Different Rules

[Adam]

Originally Posted by PYRef

Why the difference between the NFHS and NCAA??

It's really very simple. They are simply different organizations that run each. In reality, there's many more than just the three sets of rules in the US (NFHS, NCAA, and NBA). Most states deviate ever so slightly from the NFHS rules, even if they use the fed rules as the baseline and keep 99.9% of the rules the same. Shot clocks, coaching boxes, mercy rules; those are just the main ones.

Iowa even has different rules for boys and girls, based solely on the fact that high school sports in Iowa are run by two different organizations. Now, the differences are minor and most fans aren't even aware of them.

In order to decide on one set of rules, everyone would have to reach a consensus on which rule set to use and who had to give up what parts of their rule books. Giving up authority isn't something we're good at in the US, for good and bad.