A new definition and subsequent warning for faking being fouled (flopping) has been added to the NFHS Basketball Rules Book for the 2024-25 season.

This revision to high school basketball rules was one of 12 changes approved by the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee at its April 9-11 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommended changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“The committee approved changes addressing a variety of different areas,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports. “Maintaining a focus on player safety, fairness, balance and rules that officials can effectively adjudicate continue to be the focus of the committee.”

 Faking being fouled is defined in Rule 4-49-1 as when a player simulates being fouled or makes theatrical or exaggerated movements when there is no illegal contact. Examples include, but are not limited to, embellishing the impact of incidental contact on block/charge plays or field goal attempts, using a “head bob” to simulate illegal contact and using any tactic to create an opinion of being fouled to gain an advantage.

The new language also establishes a procedure for officials to issue a team warning on the first instance of faking being fouled. The warning is recorded in the scorebook and reported to the head coach. Any additional instances will result in a team technical foul and not a player technical foul, which was previously the case.

“(The committee) is hoping to get those dishonest acts out of the game,” said Billy Strickland, the executive director of the Alaska School Activities Association and chair of the Basketball Rules Committee.

April 2024's The Rebound newsletter has now been published.

To download and read it, click here.

Big shout-out goes to Ken Hand, who will be stepping down as the Editor in Chief of the Rebound after 20 years of loyal and dedicated service to the organization!

One week ago, an NJSIAA tournament game between Manasquan High School and Camden High School ended in a way that drew national media attention and resulted in a lawsuit brought by the Manasquan Board of Education. Manasquan asked a Superior Court Judge to order the NJSIAA to declare Manasquan the winner of the game because of what they viewed as an erroneous judgment call by the officials. The school’s claim was rejected three times in a span of two days: The Chancery Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey dismissed the lawsuit. A subsequent “appeal” to the Commissioner of Education was denied, as was a further appeal to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court.

These three rulings, confirming the NJSIAA’s position that the officials’ decisions exclusively determine the final score, did little to quell the media uproar.

In the final ruling, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court wrote:

While the consequences of a particular call may be unfortunate for a team, the NJSIAA’s regulations recognize the reality that game officials’ calls are frequently disputed, and that permitting such calls to be challenged on the basis of error would result in ongoing litigation, appeals, and scheduling issues, since no game could be considered final if its outcome is disputed in court as a result of an alleged error by officials.

Media reports on the controversy were rife with misleading headlines and inaccuracies regarding the final moments of the game and the aftermath, as self-appointed “experts” castigated the officials, often with crude remarks and innuendo — while remaining clueless as to the rules and regulations that govern the high school game.

We leave the last word to Manasquan head coach Andrew Bilodeau, as reported in nj.com last Friday evening:

The men and women who endeavor to officiate interscholastic athletics are people of integrity, character and love of the game. They do their absolute best, as do the coaches and players….
Source: NJ.com - Updated: Mar. 09, 2024, 8:32 a.m. |Published: Mar. 08, 2024, 8:15 p.m.

Board 33 stands behind our officials who, night after night, do “their absolute best” to get the calls right.

The 2023-24 season is upon us. As we embark on the new season, please use the PDF link below to review this season's rule changes and NJSIAA modifications.

Good luck to all and have a great season!