05/09/13 – NFHS Basketball Rules Changes for 2013-2014

May 9, 2013 Basketball Blog Updates

Head coaches in high school basketball will be allowed to come onto the court in an effort to break up a fight or keep a situation from escalating. Previously, the head coach could only enter the court if beckoned by an official.

This revision to Rule 10-4-5 was one of five rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its April 15-17 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

While the head coach and his/her assistants must continue to ensure that players remain on the bench during a fight, the committee agreed that the presence of the head coach on the court could be instrumental in preventing the situation from escalating, and the coach also could assist game officials in controlling the situation.

In other changes, the rules committee approved the use of electronic devices during the game in certain instances. Rule 1-19 now will allow a coach to take advantage of electronic devices for use in coaching and gathering statistics.  Teams, however, cannot use electronic equipment for voice communication with players on the court, and the use of electronic audio and/or video devices are not allowed to review a decision of the contest officials.

In an effort to thwart the use of leg-compression sleeves for non-medical reasons, the committee added leg-compression sleeves to the requirements of arm-compression sleeves in Rule 3-5-3.  Leg-compression sleeves shall be white, black, beige or a single solid school color; shall be the same color for each team member; must meet the logo requirements in Rule 3-6; and must only be worn for medical reasons.

The final rules change approved by the committee for the 2013-14 season will permit a single, visible manufacturer’s logo/trademark/reference on the team jersey, not to exceed 2¼ square inches with no dimension more than 2¼ inches. The manufacturer’s logo may be located no more than 5 inches below the shoulder seam on the front of the jersey, or 2 inches from the neckline on the back of the jersey, or in either side insert.

In addition to these rules changes, the committee approved a new defensive tip signal that will be added to the Basketball Officials Manual. This signal will be given by the official when the ball enters the backcourt as a result of contact with the defensive player.

Click on the link below to read the entire article posted on the NFHS site: http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=8963