-24 NFHS Basketball Rule Changes

2-1-3 Note (New): Requires the shot clock operator to sit at the scorer’s and timer’s table, if using a shot clock. Rationale: Establishes the placement of the shot clock operator for those states utilizing the shot clock and the growing use of video boards that allow tablet control from anywhere in the gym.

3-4-5: Requires uniform bottoms on teammates to be like-colored while allowing different styles of uniform bottoms among teammates. Rationale: Clarifies that teammates must all wear like-colored uniform bottoms but may wear multiple styles while aligning language with other NFHS rules codes.

3-5-6: Allows undershirts worn under visiting team jerseys to be black or a single solid color similar to the torso of the jersey. All teammates wearing undershirts must wear the same solid color. Rationale: Allows schools with hard-to-find colors to wear black under visiting team jerseys while continuing to require all team members to match.

4-8-1: Eliminates the one-and-one for common fouls beginning with the seventh team foul in the half and establishes the bonus as two free throws awarded for a common foul beginning with the team’s fifth foul in each quarter and resets the fouls at the end of each quarter. Rationale: Improves flow by providing an opportunity for teams to adjust their play by not carrying over fouls from quarters 1 and 3 to quarters 2 and 4 while significantly reducing the opportunity for correctable errors to occur. Minimizes risk of injury by eliminating the one-and-one and reducing opportunities for rough play during rebounding opportunities.

7-5-2 thru 5: Establishes four throw-in spots (the nearest 28-feet mark along each sideline or the nearest spot 3-feet outside the lane line on the end line) when the ball is in team control in the offensive team’s frontcourt and the defensive team commits a violation, a common foul prior to the bonus, or the ball becomes dead. The one exception is when the defensive team causes a ball to be out of bounds, the throw-in shall be the spot where the ball went out of bounds. Rationale: Simplifies throw-in procedure when there is team control in the frontcourt and the defensive team commits a violation.

7-6-6: Allows the official administering a throw-in to the wrong team to correct the mistake before the first dead ball after the ball becomes live unless there is a change of possession. Rationale: Allows for a correction of an official's mistake in a more reasonable timeframe.

9-3-3: Establishes that a player may step out of bounds without penalty unless they are the first player to touch the ball after returning to the court or if they left the court to avoid a violation. Rationale: Allows a player to step out of bounds if they gain no advantage and penalizes a team only if they gain an advantage by leaving the court and returning to avoid a violation or to be the first to touch the ball.

2023-24 Basketball Points of Emphasis

Uniforms, Equipment and Apparel
Bench Decorum
Throw-Ins – Proper Locations

[SC Official]

So now NCAA-M is the only level that, inexplicably, still is not using quarters and retaining the 1-and-1.

Standardized throw-in spots are whatever. Coaches want to be able to draw plays from the consistent spots. Not a big deal.

The 7-6-6 change is just common sense and brings the written rule in line with how it was already handled. NCAA-M did the same thing last year.

The black undershirt change is a good one. Wish they had taken it a step further and gotten rid of ALL undershirt color restrictions.

The 9-3-3 change just brings the rule in line with NCAA. No one ever enforced the "leaving the court for an unauthorized reason" verbiage.

Overall, a good year of changes for FED. Granted, I'm sure they will create confusion when they actually put the changes into the rule book, as they seem to do every year.

[Robert Goodman]

The rest I get, but...

Originally Posted by BillyMac

7-5-2 thru 5: Establishes four throw-in spots (the nearest 28-feet mark along each sideline or the nearest spot 3-feet outside the lane line on the end line) when the ball is in team control in the offensive team’s frontcourt and the defensive team commits a violation, a common foul prior to the bonus, or the ball becomes dead. Rationale: Simplifies throw-in procedure when there is team control in the frontcourt and the defensive team commits a violation.

How is that a simplification?

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

The rest I get, but...
How is that a simplification?

It's not. That's just their justification.

But, it's not a hard rule to nail down as an official. The change was fine in NCAA-M and NCAA-W. The only confusion has been where to put the ball on certain backcourt violations, which they have clarified in recent years (on the men's side).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

The rest I get, but...


How is that a simplification?

No more worrying about the exact spot based of the violation/foul or ball location when a timeout is granted. If the throw is on the sideline, go to the 28 ft line, if it is on the end line, go to the 3-ft mark outside the lane line

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by SC Official

So now NCAA-M is the only level that, inexplicably, still is not using quarters and retaining the 1-and-1.



Standardized throw-in spots are whatever. Coaches want to be able to draw plays from the consistent spots. Not a big deal.



The 7-6-6 change is just common sense and brings the written rule in line with how it was already handled. NCAA-M did the same thing last year.



The black undershirt change is a good one. Wish they had taken it a step further and gotten rid of ALL undershirt color restrictions.



The 9-3-3 change just brings the rule in line with NCAA. No one ever enforced the "leaving the court for an unauthorized reason" verbiage.



Overall, a good year of changes for FED. Granted, I'm sure they will create confusion when they actually put the changes into the rule book, as they seem to do every year.

I like the 20-minute halves. Never understood the obsession or fascination with quarters.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

The black undershirt change is a good one. Wish they had taken it a step further and gotten rid of ALL undershirt color restrictions.

Disagree. I've officiated preseason jamboree-type scrimmages with multiple teams wearing reversible jerseys that reverse them from game to game. But players usually only bring one color undershirt to these scrimmages, so our local guys never enforce undershirt rules in scrimmages (after all, they're only scrimmages) but do remind coaches of these rules for when the season officially begins.

While officiating such scrimmages, with multiple color undershirts on both teams, I always notice how ever so slightly harder it is to identity players, especially in bang bang plays where the ball suddenly deflects out of bounds from a scrum of players, or when a swarm of players are elbowing each other for a rebound.

Regarding the change allowing visitor black, while I always prefer "Fashion Police" issues to change from complex to simpler, I don't mind this change because most of our local officials already allowed black for purple and for dark blue.

Ever try to go down to your local Walmart and buy a purple T-shirt?

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I like the 20-minute halves. Never understood the obsession or fascination with quarters.

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I mainly want it to be able to reset fouls every quarter like NCAA-W and NBA. Granted, I guess they could do that with halves (or eliminate 1-and-1 but keep double bonus on 10th), but it would be a little messier.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Standardized throw-in spots are whatever. Coaches want to be able to draw plays from the consistent spots.

Originally Posted by Raymond

No more worrying about the exact spot ...

... unless the defensive team causes a ball to be out of bounds, when the throw-in shall be the spot where the ball went out of bounds.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Disagree. I've officiated preseason jamboree-type scrimmages with multiple teams wearing reversible jerseys that reverse them from game to game. But players usually only bring one color undershirt to these scrimmages, so our local guys never enforce undershirt rules in scrimmages (after all, they're only scrimmages) but do remind coaches of these rules for when the season officially begins.

While officiating such scrimmages, with multiple color undershirts on both teams, I always notice how ever so slightly harder it is to identity players, especially in bang bang plays where the ball suddenly deflects out of bounds from a scrum of players, or when a swarm of players are elbowing each other for a rebound.

Regarding the change to visitor black, while I always prefer "Fashion Police" issues to change from complex to simpler, I don't mind this change because most of our local officials already allowed black for purple and for dark blue.

Ever try to go down to your local Walmart and buy a purple T-shirt?

I've officiated countless "offseason" events where the undershirt rule is not enforced and never have I had an issue with identifying players nor have I heard one of my colleagues say they had trouble identifying players.

To each his own, I guess.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

4-8-1: Eliminates the one-and-one for common fouls beginning with the seventh team foul in the half and establishes the bonus as two free throws awarded for a common foul beginning with the team’s fifth foul in each quarter and resets the fouls at the end of each quarter. Rationale: Improves flow by providing an opportunity for teams to adjust their play by not carrying over fouls from quarters 1 and 3 to quarters 2 and 4 while significantly reducing the opportunity for correctable errors to occur. Minimizes risk of injury by eliminating the one-and-one and reducing opportunities for rough play during rebounding opportunities.

Agree that eliminating the one-and-one will reduce rebounding opportunities and rough play.

Agree that this will reduce SOME correctable errors, for example scorers not notifying officials of the change from the old bonus (one and one) to the old "double" bonus (two free throws) will be eliminated. Most of our middle schools do not show team fouls on the scoreboard.

Disagree because SOME correctable errors will double, the change from no free throws to bonus (now two free throws) will happen four times a game instead of twice a game, now four chances for the scorers to screw up and not notify officials of the change.

I believe that the correctable errors regarding these "bonus" situations will even out, no more, no less.

Still four times a game for the scorer to screw up, especially in my middle school games.

Another good thing, fewer non-shooter free throw violations.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

The rest I get, but...
How is that a simplification?

You don't have to worry about a precise throwin spot when making the call. You only have to decide side/end, table/opposite. You are not going to be fussing around with moving the player 5-10 feet to the "right" spot or even communicating the exact spots to your partners.

To me, that does make it simpler (to administer).

The players/coaches will, in time, begin to know it and will habitually go to the right spot without being told (unless the decision of side/end is close).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

You don't have to worry about a precise throwin spot when making the call ... The players/coaches will, in time, begin to know it and will habitually go to the right spot without being told ...

... unless the defensive team causes a ball to be out of bounds, when the throw-in shall be the spot where the ball went out of bounds.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I've officiated countless "offseason" events where the undershirt rule is not enforced and never have I had an issue with identifying players nor have I heard one of my colleagues say they had trouble identifying players.

Had a game last year where I wished (for only a half a second) that the NFHS had color rules for shoes and socks. A ball deflected out of bounds near the sideline off of one of the feet of two players standing next to each other. I clearly identified the correct foot (one of four possibilities) but must have erred following the foot up the leg to the jersey, as I was politely told by a fan closer than me.