My Rules Changes

Every year they come up with new rules changes. Some are good, some are not. Usually coaches are initially not happy with change- it requires new strategy and adjustments.

I am not very good at figuring out how the new rules will impact the game. When they added the three point arc, I said in the newspaper that it would not effect the high school girls game- "the only time it will be used will be when a player throws up a prayer at the end of a quarter."

This year they have expanded the coaching box to go to the baseline. This is probably good but it won't really impact the game. This year they added a rule that refs can issue a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct to a coach. While I am not coming out in support of unsportsmanlike conduct, I don't like this rule. Anything that promotes refs and coaches communicating is good. I think this rule will reduce communication between refs and coaches. It will be too easy for a ref to just issue a warning, in effect "embarrass" the coach, and not ever stop to talk with the coach. If it makes us as coaches more civil and gets us to talk to refs differently- and refs differently, then that would be good. But I see it as a rule that will make coaches and refs even more adversaries.

If I were in charge, here are some rules changes I would make. Some would make a difference and some would not matter.



1- First, do anything which makes high school basketball have the same rules as college and college the same as international. Make the game more the same on each level.

2- A player does not foul out until their 6th foul. My logic is not to make games more physical. Nobody wants refs to play a big role in the outcome of games. Refs don't want to have an impact- they want to do their job and be unnoticed. How many "big games" have you gone to where the star of a team picks up a couple quick fouls and sits? My feeling is that the call of a foul is so often subjective- why have it impact things. Six fouls will make it so players will still foul out, but there will be less sitting players early in games for foul trouble. One refs call is going to be less likely to impact the game. If people fear that it would make the game more physical, then I advocate make it so that the fifth and sixth individual fouls by a player are automatically 2 shot fouls- even if other player wasn't shooting and even if not in the bonus.

3- Home team wears the colored jersey, and opposing team wears white.

4- Adapt college women's and international rule of playing quarters, having the team fouls start over each quarter. You shoot 2 shot "bonus" on the fifth foul of each quarter. This reduces number of ft's shot but it also means you will be punished for fouls.

5- Yes, I am advocate of the shot clock. People who know more basketball than I do, all say it will increase skills levels of players by impacting pace and making players have to make plays at the end of the shot clock. I don't have state or national stats but the average score in girls high school basketball seems to have gone back to where it was in the 1980's. It doesn't create an excitement for our sport. If we had a 30 second shot clock it would not impact 90% of the possessions throughout the game. But what it would eliminate is a team stalling the last 2 minutes of a half, going for one shot with 45 seconds to go in a quarter, or a team with the lead stalling the entire last quarter. Teams would have to play 32 minutes.

6- NBA rule that you can advance the ball to half court with a time out. This could add a lot more excitement at the end of games.

7- If a team takes a time out when being pressed, the 10 second count doesn't start over. Reward the team for good defense.

8- The toughest call in basketball is the block or the charge. My rule recommendation is that when a player attempts to draw a charge- or when a player flops- a ref has to call either a charge or block. Right now there is no punishment for faking a charge. As a result, refs are put into way too many situations where they are asked to call charge or not. My rule would say if a defender falls to the ground- if it is not a charge- the ref must call a foul on the defender who fell. This would quickly eliminate players trying sell a charge. I know the second part of the rule would be tough, but I would advocate doing as colleges and pros have done for years- put the no charge arc under the basket. Too often in high school, players are given a charge call for sliding under a player after they have left the ground.

9- Allow a team that has a color as part of the nickname to be able to wear that color jersey for their home games. So Orangemen can wear orange at home. The Bluegirls can wear blue at home. The Green Dragons can wear green at home. And the Silver Streaks can wear silver at home!!

10- Tell high school coaches to stick to coaching. Don't let high school coaches change rules.