League Rules

This is a recreational youth basketball league.  The intent is to teach the young players the basic skills and rules of basketball and to build a solid foundation for their future basketball endeavors.  Good sportsmanship shall also be a high priority and is up to the coaches and parents to encourage good sportsmanship. All players should play an equal amount of time, no one player should not sit out during the course of a game.

Each division has different rules based on level of play. The Senior, Intermediate and Junior Division rules are listed below.

When it is either snowing or raining, please have the players carry their sneakers to the gym. They should put their sneakers on in the hall before entering the gym.

Senior Division:

1. Certified referees will be used for all games.
2. The game will consist of 8 minute quarters. The clock will be stopped for all whistles.
3. Each team will be allowed three time outs per half.
4. The game shall start no later than 10 minutes after the scheduled start time. Preferably, the game should start no later than 5 minutes after scheduled time. 
5. Each player will play a minimum of 12 minutes per game.
6. Each player will also play each quarter.
7. All other rules will follow High School Rules.
8. There should be one person from each team to either run the clock or handle the score book. This will be waived if there are volunteers.
9. Each team should assign a parent to watch the hall and restrooms. Everyone should either be playing in the game or watching the game from the bleachers. No one should be in the hall except to use the restroom.

Intermediate Division:

The general rules of basketball will apply including enforcement of personal and team fouls, walks, three second violations, dribbling violations, etc. as defined by the current year’s rulebook.

1. The following exceptions will apply:
2. All teams must play a type of zone defense.
3. The game will consist of 8 minute quarters. The clock will continue to run with the exception of the last 2 minutes of the 2^nd and 4^th quarters, during timeouts, foul shots or at the Referee’s discretion (injuries, disputes, etc.)
4. Each team is allowed 2 time outs per half.
5. Fast breaks will be allowed the last 2 minutes of each quarter. A player will be allowed to bring the up ahead of other players during the rest of the game, as long as that player does not initially make the subsequent basket. This could happen due to a steal or other type of turn-over.
6. There will be NO backcourt defense, or half court presses during the game.
7. Tie games.  If at the end of regulation the game is tied, a 3 minute overtime period will be played, and whereas, during the last 1 minute of the overtime period, fast breaks will be allowed.  If a game is still a tie after overtime, the game will result in a tie.

Junior Division:

1. The game will consist of 20 minute halves. The clock will continue to run with the exception of the last two minutes of each half, during timeouts or at the Referee’s discretion.
2. Timeouts, along with switching players will occur every 5 minutes. If a coach needs an extra timeout to re-group or to switch players, this should not happen more than once per half. Such a request will be directed to the referee for his/her determination.
3. All players will have equal playing time. This division is still instructional so every player should have as much court time to develop skills. The best players should be substituted, similar to any other player. It is incumbent on the coach should try to make sure each player has equal playing time.
4. The referees and the coaches will progressively work with the players on the court, helping them to understand the game. As the season progresses, the game should start to look like a regular game with minimal support.

The following are the only special rules that will be used:

1. There will be no back court defense (either full nor half), so the offensive team will be allowed to get the ball past half court.
2. There will be no stealing of the ball while a player is dribbling. When the player stops dribbling, the player has to either pass or shoot within 10 seconds (or at the discretion of the referee). If the player does not pass or shoot, the player will lose the ball to the other team. The other team will then inbound the ball and resume play.
3. Fast Breaks, if agreed to by both coaches before the start of the game starts, should be limited. The recommendation is to allow fast breaks during the last two minutes of each half.

The referee will control all other rules of the game. At the start of the game, the referee will discuss how the game will be organized. Outside of what the referee says, all other components follow a normal basketball game. The referee will indicate through warnings what rules he or she feels needs to be learned by the players for that game and subsequent games till the end of the season. Rules such as the “Three Second Call”, “Up and Down while shooting” and knowing how to dribble need to be taught from the beginning of the season.

Peewee Division:

The Peewee Division is primarily instructional. The first half of game day focuses on practice while the second half of their timeslot is for a game. As the season progresses, more time is dedicated to the playing of the game. During game time, coaches are on the court, acting as both coach and referee.