indoor natatorium

Basketball Rules

Intramural basketball will be played by the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) with the following interpretations and exceptions.

The Game

  1. Getting Started: Any team not on the floor ready to start at game time will be penalized two points for every minute it is late. Being ready to start includes having the scorecard and roster filled out and ID’s checked. A student ID, REC membership card, or lost ID letter must be presented to an official before a player may participate. Any team not ready to start 10 minutes after game time will forfeit.
    1. To start and continue a game, a team must have at least 3 players on the court ready to play.  (In CoRec play, at least one male and one female must be present to start and continue a game.)
    2. A game consists of two 20-minute halves. The clock will stop only during the last two minutes of the second half and for all time-outs. Halftime will be five minutes but may be shortened at the discretion of the officials.
  2. Jump Balls: Any two opponents may jump the ball at the center circle at the beginning of the game or overtime periods.  In all other jump ball situations, teams will alternate taking the ball out of bounds at the spot nearest to where the jump ball occurs.  The team not obtaining control at the initial jump ball will be awarded the next possession.
  3. Substitutions: A team may substitute by checking in with the score-keeper. Subs will enter the court only during dead ball situations and after an official motions the substitute onto the court.
  4. Timeouts: Each team is awarded two time-outs per game. There will be one time-out granted during each overtime period. Timeouts are not carried over from regulation periods or previous overtime periods. Any team which request and is granted an excessive time-out will receive a technical foul.
  5. Overtime: During the regular season, if the score is tied at the end of regulation play, only one (1) two-minute overtime period will be played. During playoffs, a second two-minute overtime will follow if the score remains tied. If the score is still tied at the end of the second overtime, a sudden death period will be played. The first team to score a point will win. Each team will be awarded one (1) timeout per overtime period. All overtime periods begin with a jump ball at center court; all players’ fouls carry over into overtime; timeouts DO NOT carry over from regulation periods or previous overtime periods; free throws will be awarded; and the clock will be stopped with all dead balls.
  6. Jerseys: A shirt (must have the sleeves attached, no cut-off shirts) must be worn under the jerseys provided by the Departmental of Recreational Sports, or the player will not be allowed to play. If a team has its own jerseys with numbers, the numbers must be whole numbers, no more than 2 digits, and the jerseys must be of the SAME/SIMILAR color. If the team does not have the same or similar color, ALL team members MUST wear jerseys provided by the Department of Recreational Sports.
  7. Scorer: The department will provide a scorekeeper for each contest. The official score will be kept on the intramural score sheet. If the scoreboard and score sheet disagree, the score sheet will take precedence.
  8. Safety Rules:
    1. Blood Rule: Players who sustain an injury causing an open wound will be required to leave the game. A player may not re-enter the contest until the flow of bodily fluids is stopped and the wound covered.
    2. Jewelry: Participants are not permitted to wear any visible jewelry. If participants choose to wear jewelry, it must be completely covered BEFORE arriving at the game site, with a band-aid or athletic tape. The Department of Recreational Sports WILL NOT provide band-aids or athletic tape to cover jewelry items. If covered, jewelry must remain flush with the skin and not be protruding out; this is for the protection of all participants.

Scoring

  1. A successful try from the field by a player who is located behind the 19'9" line and shooting at his/her own basket counts 3 points.  Any other goal from the field count 2 points for the team into whose basket the ball is thrown.
  2. A successful free throw counts 1 point.

Fouls and Free Throws

  1. A player will be disqualified (foul out) when he/she has accumulated 5 fouls (any combination of personal or technical).
  2. One free throw will be awarded for a player fouled in the act of shooting and the two or three-point try is successful.
  3. Two free throws will be awarded for a player fouled in the act of shooting whose two-point try is unsuccessful, and three free throws will be awarded for an unsuccessful attempt beyond the three-point line.
  4. Bonus free throws (one-and-one) for each common foul (except player control) will be awarded beginning with the offending team’s 7th personal foul during each half. Two free throws will be awarded for every foul on or after the 10th team foul of each half.
  5. On all one-shot and one-and-one free throw attempts (not the first of a two-shot sequence), offensive and defensive players may enter the lane when the free throw attempt has contacted either the rim or the backboard.
  6. During a free throw, marked lane spaces may be occupied by a maximum of four (4) defensive and two (2) offensive players. The low block shall not be occupied.  The top spaces nearest the free throw line shall not be occupied. Any player who does not occupy a marked lane space must be behind the free-throw line extended and behind the three-point line.
  7. No free throws for will be awarded for the following:
    1. Each common foul before the bonus rule is in effect
    2. A double foul
    3. A player control foul
    4. A double technical foul

Special Foul Situations

  1. Double Fouls and Simultaneous Fouls
    1. A double personal/technical foul is a situation in which two opponents commit personal/technical fouls against each other at approximately the same time.
    2. A simultaneous personal/technical foul is a situation in which there is a foul by both teams at approximately the same time, but are not committed by opponents against each other.
    3. In the case of a double personal, double technical, or simultaneous foul, fouls are recorded, no free throws are awarded, and play resumes at the point of interruption—no alternating possession.
  2. Intentional Foul: a personal or technical foul designed to stop or keep the clock from starting, to neutralize an opponent’s obvious advantageous position, and contact away from the ball or when not playing the ball.
  3. Technical Foul: a foul by a non-player, a non-contact foul by a player; an intentional or flagrant contact foul while the ball is dead.
    1. Slapping either backboard or grabbing the rim is a technical foul. Exception: a player may grab the rim to prevent injury.
  4. Flagrant Foul: may be a personal or technical foul of a violent or savage nature or a technical non-contact foul, which displays unacceptable conduct. If a flagrant foul occurs the player is ejected from the game.
  5. Player-Control and Team-Control Foul
    1. A player-control foul is a common foul committed by a player while he/she is in control of the ball or by an airborne shooter.
    2. A team-control foul is a common foul committed by a member of the team that has possession of the ball.
    3. When a player-control or team-control foul is committed, no points can be scored; no free throws will be awarded; the ball will be awarded to the offended team at a spot nearest to where the foul occurred.

Violations

  1. Back-court: Teams may not be in continuous control of a ball in their backcourt for 10 seconds. Once the ball has been established across the half-court line (both feet and the ball), it is a violation to cross back over into the back-court. Penalty: Turnover.
    Three Seconds:  An offensive player cannot be inside of or in contact with the free throw lane (known as the key) for more than three seconds while the ball is in his/her team's front-court. Penalty: Turnover.
  2. Five Seconds: If a player is closely guarded (within six feet) in the front-court and holds the ball for more than five seconds, or dribbles the ball for more than five seconds then a violation will be called. Penalty: Turnover.
  3. Kicking: Kicking the ball is a violation only when it is an intentional act; accidentally striking the ball with the foot or leg is not a violation.
  4. Elbowing: Swinging of the elbows while in possession of the ball without pivoting either foot will result in a turnover.
  5. Throw-In:
    1. The thrower shall not leave the designated throw-in spot until the ball has crossed the plane of the boundary. Penalty: Turnover.
    2. The thrower must pass the ball into the court within five seconds of the start of a throw-in. Penalty: Turnover.
    3. The thrower may step on but not over the sideline.
    4. The opponent of the thrower cannot reach through the throw-in boundary plane and foul the thrower. Penalty: Intentional foul.
    5. The opponent of the thrower cannot reach through the throw-in boundary plane and touch or dislodge the ball Penalty: Technical foul.
    6. The opponent of the thrower cannot cross the end line or its imaginary plane. This is a delay of game. The team should be warned on the first offense and then penalized with a technical foul on each subsequent offense.

Special Provisions

  1. Mercy Rule: The game will be ended before time expires when:
    1. A team has a 50 point lead at any time during the second half.
    2. A team has a 20 point lead with two minutes or less remaining in the game.
  2. Dunking: Legal dunking during live ball play as described by NFSHSA rules is allowed in all classes. Grasping the rim is only legal if done by a player who is trying to prevent injury. Grasping or hanging on the rim is not allowed at any time. Any action of this nature will be considered a technical foul. (A player who obviously damages equipment as a result of hanging on the rim will be financially responsible for the repair or replacement if the damaged item.)
  3. Ejections and Fighting
    1. Any player ejected from a game is automatically suspended from all intramural activities pending an interview with the appropriate intramural staff member.
    2. Any individual having been assessed 2 technical fouls as a result of unsportsmanlike actions will be ejected from the game.  In addition, any team receiving 4 technical fouls as a result of unsportsmanlike action will immediately default the game.
    3. An attempt to strike, punch, or kick another player is considered fighting and will result in the ejection of the player even if the attempt is not successful.  Bench personnel who leave the bench area during an altercation will be ejected from the contest.
    4. The officials and supervisors retain the authority to require an ejected player to leave the gym should they deem it necessary.  Any player instructed to leave the gym by the officials must leave the gym within two minutes.  If the disqualified player does not leave the gym within two minutes, the game will be defaulted to the opposing team.
  4. Protest Procedure: Judgment calls cannot be protested. If a team wants to protest a rule interpretation, the protest must be made immediately at the time of the questionable incident. Notify the official in a sportsmanlike manner and write a brief account on the back of the scorecard. Check the intramural handbook for complete protest procedures. The clock will stop while a protest is being filed.
  5. Eligibility: The eligibility of all players is the responsibility of team captains and the individual players. Refer to the intramural handbook for details.

Co-Rec Basketball Rules

CoRec basketball will be played according to NFSHSA and Texas A&M rules with the following inclusions and exceptions:

Players

  1. Each team will consist of 5 players.
  2. To start and continue a game, 3 players must be present, including at least one member of each gender.
  3. Each team will play 2 men and 2 women. The fifth player on the court may be of either gender.
  4. A team may never play with more than 3 members of either gender at any time. Teams can play with 3 of one gender and 1 of the other.
  5. The following are the possible combinations allowed:
    Male Players
    Female Players
    3
    2
    2
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    1
    2
    1
    3
    3
    1

The Game

  1. ALL FEMALE BASKETS will be worth 3 POINTS.
  2. At no point may a player block a shot by a member of the opposite gender. If a shot is blocked by a member of the opposite gender, goaltending will be called and the basket will be counted as 2 or 3 points.
  3. If a female is fouled in the act of shooting:
    1. If successful: Field goal counts (3 points), award 1 free throw to offended player.
    2. If unsuccessful: Award 3 free throws to the offended player.
  4. If a female is fouled (non-shooting), Bonus rules will be enforced.