The Plot Thickens ...

[BillyMac]

2025-26 NFHS Basketball Rules Changes

It is a violation for a player to purposely or deceitfully delay a return to the court after being out of bounds and be the first to touch the ball in new language added in Rules 9-2-12 and 9-3-4. This change removes the act from Rule 10-4-2, which called for a technical foul and lessens the penalty to a violation.

9-2-12 & 9-3-4 (NEW): This rule change addresses situations where a thrower purposely and/or
deceitfully delays returning inbounds after legally stepping out of bounds and then becomes the first player to touch the ball upon re-entering the court. Previously penalized as a technical foul, this action is now treated as a violation, aligning it with similar out-of-bounds scenarios. The change reduces the severity of the penalty to encourage more consistent enforcement by officials and prevents players from gaining an unfair advantage through deceptive re-entry tactics.

Rationale: This change lessens the penalty for players who delay their return after being out of bounds, shifting the penalty from a technical foul to a less severe violation. This rule aligns with the penalty structure of similar violations, such as Rule 9-3-3 (where a player steps out of bounds on their own volition). The change is intended to make it easier for officials to recognize and penalize these actions consistently while reducing the severity of the penalty, encouraging more accurate enforcement.

When I first read the rule change (much too quickly) I figured that the NFHS was simply changing a technical foul (old rule below) to a violation to make the penalty less severe and more likely to be called by officials.

10-4-2: Player Technical: A player must not: Purposely and/or deceitfully delay returning after legally being out of bounds.

A recent IAABO Inside The Lines Video Play Book made me go back to the wording of the rule change and it’s not a simple change from a technical foul to a violation but now involves advantage disadvantage and “first to touch" language as we’ve already seen over the past two years with an “out of bounds back to inbounds” rule change and clarification.









I was so excited about this rule change, as it was my suggestion to the NFHS Rules Committee, that I failed to read the details beyond my simple suggestion.

"Haste makes waste." (John Heywood, 1546)