2024-25 NFHS Rules Changes

[bucky]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

1) High school age and middle school age athletes are less likely to easily be able to successfully dunk and thus are more likely to injure themselves trying to do something that they struggle to do compared to older college and professional athletes.

2) Break, or bend, a rim in a high school gym, or a middle school gym, and one is less likely going have a readily available replacement rim, and/or someone skilled enough to quickly replace it, or repair it, than in a college gym, or a professional gym.

In an interscholastic game, a bent, or broken rim, is more likely to result in both teams (players, coaches, cheerleaders), one team that traveled to the game in an expensive bus, paid officials, paid table crew, paid police officer in the corner, paid press and photographers, and hundreds of ticket buying fans, postponing the game, turning out the gym lights, and going home, than in a collegiate, or professional game.

I see bent, and broken, rims all the time on outdoor playground backboards.

I really don't want to see such in my interscholastic gyms.

All of that stuff could have been said regarding college ball but now they are allowed. In addition, there are far more dunks in the same gym, outside of a game, and the number of equipment failures is, oh, idk, a few.

https://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/9/87...technical-foul

BillyMac - you probably enjoy https://basketballuniverse.io/dunkin...armups-exists/

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bucky

All of that stuff could have been said regarding college ball but now they are allowed ... there are far more dunks in the same gym, outside of a game, and the number of equipment failures is a few.

Few, sure I'll agree with that, but not never.

While I personally don't agree much with the sportsmanship issue (obviously many others did), I still contend that it will be a lot easier to get the rim repaired, or replaced before (or during) an intercollegiate game, or a professional game, then before (or during) an interscholastic game.

I don't care about dunks and broken, or bent rims, in physical education classes, intramurals, or basketball practice, just dunks and broken, or bent rims, before (still illegal) and during (legal) my interscholastic game that night.

If the rim breaks, or is bent, in physical education classes the morning of my night game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, in a timely manner, I don't care, I'll get a call before my game telling me that my interscholastic game is postponed.

I do care very much if the rim breaks, or is bent, fifteen minutes before my interscholastic game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, that night.

I also care very much if the rim breaks, or is bent, during my interscholastic game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, that night, but it's legal and I have no control over that situation, except for a dead ball dunk, and in both cases, that would really piss me off.

Even if the rim could be repaired, or replaced, in a timely manner, I would probably still be too late to hang out with the guys at the local watering hole.

They're not going to wait for me to order.

[bucky]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Few, sure I'll agree with that, but not never.

While I personally don't agree much with the sportsmanship issue (obviously many others did), I still contend that it will be a lot easier to get the rim repaired, or replaced before (or during) an intercollegiate game, or a professional game, then before (or during) an interscholastic game.

I don't care about dunks and broken, or bent rims, in physical education classes, intramurals, or basketball practice, just dunks and broken, or bent rims, before (still illegal) and during (legal) my interscholastic game that night.

If the rim breaks, or is bent, in physical education classes the morning of my night game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, in a timely manner, I don't care, I'll get a call before my game telling me that my interscholastic game is postponed.

I do care very much if the rim breaks, or is bent, fifteen minutes before my interscholastic game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, that night.

I also care very much if the rim breaks, or is bent, during my interscholastic game, and can't be repaired, or replaced, that night, but it's legal and I have no control over that situation, except for a dead ball dunk, and in both cases, that would really piss me off.

Even if the rim could be repaired, or replaced, in a timely manner, I would probably still be too late to hang out with the guys at the local watering hole.

They're not going to wait for me to order.

Interesting...lots of use of the word "care." If it breaks, don't you still get paid? Game is done/rescheduled and you can get to the watering hole early.

I have had scoreboards/AP arrows/shot clocks/etc., all malfunction or not work, but have never experienced a broken rim, while officiating or playing.

Guess I have been lucky

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bucky

Interesting...lots of use of the word "care." If it breaks, don't you still get paid?

I wouldn't officiate for free, but I don't do it for the money.

I like working my games as scheduled, as do players, coaches, cheerleaders, table crew, police officer in the corner, press, photographers, and hundreds of fans.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bucky

...have never experienced a broken rim, while officiating or playing.

I agree that it is rare, but when it does happen immediately before, or during, an interscholastic game, it's a big deal, at best, a very long wait, or at worst, a postponement.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bucky

BillyMac - you probably enjoy https://basketballuniverse.io/dunkin...armups-exists/

That's only a part of the story. Here's the whole story.

The following is an excerpt from an article, “Who’s Trent Tucker? And Why Is There A Basketball Rule Named After Him?” that appeared in IAABO “Sportorials” magazine in May 2018.

When Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) (UCLA 1966-1969, NBA 1969-1989) started playing basketball for UCLA Bruins, NCAA officials felt that the seven foot, two inch All-American center, being especially tall and athletic, could place the ball over the rim and throw it through the hoop with ease. This feat of athleticism which we all know as the dunk, and seems so routine now, was not so routine back in the mid-1960’s. It was considered unfair that he could do it so easily. The dunk was seen as taboo among “purists,” it did not “display basketball skill, only height advantage,” against the very nature of basketball itself. So the NCAA banned dunking in 1967. This was called the “Alcindor Rule”. Another reason dunking was outlawed was to prevent injury and equipment damage. A distorted rim could delay a game. As a result of the rule, Alcindor developed a great hook shot, the “Sky Hook”, which he used effectively during his playing days in college, and in the NBA. After multiple issues with the new rule and the invention of the breakaway rim the NCAA allowed the dunk to be legal again during 1976-1977 season which was shortly after UCLA Coach John Wooden's retirement. The “Alcindor Rule” eventually trickled down to NFHS rules. In 1967, the NFHS banned dunking in high school basketball games. In 1970, the NFHS also prohibited dunking during pregame warmups. Like the NCAA, the NFHS reversed itself in 1976 and a rule change allowed dunking during the game but not during pregame warmups, nor during intermissions, and with a later rule change in 1978 outlawing dunking a dead ball.

Darryl Dawkins (NBA 1975-1989), the Philadelphia 76ers six foot, eleven inch, 251 pound center, in a game against the Kansas City Kings at Municipal Auditorium on November 13, 1979 dunked and broke the backboard sending the King’s Bill Robinzine ducking away. Three weeks later he did it again, this time at home against the San Antonio Spurs at the Spectrum. Thus, Dawkins became famous for his backboard shattering dunks and is credited for being the player to cause the NBA to introduce breakaway rims. Breakaway rims are now an essential element of the game of basketball. A broken backboard or distorted rim could delay a game for hours. In 1981 the NFHS adopted specifications for breakaway rims.

Shaquille O'Neal (LSU 1989-1992, NBA 1992-2011) a seven foot, one inch, 325 pound center, was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O'Neal dunked with so much power that he broke the steel supports holding backboards during games against the New Jersey Nets and the Phoenix Suns while playing for the Orlando Magic during the 1992–93 NBA season. This prompted the NBA to increase the strength and stability of the backboard supports and change the stanchion design for the following 1993–94 season. The NFHS added backboard support specifications to the rules in 1996-97.