Illegal Equipment

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

The NFHS Basketball Forum had this discussion last November and I made the following post on Nov. 14, 2003:

I first started seeing players wearing the finger sleeves as described in the original post of this thread two years ago. I always have ruled them illegal per NFHS Casebook Play 3.5 SITUATION C(b): May a team member wear gloves? RULING: No, gloves are not needed to play the game and are not considered to be appropriate.

NFHS R3-S5-A3: The referee shall not permit any team member to wear equipment or apparel which, in his/her judgment, is dangerous or confusing to other players or is not appropriate. Example of illegal items include, but are not limited to: Equipment which is unnatural and designed to increase a player's height or reach or to gain an advantage. Equipment shall not be modified from its' manufactured state and shall be worn in the manner the manufacturer intended it to be worn.

Gloves and the finger sleeves we have been discussing do nothing but improve a player's grip on the ball which is to gain an advantage of one's opponent. As far as the poster who stated that as long as a player had a doctor's letter stating the the player needs the glove to protect a bandage, that is not acceptable. The player can use tape to cover the bandage.