2025 NFHS Basketball Rules Questionnaire ...

[BillyMac]

2025 NFHS Basketball Rules Questionnaire

Part I – Are These Changes Made Last Year Satisfactory?

1. Limiting the use of electronic devices used during a game for the purposes of recording and tracking stats, reviewing or diagramming plays, or other similar contest related functions.

2. Requiring the non-official scorer(s) to compare records with the official scorer when multiple scorers are present.

3. Allowing 20 seconds for a player to address any minor blood on the body or uniform without leaving the game.

4. Requiring a player who has been injured to be removed from the game if the coach is beckoned by the official, whether the coach enters the playing area or not, or if bench personnel enter the court without being beckoned.

5. Allowing the use of a school logo/mascot image to be centered directly above the uniform number in place of an identifying name, removing the restriction of allowing only lettering on the front of the jersey.

6. Creating an exception to basket interference by allowing a player(s) to touch only the net while the ball is on or within the basket provided that the contact did not affect the ball.

7. Allowing state associations to adopt a modification to the closely guarded rule if they have adopted the 35-second shot clock, allowing players to dribble the ball for more than five seconds while closely guarded.

8. Changing the penalty for failing to immediately pass the ball to the nearer official when a whistle sounds from a player technical to a warning for delay for the first violation and a team technical for any subsequent offense.

9. Changing the penalty for faking being fouled from a player technical to a warning for the first violation and a team technical for any subsequent offense.

10. Establishing that a player is out of bounds if contact by a teammate or other bench personnel outside the boundary line provides an advantage, allowing the player to remain in bounds.

11. Establishing that all administrative, team and bench technical fouls that occur during pregame offset – no free throws are awarded – and the game will start with a jump ball and the head coach does not lose the privilege of the coaching box.

12. Changing the penalty for dunking or attempting to dunk or stuff a dead ball from a bench technical to a team technical.

Part II – Observations – Have You Seen In Your Area?

1. Teams holding the ball and creating an actionless play if the shot clock has not been adopted.

2. School jerseys with nicknames that are not easily identified as associated with the school and/or community.

3. Officials issuing flagrant technical fouls as a result of players simulating shooting an arrow or a gun toward an opponent or into the sky.

Part III – About Rules For 2025-26 – Would You Favor?

1. Eliminating the reset of the 10-second backcourt count if the defense deflects the ball out of bounds.

2. Requiring uniforms to be tucked in regardless of manufacturer's intent in design.

3. Mandating the use of the 35-second shot clock.

4. Establishing basket interference when a blocked shot attempt causes the ring to shake which leads to an unsuccessful try for goal.

5. Establishing goaltending when the ball contacts the backboard, and any part of the ball is above the rim during a field-goal attempt when the ball is touched by a player as long as it has a possibility of entering the basket.

6. Renaming intentional fouls “Flagrant 1” fouls to account for the excessive contact and renaming flagrant personal fouls “Flagrant 2” fouls.

7. Limiting the head coach to only request a time-out during a dead-ball situation.

8. Reorganizing technical fouls into three broad categories: Flagrant, Major (unsporting and dead-ball contact) and Minor (All others).

9. Changing the penalty for technical fouls which are neither flagrant, unsporting nor dead-ball contact to one free throw awarded to the offended team and play resuming at the point of interruption.

10. Eliminating the imaginary line for determining frontcourt throw-in spots and using the three-point arc to determine the throw-in spots for all stoppages of play other than out-of-bounds violations in the frontcourt.

11. Requiring all frontcourt throw-ins to take place at one of the four spots used for violations, fouls and other stoppages.

12. Removing coaching box privileges from the head coach only when the head coach receives a direct technical foul and allowing the head coach the use of the coaching box after an indirect technical foul.

13. Requiring the visiting team jersey to be white and the home team jersey to be a contrasting dark color.

[SNIPERBBB]

Yes to everything in section one, no to everything in the next section.

7 and 10 okay...11 we basically already have?

[BillyMac]

I just sent this up the ladder through my local IAABO interpreter, my IAABO Connecticut State interpreter, the CIAC, and the four IAABO International interpreters.

This will be my third try with this suggestion.

The last time it made its way all the way up to the table of the NFHS Rules Committee but it was rejected.

Recently, the NFHS Rules Committee seems to be in a “mood” to “downgrade” various penalties to encourage officials to make various calls (not tossing ball to nearest official, flopping, etc.) with penalties that officials have previously unilaterally deemed to be too harsh.

Maybe next year will the year my change will be accepted.

NFHS Proposed Basketball Rule Change

Delete Old Rule: Player Technical Foul 10-4-2: A player must not: Purposely and/or deceitfully delay returning after legally being out of bounds. Penalty: (Section 4) Two free throws plus the ball for a division-line throw-in.

Add New Rule: Out Of Bounds Violation 9-3-4: A player must not purposely and/or deceitfully delay returning after legally being out of bounds. Penalty: (Section 4) The ball is dead when the violation occurs and is awarded to the opponents for a throw-in from the designated out of bounds spot nearest the violation.

Rationale: Many officials don’t call players for purposely delaying returning in bounds because they believe that the penalty of a technical foul is too harsh. The penalty for illegally "coming in" should be similar to the penalty for illegally "going out" (9-3-3).

The NFHS did something similar many years ago with swinging elbows excessively with no contact. Forty-plus years ago it was a violation to do so, then the NFHS changed it to a technical foul. Many officials, believing this to be too harsh a penalty, didn’t charge the technical foul. In response, the NFHS reversed course and changed this illegal act back to a violation.

Same thing happened in 2005-06 when the NFHS changed leaving court for an unauthorized reason from a technical foul to a violation. The rules committee believed that the former penalty of a technical foul was not being assessed and hoped that changing the penalty to a violation would increase the likelihood of the infraction being called and eliminate a tremendous advantage.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

[B]2025 NFHS Basketball Rules Questionnaire

Part II – Observations – Have You Seen In Your Area?

1. Teams holding the ball and creating an actionless play if the shot clock has not been adopted.

Yes. Mostly during the end of the quarter. But it still happens randomly during games.

2. School jerseys with nicknames that are not easily identified as associated with the school and/or community.

No. Don't even know what this one is about. Can we stop trying to police jersey situations as along as you can see the front and the back number. Who cares about the name on either side of the jersey for God's sake.

3. Officials issuing flagrant technical fouls as a result of players simulating shooting an arrow or a gun toward an opponent or into the sky.

Never seen this specifically, not in a basketball game.

Part III – About Rules For 2025-26 – Would You Favor?

1. Eliminating the reset of the 10-second backcourt count if the defense deflects the ball out of bounds.

No. Not unless we are using a shot clock. Otherwise, this is silly to do.

2. Requiring uniforms to be tucked in regardless of manufacturer's intent in design.

I literally do not care about this stuff.

3. Mandating the use of the 35-second shot clock.

Might be hard to do as people claim that this is too expensive to have.

4. Establishing basket interference when a blocked shot attempt causes the ring to shake which leads to an unsuccessful try for goal.

Honestly, this is a very hard rule at the college level. I really do not want to add another judgment to this play that is not easy. People want this rule, but not easy and at the college level they can review them. We cannot at the HS level. Leave this rule alone.

5. Establishing goaltending when the ball contacts the backboard, and any part of the ball is above the rim during a field-goal attempt when the ball is touched by a player as long as it has a possibility of entering the basket.

Same as the previous question. We will have people think any touch of the backboard applies and it does not at other levels. Just leave these rules alone IMO.

6. Renaming intentional fouls “Flagrant 1” fouls to account for the excessive contact and renaming flagrant personal fouls “Flagrant 2” fouls.

Yes, they need to. Intentional foul language is just too confusing of for most people, mostly the coaches and players who think "intent" applies to the rule when it doesn't. Make all levels the same in this respect.

7. Limiting the head coach to only request a time-out during a dead-ball situation.

Yes, go back to the old rule. And if it matters, make it where they can only do so during a live ball in the last minute or so of the game, just like college does.

8. Reorganizing technical fouls into three broad categories: Flagrant, Major (unsporting and dead-ball contact) and Minor (All others).

I would have no issues with this if it is done like the Class A or Class B situations.

9. Changing the penalty for technical fouls which are neither flagrant, unsporting nor dead-ball contact to one free throw awarded to the offended team and play resuming at the point of interruption.

I am OK with a one FT penalty for some things like dunking or a delay of game.

10. Eliminating the imaginary line for determining frontcourt throw-in spots and using the three-point arc to determine the throw-in spots for all stoppages of play other than out-of-bounds violations in the frontcourt.

I do not see this as an issue.

11. Requiring all frontcourt throw-ins to take place at one of the four spots used for violations, fouls and other stoppages.

I like the way it is now. I would not like a out of bounds violation to be in the corner and bring it to the 28 foot line.

12. Removing coaching box privileges from the head coach only when the head coach receives a direct technical foul and allowing the head coach the use of the coaching box after an indirect technical foul.

They could get rid of the seat belt rule all together. If they are not smart to avoid the second T, why are we dealing with them having to seat. Causes too much issues, IMO.

13. Requiring the visiting team jersey to be white and the home team jersey to be a contrasting dark color.

Please do not change this mess. I would even be OK if they got rid of the white requirement. Just make them not wear the same like colors in a game (e.g. gray on grey, gold on gold combination).

Peace