The Write StuffThis is your forum to post questions, express opinions, or exchange thoughts and ideas that might be of benefit to the entire League. To post, just email the webmaster or snailmail "The Write Stuff", c/o Don Cline, 5800 Boyer's Mill Rd., New Market, MD. 21774. Your input will be online the very next day.
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Do players have to keep their jerseys tucked in?
Yes or no. According to National Federation Rule 3 which deals with equipment, Section 4 -
Uniforms, Article 15 reads:
A player's team jersey designed to be worn inside the pants shall be tucked inside the pants
and the pants shall be above the hips and worn properly. A player not conforming to this
uniform policy shall be directed to leave the game.
This means that most jerseys would be required to be worn tucked in, but if the bottoms of
the jerseys had "piping" or stripes on it and was designed to be worn outside the pants, they
could be. We used to see alot of this type jersey with the high school girls teams, but are
seeing less of them each year. Also, if a player is directed to leave the game for a uniform
violation, they could not re-enter until the next opportunity to substitute, which would mean
after the clock had started and stopped.
Is there a rule prohibiting a player with a cast on his arm from playing in a game (not that I would want him to, but I want to know the rule)? If he can't play, is there a rule prohibiting him from sitting on the team bench in uniform during the game (i.e., are only eligible players allowed to be in uniform)?
No, a player cannot play with a cast on his/her arm due to National Federation rules.
The referee shall not permit any player to wear equipment or apparel which, in his/her
Article 1...A guard, cast or brace made of hard and unyielding leather, plaster, pliable (soft)
In reference to a player with a cast sitting on the bench, there is no rule that would limit him/her
How does someone get called for a foul when they are the person being screened?
A screen is defined in the National Federation rulebook, Rule 4 - Definitions,
Article 1...legal action by a player who, without causing contact, delays or prevents
A person being screened could be called for a foul if, after a legal screen was set on
Just a reminder that it is League policy that "the visiting team and cheerleaders shall not arrive at game sites until thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the first game." This is to allow the home team sufficient time to be properly set up before allowing entrance to the facility. It is also requested that basketballs not be brought into the gyms other than those used by the teams and that spectators stay off the court between games and during halftimes.
Is it a backcourt violation, on a "sideline inbounds" situation, if a player jumps from the frontcourt and catches the ball, in flight, and lands in the back court?
Good question. In this scenario, it is not a backcourt violation due to an exception to the
A player shall not be the first to touch a ball which is in team control after it has been in the
Exception 1: It is not a violation when after a jump ball or throw-in, a player is the first
Exception 2: It is not a violation if a defensive player who jumped from the frontcourt,
NOTE: If a player of the team in control in its backcourt cause the ball to go from backcourt to
Exception 2 was added several years ago to reward the defense for playing well. Before the
Are all players actually required to be behind the midcourt stripe when a player attempts the free throw after a technical and/or intentional foul?
It is a common misconception that all players (other than the shooter) must stand behind the
I have found the definition for assist as, "the last pass leading to a score". There can only be one assist per score and the scorer must make an immediate move toward the basket. What I would like to see defined is rebound and steal. For instance, is a tap-in also a rebound or must a player gain control of the ball? If a player deflects a ball and a teammate recovers it, does either player get credit for a steal?
Much like yesterday's question on assists, rebounds are mentioned in the NFHS Rulebook, but not
On the subject of rules, in watching a lot of college basketball already this season, I've seen the international free throw lanes ("V'ed" as opposed to squared off) and an obvious intent, by officials, to "clean up the game" by calling a lot more of the "touch" fouls and "nickle-dimers". Will we be seeing any immediate or short-term affect on the local high school and junior high game?
The whole purpose of the "V"ed free throw lanes that you describe are to reduce the hard contact
Finally, to answer your question, yes, you should expect to see more emphasis placed on "cleaning
What constitutes an assist? The definitions I have found state "a pass that leads to a score." Does the officials rule book contain any further elaboration?
The 2000-2001 National Federation of State High School Associations rulebook (which is what
...my compliments on an outstanding website. I was wondering if you would be interested in having basketball rule questions answered on your website? I have been refereeing in Frederick County since 1990 and have helped teach the rookie classes for the IAABO-Board #214 referee's organization for the last two years. Didn't know if maybe you wanted to have an area of the page where people could ask a rules question and then I give them an answer. I don't want to represent myself as "Mr. Basketball", but if I didn't know the answer right away, I could certainly check the rulebook and/or contact IAABO for an interpretation. Not sure how much interest this would generate, but thought you might want to give it a try. It's always nice to have knowledgable coaches, players, & fans (and referee's - LOL).
Thanks...and it sounds like a great idea. I couldn't agree more that knowledgable coaches,
How are the standout players from last year, like Jered Lyons, Danny Pierson, Colby Jackson, and John Keimig doing in high school?
Excellent question! High school programs, of course, are not allowed to begin practices until
John Keimig made varsity basketball at Middletown.
During the most recent boys schedule change, the Windsor Knolls at Linganore game on February 10th was deleted. I can not find it anywhere in the latest schedule. Is this a typo or has this game been unscheduled for some reason?
I wondered if/when someone would catch that. The February 10th games, a boys/girls four-game
When are the Girl's roster going to be updated?
Rosters will probably start coming in about mid November and are required to be in two days prior
George Overholtzer asks:
(12/14/2000 1:20:17 PM)
Randy Shank replies:
(12/5/00 9:47:59 PM)
Rule 4 - Definitions, Section 5 -Player's Equipment, Apparel states:
judgment, is dangerous or confusing to other players or is not appropriate. Examples of
illegal items include, but are not limited to:
plastic, metal or any other hard substance - even though covered with soft padding - when
worn on the elbow, hand, finger, wrist or forearm.
from sitting on the bench, they just could not play.
Baller5234@aol.com asks:
(12/11/2000 3:42:57 PM)
Randy Shank replies:
(12/5/00 9:47:59 PM)
Section 39 - Screen as:
an opponent from reaching a desired position.
them, instead of going around it (which is the reason it was set to begin with), they
push through it with their hands and/or body. Hope that answers your question.
webmaster comments:
(12/09/2000 11:55:00 PM)
Chris Hopson asks:
(12/05/2000 4:28:17 PM)
Randy Shank replies:
(12/5/00 9:47:59 PM)
backcourt rule for throw-ins. National Federation rules, Rule 9 - Violations and Penalties,
Section 9 - Backcourt reads:
frontcourt, if he or she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt
before it went to the backcourt.
to secure control of the ball while both feet are off the floor and he/she then returns to the
floor with one or both feet in the backcourt.
secures control of the ball while both feet are off the floor and he/she returns to the
floor with one or both feet in backcourt.
frontcourt and return to the backcourt in team control without touching a player in frontcourt, it
is a violation for such player or teammate to be first to touch it there.
exception, if a defensive player intercepted a pass from the offense while jumping near the division
line, he immediately became an offensive player when he controlled the ball, therefore since he had
left the floor in his frontcourt and returned to the floor in backcourt, a backcourt violation was
called. Of course this didn't make much sense, so the second exception was added. Hope this
answers your question.
webmaster asks:
(11/28/00 7:19:55 AM)
Randy Shank replies:
(11/28/00 8:17:55 AM)
division line at center court. This is absolutely not the rule. The only restriction is that
they must be behind the 3-point line and free throw line extended, which is the same restrictions
placed upon anyone who is not lined up along the lane during regular free throw shots. Of course,
these players cannot "disconcert" the shooter in any way, meaning they can not try to distract him/her
verbally, visually (waving hands, etc...). (NFHS Rule 8 - Free Throw, Section 1 - Free Throw
Administration, Article 4).
George Overholtzer asks:
(11/25/2000 10:53:10 AM)
Randy Shank replies:
(11/25/2000 11:37:12 AM)
how they are to be scored. Rebounding (Rule 4, Section 36) is defined as "...an attempt by any
player to secure possession of the ball following a try or tap for goal." Of course this doesn't
answer how to score it, so hopefully my question to the International Association of Approved
Basketball Officials (IAABO) will send us in the right direction for all of these scorekeeping
questions (assists, rebounds, & steals).
webmaster asks:
(11/24/2000 12:29:18 PM)
Randy Shank replies:
(11/24/2000 11:01:29 PM)
under the boards during free throw attempts. This is also why the NCAA men allow only six (6)
players on the lane (4 defensive and 2 offensive) and NCAA women allow only 5 players. The
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has, for years, been trying to keep
basketball a finesse sport instead of a hard contact sport. We all know that basketball has
become more physical through the years, but the Federation and NCAA have been trying to keep it
under control. This year the emphasis continues, although not specifically mentioned in the
2000-2001 Points of Emphasis. What is mentioned are "Intentional Fouls - Excessive Contact".
Specifically, they want an intentional foul called when a team is obviously commiting a foul, late in the
game, to stop the clock and force an opponent into a throw-in or free-throw situation. Other acts
that they deem intentional include:
They want these examples called intentional fouls every time. The penalty for an intentional foul
is two shots (regardless of whether the shot is successful or not), plus the ball at a spot nearest
the location of the foul. This means if you intentionally foul a player taking a shot and the shot is
successful, you score the two or three points for the goal, give them two free throws with no players
along the free throw lane (since the ball remains dead after the shots), then the ball at a spot nearest
the foul. This is a pretty severe penalty, so teams need to be aware of the rules and know the
limitations they have when they get into similar situations, especially near the end of the game.
up the game", but hopefully in legitimate situations meant to keep the game from getting rougher,
and not on the "nickel-dime" or touch fouls as we call them. Hope this helps you out.
SCOR2 asks:
(11/24/2000 12:29:18 PM)
Randy Shank replies:
(11/24/2000 2:11:42 PM)
Mid-Maryland boys & girls and the high schools play by) does not specifically mention "assists".
This is different from most sports rulebooks that specifically mention scoring and how it is to
be done. Chapter 5, "Scoring and Timing Regulations" does cover many items, but assists is not
one of them. I'll check with the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO)
home office and see what I can find out.
Randy Shank comments:
(11/23/2000 7:44:20 PM)
webmaster replies:
(11/23/2000 7:50:10 PM)
players and fans would make for a much better all-round game. I hope you get some tough
questions!
Sparta20@aol.com asks:
(11/16/2000 8:47:53 PM)
webmaster replies:
(11/16/2000 9:29:59 PM)
Nov. 15, but all four are certain to make the freshman or jayvee teams at their respective
schools. Maybe one of our readers, or the players themselves, will reply to let us know just
how they are doing.
Mark Dambach adds:
(11/18/2000 12:30:56 PM)
George Overholtzer asks:
(11/10/2000 8:03:50 AM)
webmaster replies:
(11/10/2000 8:49:12 AM)
set, were moved to February 24th when Linganore High School became unavailable on the 10th.
The 24th, however, is the weekend both of these boys teams have traveled to New York the past
two years to participate in a tournament in Corning. They are still waiting for confirmation from
Corning that their tournament is that weekend (24th-25th). If not, they will be playing their League
game on the 24th and not make the trip this year. If so, they will be rescheduling it for a
non-weekend game as one or the other plays every Saturday and Sunday during the season.
Regardless, the girls will play at Linganore on the 24th.
Cisco Rodriguez asks:
(11/07/00 4:20:14 PM)
webmaster replies:
(11/07/2000 4:22:18 PM)
to the team's first game. They will be posted just as soon as they are received. Keep an eye on the
"Recent Site Updates" section on the Home Page.