Competitive Youth Basketball

Official Rules

• Official MSHSAA Rules will be followed except as stated below
• Failure to comply with Agape Hoops official rules will result in forfeiture of games

Goal Height / Ball Size

• 1st - 2nd grade boys and girls will be play on 8’ ½” goals with a 27" (Junior Size) basketball.  (During the Summer Sessions 2nd Graders will play on 10' goals)
• 3rd grade - 6th grade boys will play on 10' goals with a 28.5" (Women's Size) basketball
• 7th grade - 8th grade boys in MO - will play on 10' goals with 29.5" (Men's Size) basketball
• 7th grade - 8th grade boys in KS - will play on 10' goals witha 28.5" (Women's Size) basketball unless both coaches agree to use a full size 29.5" (Men's Size) basketball.
• 9th grade - 12th grade boys will play on 10' goals with a 29.5" (Men's Size) basketball
• 3rd grade - 12 grade girls will play on 10' goals with a 28.5" (Women's Size) basketball

Officials will ask one team to supply a game ball for each game and will make sure it is returned to the appropriate team at the conclusion of the game.

Game Length / Clock / Score Keeping

• All games will consist of Two (2) Twenty (20) minute halves
• Each team will be awarded 3 full timeouts per game
• There will be a running clock that will stop in the last two (2) minutes of the game.
• If a team is leading by 20 points or more in the last two (2) minutes of the game, the clock will continue to run.
• Overtime will be 3 minutes and the clock will stop in the last two (2) minutes. Each team will be awarded one (1) additional timeout. The third (3) overtime will be sudden death.
• Each team will be required to provide one (1) scorekeeper for each game.  This needs to be an adult (18+ years old).  One representative will keep the scorebook which will be the official score for the game and the other will keep the score clock.  It is up to each coach to have their representative at the scorers table prior to tip off in order to insure that games start on time.

Defenses / Pressing

Teams are allowed to play any defense they choose (Man to Man, Zone, etc.) and in 2nd grade through high school divisions full court pressing will be allowed up to a fifteen (15) point lead. Once a 15+ point lead has been achieved the team must retreat beyond half court.  NO FULL COURT PRESSING WILL BE ALLOWED IN 1st GRADE DIVISIONS.

Team Rosters / Registration Fees / Waivers

• Team rosters must be submitted prior to the first scheduled game
• Players must register and compete with one (1) team only in a division
• Discovery of an ineligible player participating in a game result in forfeiture of that game
• Roster changes or additions will not be permitted after the start of the third scheduled league game
• The maximum roster size will be 12 players
• All registration fees must be paid prior to the start of the first scheduled game
• All players must submit a signed waiver of liability release form prior to participating in the league

Tiebreakers for Final Standings

If two or more teams have the same record after 8 games of a session the following tiebreakers will be used to determine the league champion.

1) Head to Head Record

2) Head to Head Point Spread

3) Least Amount of Points Given Up (Total for 8 Games)

4) Most Points Scored (Total for 8 Games)

5) Coin Flip

Grades/Divisions

Some divisions will be combined grades and may feature older teams that are lesser skilled being placed in lower grade divisions.  This is done in order to create competitive balance and provide an opportunity for everyone to play more competitive games.

There may also be instances when a team is a mix of grades and an older player or two who are low level players are allowed to play "down" with a team in a lower age division.  Again, this is done to create competitive balance and does not mean that other teams in the division are allowed to add older players thus throwing off the competitive balance of the division.

All of these instances are at the discretion of the league administrator and teams/players are not allowed to play "down" unless approved by the league administrator.

Coach/Player/Spectator Conduct

Agape Hoops Productions has made a concerted effort to promote sportsmanship at our basketball leagues and tournaments to keep the focus on the kids playing and maintaining the integrity of the game by trying to remind adults it’s about the kids, not us. We have found that the majority of issues we have at events have little to do with the players, but more with adults, either coaches or parents. We’ve even had players apologize for the adult’s unsportsmanlike behavior.

We try to emphasize Competition with Civility – its basic premise is to treat others like you want to be treated ...no matter the circumstances. We know it’s difficult in the heat of a game – you want the best for your kids, you want them to win, you can see when a referee is not all into the game or making questionable calls but remember they are human just like all of us and they are going to miss calls.

Agape Hoops would like for parents, coaches and fans of the game to collaborate on improving the environment of youth basketball at our events. We can’t help what happens at other events, but we are committed to trying to make a positive change and impact in our events. If this means we have to devise a list of teams that are not welcome back because of a coach, parent or fan behavior we will do that.r

Anyone displaying unsportsmanlike conduct will be ejected from the game and asked to leave the gym (Including Spectators). The game will not resume until the ejected player/coach/spectator leaves the gym. Failure to comply with these rules will result in a forfeiture of the game.

Referees

Referees appointed to officiate each game have complete authority on the court, and their decisions on points of fact connected with the game are final. Officiating will be monitored and assessed periodically, and management will always try to provide quality officiating. Constructive comments regarding officiating are welcome and encouraged.  Please submit any such comments in writing via email to Jeff Bass at jeff@agapehoops.com  Complaints regarding officials should contain points of fact, and have the coaches name, the name of the team and the date of the game at the top.  Agape Hoops staff will not discuss officiating or the officials with anyone during or immediately following your game. Management will take seriously all written complaints 24 hours after a game.

Agape Hoops Productions reserves the right to make any necessary rule changes/modifications within league play to ensure an equal level of competition.