2023 game rules boys grades 5 to 8 and girls grades 6 to 8 rev. 11.13.23.pdf
Purpose
To provide guidance to coaches, players, and referees as to the rules of the game to include but not limited to format, fouls, and violations.
Division Names
Boys Grades 7 through 8 - NBA
Boys Grades 5 through 6 - NBA G League
Girls Grades 6 through 8 - WNBA
Definitions
Pressing: any half-court or full-court defensive formation, strategy, or scheme, whether zone or man to man, that involves applying defensive pressure on the offense in an effort to produce a turnover before the ball reaches the quarter-court. It typically calls for the defense to play much tighter than usual using such strategies as denying and/or trapping.
Full-court: baseline to baseline, usually referring to a defensive strategy encompassing both the frontcourt and backcourt ex. full court man to man, full court 1-2-1-1 zone trap, etc.
Half-court: half-court line to baseline, usually referring to a defensive strategy extending throughout the entire frontcourt ex. half-court man to man, half-court 1-3-1 zone trap, etc.
Half-court extended: similar to above where the tip of the defense extends beyond the halfcourt line into the backcourt. For rec purposes, we will consider a half-court extended defense a full court defense.
Quarter-court: top of the key to the baseline, usually referring to a defensive strategy played in and around the 3 point-arc ex. quarter court man to man, traditional 3-2 or 2-3 zone.
Trap or trapping: when two or more defenders intentionally gang up and apply pressure to the offensive player controlling the basketball, also known as a double team or double teaming.
Deny, denial, denying: when a defensive player guards an offensive player much tighter than usual in an effort to deny the offensive player access to the ball.
Technical foul: a foul that is assessed to a player, coach, team, or spectators for a team typically for unsportsmanlike conduct (examples include but are not limited to acts such as arguing with an official, taunting an opponent, delay of game) and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent while the ball is in play
Flagrant foul: a personal foul that involves excessive or violent contact that could injure the fouled player, it can be unintentional or purposeful.
Game Format
The MIAA/Federation High School Rules are used by RYB except as noted below.
Saturday Game Times
All games are configured to a 50 minute time slot.
The schedule pattern for home games is as follows: Game 1 8AM, Game 2 9AM, Game 3 10AM, Game 4 11AM, Game 5 12PM, Game 6 1PM
Teams should arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of their scheduled game time.
Regulation
All games will be two, 14 minute halves
Games need to start no later than 5 minutes past the scheduled game time. Games scheduled between 8 am and 9am, tip-off must be no later than 8:05 am. Referees will be given latitude to alter warm up times to keep games on schedule.
If games are running ahead of schedule, referees will be given latitude to provide more warm up time.
Halftime break will be 1 minute.
Each team will receive 1 timeout per half. Timeouts are 1 minute each. An unused timeout from the first half does not carry over into the second half. Unused timeouts from regulation do not carry over into overtime.
Overtime
If a game is tied at the end of regulation, a 2 minute overtime will be played.
Each team will have 1 timeout in overtime. Timeouts are 30 seconds.
If the game is tied at the end of overtime, the game will end in a tie.
Schedule Adjustments
Referees will be afforded latitude to keep games on schedule.
Should a game run over its allotted time slot, referees will be given latitude to
make adjustments to get back on schedule. Such modifications could include, in order,
any of the following:
Cutting back or eliminating the allotted pre-game warm up and huddle time (saving up to 5 minutes).
Reducing the half length from 14 minutes to 13 minutes (saving 2 minutes)
Eliminating clock stoppages for shooting fouls, technical fouls and flagrant fouls
Eliminating the clock stoppages during the last 2 minutes of the second half
Eliminating timeouts during regulation
Reducing the overtime period from 2 minutes to 1 minute
Eliminating all clock stoppages during the overtime period
Clock stoppages
The clock will continuously run except during the following: shooting fouls, technical fouls, timeouts, referee timeouts, injury timeouts, and any whistle during the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half and overtime.
In the event of excess runoff of clock time, it is at the discretion of the referee(s) to put time back on the clock.
Game balls and Scoring
Boys grades 5 & 6 and girls grades 6 - 8 divisions will use a 28.5 game ball and boys grades 7 & 8 will use a 29.5 game ball.
All games for the above divisions will be scored using the digital scoreboard in conjunction with a scoring book.
The scoreboard and book each require a separate volunteer. Should the league be unable to provide HS volunteers to run the scoreboard and or keep the book, either an assistant coach or parent volunteer should be appointed by head coaches to perform the above tasks. A book must be kept for every game to track personal and team fouls. Scores need to be reported by coaches to divisional directors.
Defense and Pressing
It is strongly recommended that teams play man to man or player to player defense however teams may use zone based strategies as outlined above.
Teams may only full court press during the last 3 minutes of the game and overtime. If a team has a lead of 15 points or more, they may not full court press.
If a team has a lead of 15 points or more, teams may not trap, deny, or overplay in a half-court defense. A momentary double teaming on the ball as a result of playing help defense or a loose ball situation is not considered intentional.
If a team has a lead of 15 points or more they must play half court man to man defense.
Enforcement protocol for violating pressing section 1 and 2 rules outlined above:
Informal warning to the coach
A formal warning to the defense
An illegal defense call that gives the offense 1 shot penalty with the lane cleared out and the ball back at the point of interruption.
NO technical fouls are given. The rule can be enforced as many times as needed.
Fouls
Each player will be afforded 5 personal fouls per game. On a player's 5th personal foul, they have fouled out of the game.
Player technical fouls and flagrant fouls are counted as a personal foul and a team foul.
Any player receiving 2 technical fouls, 2 flagrant fouls, or 1 technical and 1 flagrant foul in a game shall be ejected and shall not participate in the next practice and league game.
When a team accumulates 8 team fouls in a half, the opposing team will shoot 2 foul shots for any defensive foul committed thereafter. This is known as the bonus.
Second half fouls carry over into overtime for the purpose of bonus.
Any coach receiving a technical foul must sit for the remainder of the game.
Any coach receiving 2 technical fouls in a game or who is ejected from a game shall not participate in the next league game.
Any player involved in a fight shall be ejected from the game. Head coaches for both teams shall notify a board representative of such instances for review.
Referees are given latitude to manage spectators. Should a referee feel that the behavior of a spectator or spectators is unruly and/or impeding the progress of the game in any way, the may institute any of the following actions based on the severity of the behavior;
provide a formal warning to the coach
provide a formal warning to the spectator or spectators
assess the team connected to the spectator or spectators with a technical foul
request that the spectator or spectators leave the facility
Should a spectator or spectators be asked to leave the facility, head coaches shall provide the name or names of any person ejected to the divisional director for review by the board
Violations
All violations are in effect including 3 seconds in the paint, backcourt, 5 seconds closely guarded violation, 5 seconds to inbound the basketball, and 10 seconds to advance the ball into the frontcourt.
Playing Time
All players must play the equivalent at least ½ of the game, and no player may play 4 full quarters unless everyone else has played the equivalent of 3 full quarters. We appreciate the competitive spirit of players and coaches but this is a rec league and coaches should make an effort to provide all players with equal playing time throughout the course of an entire game.
Call Ups
Coaches should make every effort possible to determine player attendance prior to Friday, the evening before a game. Should a team have 6 players or less, the head coach must reach out to the divisional director or coaching director to secure a call up from the next lower division. Should a team have 7 players or less, it is recommended that head coaches reach out to the divisional director or coaching director to secure a call up from the next lower division. Coaches shall not borrow players from like division teams as this has historically created problems; mainly coaches have borrowed the best player from another team providing an unfair advantage over an opponent.
Forfeits
Should a team only have 4 players at game time, the game will be ruled a forfeit. In the spirit of rec, this is the only instance in which a coach may borrow another player or players from a like division team including the opposing team to form a team of 5 players or balance out the teams. Since this game is technically a forfeit, scorekeepers will not keep track of personal fouls but will continue to track team fouls for the purposes of bonus/double bonus.