Express Written Consent ...
 

"It's the BISS rule, Coach" © Mark Padgett 2012

Better call his lawyers first.

7th grade boys last night. H winning by about 25 or so. H1 gets a defensive rebound, and V1 bumps him ever so slightly in the back while trying to reach over a taller and stronger H1.

Absolutely zero affect on the play, and I hear "over the back" from H coach. I almost sat him down for vocal diarrhea.

I'll say it before he does; because we all know it's going to:
Just send him your debit card and pin number for permission....

If They Don't Do It, They Get Fined ...
 

They have to do that. It's in the coaches handbook.

Exactly!!

The situation described above was NEVER something that was trying to be "addressed" by this rule. The problem we have is twofold: rules that are not written clearly and officials that lack any common sense.

My common sense tells me to ignore this, but we've been told specifically to call it if we fail to prevent it (similar, in that regard, to the 6 player T).

Does This Get Me An Esteemed Forum Member Secret Decoder Ring ???
 

Oh ... My ... God ... Three correct posts in two days. I only wish that my Dad was alive to see this. Too bad that I'm on my way to work a prep school game, or I would hang around to go for the record. "Tough tarts" to all you guys that have put me on your ignore list. To you guys, I say, "Na Na Na Na Na". Wait? You can't see this. Never mind.

I think you're going to find that a lot of people don't think that me agreeing with you equals "correct" :)

MS 8th grade girls game; I call a foul on the follow through of an attempted shot block. Picture the defender's arms coming down on the shooter and then springing back to a vertical position.

Coach pulls her out of the game and the player says to the coach my arms were straight up. To which the coach replies, "are you kidding me, if you had a meat cleaver she would be dead!"

I'm still laughing about that one.

Not quite...
 

While it may be that the rule encompasses players removing their uniforms in disgust, the main purpose of the rule was to address players changing from warmups to uniforms at the beginning of games. When the NFHS added this rule, it was added for all sports, not just basketball.

Not that long ago, players often warmed up wearing one shirt while leaving their uniform on the bench. After warmups and prior to the start of the game, they would go to the bench, remove their warmup shirt, and then don their uniform shirt. It seems that there enough complaints from spectators, parents, etc. who were "offended" by the sight of so much skin that the NFHS decided to incorporate the rule about not removing uniform shirts within the visual confines of the court/field.

I officiated my first games 18 years ago, and played hs ball from the late 80s through early 90s. I have never, not once, seen or heard of a basketball team doing this. By my education, "often" requires at least once. Maybe we have different definitions, or at least different definitions of "not that long ago." But this rule is far more recent than my high school days, so I would need some more evidence to buy into the idea that the rule was for that purpose.

Unfortunately, Brad, you're simply mistaken. The rule was NOT intended to address unsporting actions. We have rules to cover that. The rule was intended to prevent kids from changing at the bench.

From the '05-'06 interpretations (thanks again to Nevadaref for posting them):

The Stripper Rule ...
 

2005-06 NFHS Comments on the Rules Revisions: The former uniform rule did not require team members to actually wear their team uniform. The addition also addresses a growing behavioral concern of players removing their jerseys to demonstrate frustration, anger, and as a means of attracting individual attention. The rule is intended to be applied in all situations, even when a player must change uniforms due to blood or other unusual circumstances. It is not unreasonable to expect team members to go to their locker rooms to change their jerseys.

I had a girl's freshman game this season where I called a free throw violation on a visiting team player for disconcerting the shooter. The visiting team coach did not like this call because he said his player is allowed to communicate with her team. I said sure as long as she doesn't disconcert the shooter. He responds with you need to read the rule book. This was the cherry on top of a lot of complaining from him so I whacked him.

While we're getting ready to administer the throw in, I hear a mom from the visiting team yell out in her best mom voice "Come on ref! Two wrongs don't make a right!"

That got a laugh out of me, which I think annoyed her even more.

I stand corrected. I will now direct my attention to how horrible this rule is.