Men’s Preseason Guide 2017-18 Welcome to the 2017-18 Season! Rule Changes Call The NAIA is excited to partner again for Enforcement this season with Referee to provide you a preseason newsletter to help you prepare for the upcoming season. We will cover rule changes, points of emphasis and discussion about mechanics.

The information provided highlights some of the major changes but is not inclusive of every change. We encourage you to come back throughout the season to the NAIA Men’s Basketball Hub and check out the materials we will post. We want to help you be the best prepared officials for our schools and student-athletes.

Suggestions for improvements ideas on topics are always welcome. Please address these to [email protected].

From the NAIA membership and staff, thank you for your dedication and service as an . We appreciate the

time commitment you make to work our COURTESY OF NAIA contests.

Officially Speaking, The area directly in front of the bench and team personnel is often crowded, Bob Lade he 2017-18 NAIA season is upon us especially when the official and head NAIA Director of Officiating Initiatives Tand your preseason preparations are coach are trying to occupy similar certainly picking up. To set the stage on the areas. Tony Gray, Danville, Ky. new season, some of the new rule changes for the upcoming season are highlighted. An emphasis on reducing the physical play done outside the acceptable guidelines, continues. Officials will be asked to curtail the proper penalties to upgrade should be the physicality specifically in the following enforced. areas: freedom of movement on ball and 38-foot coaching box (1-9.1). The length off, contact on and by ballhandlers, body of the coaching box was increased to 38 bumping and most importantly in the feet to allow the area right in front of the post on rebounds and during free-throw bench at the 28-foot line that was previously situations. Additionally, officials should crowded. The hope is that moving the review the flagrant 1 and 2 criteria coaching box 10 feet closer to the division for late-game fouling. While there are line would give coaches space where there acceptable ways to do so when they are Continued on page 2 1 Men’s Preseason Basketball Guide 2017-18

Continued from page 1 a for a missed free-throw attempt Shot-clock reset to 20 seconds (2-11.6). is more depth. That closer area usually or a throw-in pass is immediately deflected The shot-clock interval will be reset to 20 is in front of a table and is the only area back out of bounds, the rules provide a seconds or the time on the if where only the head coach can be, no team standard time to come off the clock. over 20 seconds, when a defensive foul members, team personnel, assistant coaches Ensure you know the time on the or occurs and play resumes in or substitutes can be in that new area. game clock prior to it starting in these the frontcourt. The past rule presented With the new leeway, coaches should situations. situations where a full reset of the shot not be on the playing court. Officials should Screener must be inbounds (4-35.2.c). clock could occur. Should a foul or violation enforce the coaching-box rules that require A screener must now be inbounds to occur in the backcourt, either before the coach to always be off the court. have a legal position. The rule now is frontcourt status is established or after, a It should be noted that the bench area consistent with the guarding rules that full reset of the shot clock would occur. does not change and the boundary toward require a player have inbounds status to Areas of Focus. A number of areas of the division line remains at the 28-foot line. maintain or establish a legal guarding focus were put in place for the 2017-18 Courts are still required to have a 28-foot position. season. Those are: line with an additional two-inch line at Screener’s feet must be no wider • Enforce the rules as written. 38 feet off the court, the line at 38 feet is than shoulder width (4-35.2.a). The • Reduce physicality to create freedom minimally two feet long. legal width for a screener’s feet remains of movement, especially in the areas 0.3 seconds off on a legal touch (5-10.2). at shoulder width but now is measured of post play, rebounding and offensive A minimum of 0.3 seconds should come from the inside of the screener’s feet. created contact. off the game clock anytime the ball is That is a slight increase over the previous • Traveling. legally touched inbounds and the clock is rules allowable width, which could have • Screening —– especially screens that immediately stopped. The rule only applies been interpreted as the outside of the are too wide. with less than 59.9 seconds remaining in a screener’s feet. The change creates a clear • Hook-and-hold plays. period or half. An example of a situation is definition of what is shoulder width and • Enforcement of coaching-box and when a timeout is immediately granted on should help with consistent application. sportsmanship rules. * Frontcourt Throw-in Spots he demarcation to resume play for an an endline throw-in, the spot will be on These standardized spots will not be Tendline versus sideline throw-in has the side of the basket the foul or violation used for throw-ins to resume play that been changed and it no longer includes occurred but will be at the standard spot result from a defensive deflection that the free-throw semicircle. of three feet outside the free-throw lane causes the ball to go out of bounds. Those In addition, four standardized line extended. out-of-bounds violations, resuming in the spots have been created for throw-ins When a foul or violation occurs that frontcourt, will be unchanged and at the awarded to the offense that remain in the results in a sideline throw-in, the standard spot nearest the violation (but removing frontcourt, as in MechaniGram A. When spot will be at the 28-foot line on the side the free-throw semicircle as an endline a foul or violation occurs that results in of the court the foul or violation occurred. throw-in), as in MechaniGram B. £

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VISITOR VISITOR Men’s Preseason Basketball Guide 2017-18 Raise New Signals wo new approved signals have been the shot clock. The ensuing throw-in Your Tadded for officials’ use. must also be in the frontcourt. Reset Shot Shot Clock Hand Clock — 20 Nearing Seconds. This Expiration. This he use of a stop-clock signal is signals the shot signal indicates Trequired on all violations and fouls. clock should that the shot Officials are required to use a raised arm be reset to 20 clock is at or near with a closed fist (stop-clock signal) on seconds. The 10 seconds. The all fouls. Officials are required to use a shot clock is signal should raised arm with an open hand (stop-clock reset to 20 be used only by signal) on all violations. There should be seconds when a the center and/ no whistle without a raised hand, either foul or violation or trail officials. open or closed, prior to any other action occurs by the When using taken by a ruling official. defense in the signal, the Maintain player coverage following the frontcourt official will the stop-clock signal. Refrain from with less than to the shot clock turning away. The following examples are 20 seconds to alert the the most prone instances where officials remaining on crew. £ have a tendency to turn their attention away from the involved players. The examples commonly involve change-of- possession plays. Player-control fouls and team-control fouls. After making a player-control Clock Awareness ruling or a foul ruling with team-control implications, avoid turning away from t is important that all officials are aware All officials should make it a habit players. Work to maintain focus on the Iof the game clock and the shot clock. to confirm the game clock/shot clock immediate action of the involved players Bad things result when timing are running properly. In transition it while your non-ruling officials assume their mistakes occur. is important every official “sneaks a next coverage areas. Make a commitment to get back to the peak” when going fullcourt, as shown in L Traveling violations or out-of-bounds basics this year and be more clock aware. MechaniGram B. violations. After making a traveling or As the center and trail official, check During the final minutes of a game, out-of-bounds ruling, avoid turning away the game clock/shot clock every time you being clock awareness is magnified. HOME from the players/court while signaling. cross the free-throw line extended and HOME the Check the clocks more regularly,

Work to maintain focus on the immediate division line in the frontcourt/halfcourt especiallyC when the game is in the action of the involved players and do not setting, as shown in MechaniGram A. balance. £ walk away with your back to the players T or the spot of the violation. A B SCORER & TIMER Held-ball situations. After making SCORER & TIMER a ruling for a held ball, move in toward CLOCKS CLOCKS the action. Held-ball rulings have the potential for escalation. Work to only check the possession arrow after T T ensuring that all activity has stopped T

CLOCKS and the players are separated. It is CLOCKS CLOCKS CLOCKS

C VISITOR suggested that crews communicate in C C VISITOR their pregames that the ruling official will not check the direction of the arrow when the official is not facing he table. Instead a non-ruling official should the crew by providing and signaling the L L L direction. £

3 Men’s Preseason Basketball Guide 2017-18

Team-Control Fouls/Free Throws significant change has been made has been released on a try for goal. and any deflection by a defender Ato the rules (4-24, 10-1.4 Pen. c) Loose ball. A loose-ball foul which has a foul occurring during that that cover loose-ball situations and the classification has been added. The situation now results in free throws if result to resume play. loose-ball foul still is treated as a the offending team is in the . Team-control rule. A number of team-control foul, but free throws No free throws. Team-control fouls changes were made related to the are shot — unlike other team-control that are not loose-ball fouls, such as team-control rules, including the fouls. a player-control foul or a foul while a creation of a loose-ball definition. A An errant pass from teammate to player is in control of the ball (off-ball loose ball occurs when a player who is teammate is not a part of the loose-ball fouls or illegal screens), do not include holding or the ball fumbles addition. However, an errant pass that free throws. it, a defensive player bats or deflects is deflected by a defender would be a If the ball is not loose, there cannot the ball out of his control, or the ball loose-ball play. An interrupted dribble be a loose-ball foul. £

Separation Free-Throw Spots HOME t is important for all officials to be in the center must be able to see the free-throw Gaps Icorrect position during free throws, as shooter, the opposite free-throw lane spaces, shown in the MechaniGram. the flight of the ball and rebounding activity ver the last several years officials have The trail should stand in the shaded on the same side free-throw lane spaces. Obeen engrained to reduce physical post area on all free-throw situations except for The lead should take a position one play. The directives have been meet well the final free-throw attempt. The trail then step outside the free-throw lane line by the officials and efforts remain ongoing moves to a position at or near the 28-foot extended and one step off the endline. to continue the positive improvements. line for the final free-throw attempt. On the final free-throw attempt the An additional area of focus is on The center should be positioned lead must be wide enough to observe offensive-initiated contact. Examples include three feet above the free-throw line and rebounding activity on the same SCORER & TIMER side dislodging, ward-offs, swim strokes and approximately six feet off the sideline. The free-throw lane spaces. £ other acts which are not permissible by rule. Increase your awareness for illegal acts committed by both the defense and the offense. 1 Lead officials in particular should watch for illegal acts committed by 2 1 either opponent. The center can extend coverage, when possible, to provide T secondary coverage in the post within the lead’s primary area. The trail should step down to assist on plays that occur in the C post and in the dual-coverage areas. 3

Holding, pushing and ward-offs VISITOR are all illegal acts that should be ruled 2 3 immediate when used to create space by the offense or defense. 4 5 A straight arm may not be used to 4 5 ward-off an opponent to prevent them from performing normal offensive or defensive movements. Get the first illegal act with an immediate foul ruing. L L When illegal acts occur simultaneously between opponents, rule a double foul. £

Copyright © 2017 by Referee Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved, except as provided for by licensing agreement with the NAIA. Not to be reproduced in any medium without written permission of Referee Enterpris- es, Inc., 2017 Lathrop Ave, Racine, Wis. 53405. Telephone: 262-632-8855. Fax: 262-632-5460. Email: [email protected]. Written by the Referee editors. Graphics by Referee graphic designers. Edited 4 by Bob Lade, NAIA director of officiating initiatives. Contact the NAIA at 1200 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo. 64106, 816-595-800 or naia.org.