08/08/14 – Reminders Regarding Bylaw 9 and Play Once School Starts

Bylaw 9 has been in place for many years, and restricts players in basketball and football, who have not yet both been in grade nine and played for a high school team at some level,  from playing in outside competition once the school year begins, and until the end of the season. There has been no change to that rule proposed by the member schools of the KHSAA for a number of years.

For the past two years, due to NCAA recruiting rules, the KHSAA has allowed an interpretative fall exception weekend to Bylaw 9. This exception allowed male student-athletes who had previously played for a boys’ team to request permission to attend one event in the fall where competition is held. The interpretative exception was made to coincide with NCAA Division I rules and the allowable recruiting periods.

This year, based on changes to NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.7.2, the NCAA fall recruiting period restricts NCAA coaches from attending these special events at nonschool facilities between September 9 and October 9. (https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Men’s%20Basketball%20Recruiting%20Calendar2014.pdf). Among other things, this change is based on the mutual desires of coaches and administrators to return high school recruiting back to the high schools and lessen the impact of third party promotional entities. Per the NCAA calendar, “All live evaluations by NCAA coaches during recruiting periods shall be limited to regularly scheduled high school, preparatory school and two-year college contests/tournaments, practices and regular scholastic activities involving prospective student-athletes enrolled only at the institution where the regular scholastic activities occur.” Simply put, Division I coaches can only attend open gym type activities before formal practice, and regular practices and games after the start of regular practice if these events are held on high school campuses and only involve the host school.

For that reason, there will be NO exceptions/waivers available made to Bylaw 9 that would allow for competitive events for males during this time. Nothing precludes attendance at events that do not conflict with CS-BL-9-2 as printed for 2013-14. Per Bylaw 9, students who have been enrolled in grade nine and then played for a high school basketball team may not play organized basketball competition starting with the first day of school, other than permitted on campus open play with no other team present prior to October 15, or school practice or games after October 15. It is considered to be organized play (competition) if there is any type of competition (anything other than classroom or strictly individual instruction), or if more than one player is paired with another player from another school for any type of play, practice or work. 

The existing exception for females will continue in order to coincide with NCAA rules. For the girls, Bylaw 9 does not apply during the NCAA exempt weekend for non scholastic girls basketball events, which is September 26-28, 2014. There is no application necessary for girls to have that exemption.

Below is the complete wording of this interpretation of allowable activities for boys during the entire time prior to the end of the school season, and for the girls outside of that one allowed weekend, as it appears as Case Situation BL-9-2 in the 2013-14 Handbook:

What specifically is permissible, and not permissible for basketball players to participate in after the first day of school?
The following situations would be expressly prohibited:
(1) Any play involving more than two (2) people at a time where score is kept, either among the players, on a flip scoreboard, digital scoreboard, or using any other device;
(2) Any play involving a third party acting in the role of a contest official, whether or not the person is a licensed or approved official;
(3) Any type of play against other players where the teams are selected either prior to arrival or after arrival, by any other method than simple player selection by the players themselves;
(4) Any play at any event where school funds are expended for participation fees, travel or any other expense, including fees paid by booster organizations or any member of the coaching staff;
(5) Any play where future play is predicated by the outcome of other play at or preceding the event; and
(6) Any play at which players where school team identifying apparel of any type.
The following situations would be permitted:
(1) Activity such as individual play or skill development or technique drills where neither score nor time are kept and future play is not predicated by results of other play;
(2) “Pick-up” type of action initiated solely by players, and with no coaches, event organizers, promoters of event sponsors having any involvement in the activity whatsoever; and
(3) Any individual instructional activity fully funded by the student participants at his/her own expense.

Thank you for distributing this information as necessary.