VAL Basketball Rules

NFHS Rules shall be followed with the following modifications:

1. NO JEWELRY may be worn by any player.

2. ALL games are 7-minute (stop clock) quarters.

3. Back courting is a violation, which means players are not permitted to go over and back across the center line.

4. Teams have 10 seconds to get the ball over the centerline and 5 seconds to get the ball in bounds.

5. Shirts must be tucked in and shorts must be over hips.

6. Overtime is a 3-minute (stop clock).

7. Teams will shoot 2 free throws on the 5th team foul of each quarter. Team fouls reset at the beginning of each quarter. 

8. Rule change timeouts: 3 full time outs (1 minute each) and 2 (30 second) time outs for regulation time. One additional time out ( 1 minute) will be awarded for each over time plus any remaining time outs.

9. Official Time outs are for officials to discuss rule and injuries.

10. Jump ball starts a game - alternating possessions thereafter. Jump ball to start each over time.

11. The home school is responsible for providing two officials for every game and 1 official scorebook.

12. On a free throw, all players except the shooter may enter the lane on the release of the ball.  The shooter must wait for the ball to make contact with the rim. If the ball does not come in contact with the rim, the ball is awarded to the non-shooting team.

13. Games are to be played in the determined order, unless approved by all coaches involved at least two days in advance.

15. Technical fouls count as personal and team fouls. Two technical fouls by a player or coach is an automatic ejection for the remainder of the contest. Failure to leave the gym may result in a forfeit of the contest.

16. A player fouls out of the game on the 5th personal foul.

17. 3 pointers are legal.

18. Good sportsmanship.

19. After a 20-point lead, back court pressure will not be allowed. A Technical foul will be enforced to the coach. If this happens multiple times refer to rule 16.

20. At any point of the game, if a team has a 30 point lead, game must go to a running clock. The game may go back to stopped clock if a score gets within 15 points.

21. These rules and clarifications are based on the National High School Federation Rules

22. Free Throw rule change: players can enter the lane immediately after the shooter releases the ball.

23. Game time is 4pm, provided the visiting has at least a 10-minute warm-up. The latest a game should start is 4:15pm with or without a 10-minute warm-up. Please try to get to away games by 3:45pm