AT HEART’S LENGTH
Youth Basketball League
JV and Varsity Division
2017 League Rules
The purpose of this league is to give young athletes the opportunity to play and compete against players from all over the City of Elizabeth, while learning the fundamentals of basketball. Developing skills, sportsmanship, teamwork, and discipline are the objectives of this league. The goals will be attained through the concerted efforts of all players, coaches, officials and the members of At Heart’s Length Youth Athletic Program.
· League rules will be governed by the National Federation and as per NJSIAA. Remember that the high school rulebooks state that children in grades 8 and below should play no more than 24 minutes per game. Try to keep that in mind and use your substitutions.
· These rules are to be at the scorer’s table at every game and in every coach’s bag.
· Clarification of the specific At Heart’s Length league rules should be reviewed with coaches, referees and the official scorer prior to the game.
GAME TIMING
REGULAR SEASON
· JV divisions will play eight (8) minute quarters, running time.
· Varsity divisions will play 2 (16) minute halves running time.
· JV The clock will only stop on all whistles in the last minute of the Second Quarter and the 4th Quarter.
** During Playoffs The clock will only stop on all whistles in the last minute of every Quarter.
· Varsity The clock will only stop on all whistles in the last 2 minute of every half.
· The clock will stop on all shooting fouls, any mandatory substitutions during the first half, extraordinary stoppages of play and of course during time outs.
· Half time shall be Two (2) to Four (4) minutes.
· One (1) minute between Quarters
· Overtime shall be 4 minutes with the clock running except stopping on all whistles in the last minute of play.
· If teams are still tied after the overtime session, the game is recorded as a tie for both team
MANDATORY SUBSTITUTION RULE (Assuming a team of 10 players)
· This rule is to assure that all are being used in the first three quarters of the game.
· JV There is a mandatory substitution rule in effect for only the first 3 quarters of the game; 4th quarter is regular basketball substitutions at the coach’s discretion. That being said, all divisions are subject to the “All Play” rule, which requires that everyone plays a minimum of twelve minutes of each game (depending on Roster size).
· Varsity There is a mandatory substitution rule in effect for only the first 24 minutes of the game the last 8 minutes is regular basketball substitutions at the coach’s discretion. That being said, all divisions are subject to the “All Play” rule, which requires that everyone plays a minimum of twelve minutes of each game (depending on Roster size).
Every 4 minutes during the first half, a new five must enter the game. The clock will stop at the first “dead ball” nearest the 4 minute mark for the changes to take place. A referee may stop play at an appropriate time to initiate substitutions.
Coaches must have their substitutions already determined for a quick substitution. This is not a timeout, this is just to sub. If the official feels that it is taking too much time, he may charge the offending team a time out. Free substitution is permissible in the last 8 minutes of the game.
THIS ONLY APPLIES IF A TEAM HAS UNDER 10 PLAYERS
- No Player will be allowed to play more than 8 consecutive minutes
- If a team has 8 or 9 players. No player shall be allowed to play another 8 consecutive minutes until the final 8 minutes of the game.
- If a player played 8 consecutive minutes, it is mandatory to sit that player for 4 consecutive minutes of game time.
- Exception to this rule ** If a player has played 12 minutes or less by the end of the Third Quarter those players are eligible to play the entire 4th Quarter.
- No Player will exceed more than 20 minutes in a regulation (32 Minutes) timed game. (This is assuming you have 8 or more)
- If your team has 7 players at game time, it is an automatic forfeit. For regular season games, if League is notified with a 3 hour window we will attempt to reschedule to a later date. **(For Playoffs rescheduling may not be possible due to time constraints and therefore forfeit will be mandatory.)
THE INTENTION OF OUR LEAGUE RULES IS TO PROMOTE MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS RULES IS SET IN PLACE IN ORDER TO KEEP A COMPETITIVE BALANCE AROUND THE LEAGUE FOR ALL TEAMS.
The referee is not responsible for enforcing this rule. The opposing coach will report it to the site coordinator at the table and a substitution will take place immediately. A warning will be issued and if this becomes habitual the coach will be subject to suspension. At Hearts Length is a recreational basketball league with its main intention to provide a chance to “ALL” players.
Teams with more than ten players may substitute within the first 4 minutes so long as they have five different players available for the second 4 minutes. This would be accomplished by substituting at the 2:00 or 6:00 minute mark, thereby splitting the standard four minute rotation between two players.
With more than 10 players, teams have two options:
· Rotate players in and out at four minute intervals, which results in some players playing eight minutes in the half and some players playing four minutes in the half, or
· Rotate players at the two, four and/or six minute intervals, which results in some (less) players playing eight minutes in the half and some players playing six minutes in the half.Here is an example of how both scenarios work, assuming twelve players (each represented by a number below):
· Substitute only at four minute intervals (four “shifts” in the half):
o 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
· Substitute at two, four and six minute intervals:
o 1, 2, 3, 4, 5/6 7, 8, 9, 10, 11/12 1/2, 3, 4, 5, 6 7/8, 9, 10, 11, 12
In the first example, players 9, 10, 11 and 12 only play four minutes while players 1 through 8 play eight minutes. In the second example, players 5 and 6 switch at 2:00 minutes of the first quarter, players 11 and 12, switch and 6:00 minutes of the first quarter, players 1 and 2 switch at 2:00 minutes of the second quarter and players 7 and 8 switch at 6:00 minutes of the second quarter. This results in players 3, 4, 9 and 10
playing eight minutes in the first half, and the rest playin six minutes...a fairer distribution of time.
NOTE: No player should ever play more than 4 minutes in any one quarter if a team has 10 or more available players. Note also that no matter the first half substitution, every player must play a minimum of Eight (8) minutes during the game (the All Play Rule).
ELIGIBILITY OF TEAMS AND PLAYERS:
Every team must qualify with the follow criteria:
1. The Coaches are certified.
GAME BALL
The use of the small youth or women’s ball (28.5”) is mandatory for JV games and a full size ball must be used for varsity games. The ball must be leather or synthetic leather.
The Home Team will provide a game ball for each game. WE DO NOT WANT PLAYERS OR FANS BRINGING PERSONAL BASKETBALLS – please have ONLY THE COACH bring Team Balls for the teams to practice with. We want to avoid a safety issue with balls rolling onto the court during the games.
Fans are also discouraged from playing on the court during any stoppage in play. This includes time outs, between quarters and half-time.
Officials: Two certified referees per game.
ASSIGNOR OF OFFICIALS
Tony Chodan, Assignor of Officials, 57 Galloping Hill Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07208.
Cell – (908) 451-5596
SCORES AND STANDINGS
The winning coach is to report the scores no later than 24 hours after the game. See league web site for list of volunteers to record standings.
LINEUP CARDS/SHEETS
Coaches must give a copy of the game lineup sheet to the opposing team and/or official scorer prior to the start of the game. This gives you more time to coach.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
If there are unsportsmanlike incidences by players, coaches, team or fans, the League Coordinator may place the players, coaches, team and/or fans on probation for the season and possibly future seasons as decided by the League Coordinator. If the players, coaches, team and fans under suspension commit a second occurrence, they will be expelled from the league for this, and possibly future seasons. Let’s remember that the league is for the kids.
TECHNICAL FOULS
Any player or coach who receives two technical fouls during a game will not be allowed to participate in the remainder of the game as well as their next scheduled game - One (1) Game automatic suspension.
A scoreboard and scorebooks will be used from start to finish. The Home team will be the official book. All teams are to hand the official scorer at the table a copy of your game roster. The game roster will have all your players’ full names and uniform numbers on it so it can be transferred into the official scorebook. Failure to comply may deem the coach unsportsmanlike.
PRESS RULE
JV Boys, JV Girls Varsity Girls
No full court press will be allowed until the last 1 minute of the Fourth quarter. If a team is up by
10 or more a press will not be allowed. The team ahead must then drop back to at least
the division line (half court). The defensive team ahead by 10 or more points must allow the offensive team to get over half court.
VARSITY BOYS
No full court press will be allowed until the last 2 minutes of each half. If a team is up by
10 or more a press will not be allowed. The team ahead must then drop back to at least
the division line (half court). The defensive team ahead by 10 or more points must allow the offensive team to get over half court.
TIME OUTS
There will be three 60 second timeouts and two 30 second timeouts per game, which cannot be carried over to overtime. A full 60 second timeout will be granted for every overtime period. No cheerleaders are allowed to run on the court for a cheer during a 30 second timeout.
SCORING
If the gym in which you are playing has a 3 point arc, it will be used and the 3 pointer will be counted. No imaginary lines will be permitted.
MERCY RULE
All teams are encouraged to keep scoring to within 25 points. Any team that wins by 25 points or more is subject to the lopsided score rules and guidelines.
FOUL SHOTS
All foul shots must be attempted from behind the foul line. We do allow the JV girls to fall over the line without violation provided, in the official’s opinion, they are not trying to gain an advantage on an errant shot to rebound.
UNIFORMS
All uniform shirts are to remain tucked in and the shorts are to be pulled up for the entire game. Failure by a player to comply may be deemed unsportsmanlike and technical fouls may be applied. Coaches, it is your responsibility to make sure your players are uniformed properly.
JEWELRY
No jewelry can be worn. Wearing Band-Aids applied over earrings is not acceptable. Ears should be pierced before or after the season. Please tell the parents that taking out the starter earrings for 1 hour will not hurt the process.
SNOW
All site managers must report to the League Coordinator no less than 2 hours prior to a weather cancellation. The League Coordinator will make the final decision and email the athletic directors for them to get to touch with their teams. The League Coordinator will also post the cancellation on the website.
FINAL DECISION
Any issue that might arise during the season, not noted as a rule or by-law or in print of any kind in this league, will be decided by the Coordinator of this league and thus the Coordinator’s decision will be final.
League Rule Coordinators
Administrators:
Paul Perreira (347) 331-4589 / [email protected]
Jairo Labrador (908) 727-0069 / [email protected]
Julian Acebo (908) 342-0398 / [email protected]