NFHS 2025-26 Basketball Comments On The Rules ...

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

How can the ball the be "above" the cylinder, the cylinder reaches all the way to the ceiling.

A cylinder has a well defined top, bottom, and sides.

Or did you mean to say, "above the basket ring level", which is already a component of the definition of goaltending?

Goaltending is when a defensive player touches the ball during a try, or tap, while it is in its downward flight, entirely above the basket ring level, outside the imaginary cylinder above the ring, and has the possibility of entering the basket.

That now has one exception.

The new rule just tells us that we no longer have to consider whether a ball that deflects off the backboard is on its way up, or on its way down.

All the other components of goaltending are still in effect, and have not been changed, including touch (now only by the defense), try or tap, above the basket ring level, outside the imaginary cylinder, and possibility of entering the basket.

Just ignore the part about downward flight for a ball that deflects off the backboard, everything else is still in effect, and the play must meet all the other five criteria to be goaltending, including "above the basket ring level".

Absent any one of those five criteria on a ball that deflects off the backboard, and it's not goaltending.

This is the NCAA Rule

Art. 3. Goaltending.
a. Goaltending occurs when a defensive player touches the ball during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met: (Exception: Rule 10-4.1.h)

1. The ball is on its downward flight; and
2. The ball is above the level of the ring and has the possibility, while in flight, of entering the basket and is not touching the cylinder.

b. It is goaltending to touch the ball outside the cylinder during a free throw, regardless of whether the free throw is on its upward or downward flight.

c. When the ball contacts the backboard and any part of the ball is above the rim during a field goal attempt, it is considered to be on its downward flight. In such a case, it is goaltending when the ball is touched by a player as long as it has a possibility of entering the basket.

All I am asking is the NF did not seem to adopt the part or exclude the part of the rule for GT where the ball must be completely above the ring in order to have a violation. I am trying to suggest anything other than did they adopt the NCAA Men's rule or not? Does teh top part of the basketball apply to this rule to make a ball taken off the backboard as a violation? That is all I am trying to figure out. They did not say in the announcement or in the comments they were deleting that part of the rule. Because if they do not clarify this, we will have people applying the college rule and not the HS rule.

Peace