2009-2010

Rules

1. All divisions of the Staten Island CYO Basketball League will follow the latest edition

of the National Federation of State High School Associations basketball rules

except where amended by this document. In all cases of conflict, the CYO Rules will

take precedence over the NFHS Rules.

2. Injured/Bleeding Player Rule – if a player is injured or is bleeding or has blood on his

or her uniform and either a parent or coach rushes onto the playing floor, or an

official beckons a coach onto the playing floor, then that player may remain in the

game only if the coach calls a timeout and the player is able to continue at the

regular completion of the timeout. If not, then the timeout is still charged and

the player will have to remain on the bench until such time as he or she is fit to

return and time has run off the game clock. If the injured or bleeding player was to

shoot foul shots, then a substitute from the bench, if available, must be called into

the game to shoot the foul shots. (NOTE: this rule brings the NFHS and NCAA

Women’s Rules into alignment and allows an injured or bleeding player to remain in

the game at the expense of a timeout.)

Game Administration

1. Teams are to be at the game site by no later than 15 minutes prior to the

scheduled start of the game and must be ready to play at the scheduled start time.

If not, then the game will be forfeited by the team that is late. (Extenuating

circumstances will be considered by the CYO County Director and/or the CYO

Advisory Board.)

2. Time Periods

Tyro, Debs & lower Divisions 6 minute quarters

Junior Varsity & Varsity divisions 7 minute quarters

High School Divisions 20 minute halves

3. It is the home team’s responsibility to keep the time clock and maintain the official

scorebook for the scheduled game. Responsible persons should be trained and

used for these duties, be available immediately at the start of the game and be

aware that as scorers and timekeepers they are game officials and shall

conduct themselves accordingly. The official scorebook is to remain at the

scorer’s table for the entire game. (NOTE: this rule stresses the use of trained

and responsible adults for these important responsibilities.)

4. Official’s Fee Schedule:

Biddy $15 per team

Tyro, Debs and lower divisions $30 per team

JV and Varsity divisions $35 per team

High School divisions $45 per team

Two officials will be assigned to each game and coaches will submit the game fees

to the officials prior to the start of the game. If only one official shows to officiate

the game, that official is to receive, at a minimum, one and a half times the

scheduled game fee. Although remember that the official will be working twice as

hard so a double fee for a single official would certainly be warranted.

5. The head coach must present a current coach’s certification card to the officials

prior to the start of the game. If the head coach fails to present a card, there will

be no jump ball to start the game. The opposing team will take the ball out at half

court to start the game and be given the first alternating possession. (NOTE: this

rule has been added to stress the requirement for head coaches to be certified and

to present a current card to demonstrate that certification)

6. For all games played at the CYO Center’s upstairs and downstairs courts, only JV

divisions and higher will use the alternate backcourt lines. (NOTE: this rule has

been added to stress that the use of the alternate backcourt lines is not discretionary

and is to be applied for only JV divisions and higher.)

7. For all games played at the CYO Center’s downstairs courts, special demarcations

have been placed near the end lines. These lines are to allow 3 feet for throw-ins

from the end line

8. All CYO games will use a running clock for the first three quarters. During that time,

the clock will be stopped only for called timeouts, personal or technical fouls, or at

the request of one of the officials. If the personal foul is a non-shooting foul, then

the game clock will be restarted when the official hands the ball to a player to

inbound. If a shooting foul, then the game clock will be started according to NFHS

rules. The clock stops on all whistles in the fourth quarter and is restarted when it is

inbounded and touches a player on the floor.

9. No shot clocks will be utilized in any CYO games.

10. The official smaller size basketball (28.5”) will be used in all Girl’s divisions and in

Rookie, Bantam, Small Fry and Tyro Boy’s divisions. In the Biddy division, the junior

basketball (27.0”) will be used. The official sized basketball will be used in the Boy’s

Junior Varsity and Varsity.

11. Players shall not be permitted to wear sneakers with either flashing or steady lights

or any additional aids or distracting features.

12. The game officials are the sole judges of what constitutes safe play. To that end,

they shall enforce the following:

• Players shall remove all jewelry prior to the start of warm-ups and shall not

be permitted to tape over any jewelry.

• If a player does not remove the jewelry, then he/she will not be permitted to

warm up or participate in the game

• Players shall remove plastic or metal hair clips, hair beads and friendship

bracelets prior to warm-ups

Players with long fingernails (as judged by the officials) will not be permitted to

warm up or play.

(NOTE: this rule will emphasizes that the game officials are the sole judges of what

constitutes safe play, and to stress that enforcement of the safety rules will start at

the warm-up period of the game.)

13. It is the home team’s responsibility to have available a light colored jersey or

light colored pullover “pinny” if, in the judgment of the game officials, the colors of

the home and visiting team jerseys are too close in color as to make them almost

indistinguishable. (NOTE: this rule will deal with the situation where the game

jerseys are virtually the same color, making it difficult for the game officials to

officiate rough play, rebounding, three-second violations, etc.)

14. The three-point rule will be utilized only in TYRO,DEBS, JV, Varsity and High

School divisions. The defense for the Tyro C and Debs C divisions will remain

behind half court while full court press is not in effect.

15. There are no game condition protests allowed for Staten Island CYO games.

16. Only team players, the head coach and one(1) assistant coach may occupy the team

bench. Parents, score keepers, players from other teams, etc. may not occupy the

team bench.

Coaching Responsibilities

1. Head Coach:

• Must present coach’s certification card to game officials prior to the start of the

game.

• Is the only coach who may discuss a call with the game official.
• Is the only coach who may request a time out
• Must sit the bench after receiving a direct technical foul
• Will be ejected from the game and asked to leave the gym for two (2) direct

technical fouls, a flagrant technical foul or a combination of one direct and

two indirect technical fouls

• Is responsible for the behavior of the assistant coach and all bench personnel
• Is responsible for keeping track of the 15-point lead.
• Only the head coach is allowed to stand during a game. The assistant must

remain seated. The head coach must stay in front of his team’s bench only.

2. Assistant Coach:

• May attend pre-game conference with the team captain
• Must sit the bench for the entire game
• May not discuss a call with an official
• May not call a timeout
• Shall see to it that the players return to the floor quickly at the end of a

timeout.

CYO Rules

1. Half – time will be three minutes in length for all divisions.

2. In Biddy, Rookie, Bantam, Small Fry, Novice, Gidget, Cadette divisions, the foul line

will be twelve (12) feet from the backboard. The full key, however, will be used to

determine a three-second violation.

3. In Rookie and Novice league play, a game tied after four quarters will remain tied.

There will be NO overtime play.

4. In Biddy division play, the no-press rule will be in effect for the entire game and no

score will be recorded.

5. Pressing is allowed in all A Division and B Division teams except as noted below in

Rule 6. In all divisions, when a team has a lead of fifteen (15) points or more, it will

be illegal to use a front court pressing defense. The leading team must allow the

other team to cross over half court before playing defense. The first failure to do so

will result in a warning that will be recorded in the scorebook. Additional infractions

will result in a team technical foul for each infraction. (NOTE: this rule has been

amended to stipulate that the first infraction will result in a team warning, with

team technical fouls assessed for each additional infraction. The technical fouls will

count toward the total to reach the bonus but will not be assessed against a player

or the head coach.)

6. In Rookie & Novice (A & B) divisions, All “C” divisions and lower and

Gidget B division full court press will take effect only in the last minute of game

and last minute of overtime. The defense must remain behind the three-point

arc at all other times. Once the ball is in the frontcourt, the offense has five(5)

seconds to put the ball in play below the three-point arc and the trail official shall

begin a silent five-second count. If the ball has not been put in play below the

three-point arc within five seconds, the trail official shall raise his/her hand and in a

loud voice say, “the defense may come out”. If a subsequent violation or out-ofbound

occurs and the ball is to remain in the frontcourt, then the defense must

remain in the frontcourt but need not be behind the three-point arc. In Bantam (A

& B) division and Gidget A division, pressing is permitted for the entire fourth

quarter and overtime period provided the fifteen (15) point lead rule is not in effect.

At all other times, Bantam A & B, Gidget A, Tyro C, Debs C, JV and Varsity C

divisions defenses must remain behind the half court line and permit the offensive

team to cross the half court line before playing defense.

7. Four full timeouts are allowed per game, excluding overtime. For each overtime

period that is played, each team may carry over all unused timeouts and will be

given one additional timeout. The additional timeout for the overtime is not

available to a team until the overtime period has begun. (NOTE: this rule has been

amended to clarify when the overtime timeout becomes available to a team)

8. In all divisions, no substitutions will be allowed in the last 30 seconds of the first

three quarters except when the game clock has been stopped, as for a foul, a called

timeout, an official’s request to stop the clock, etc.

9. There will be no penalty for illegal numbers on uniforms, nor for contrasting colors of

shirts worn under the uniforms. If contrasting shirts are worn under the uniform,

they shall be the same color for all players.

10.In all CYO divisions, dunking is not permitted either in warm-ups or during games.

Penalty for such an action will be a technical foul to the player and an indirect

technical foul to the head coach, with only the technical foul to the player counting

towards his/her total of five fouls and the team total for the bonus. (NOTE: this rule

has been amended to clarify the penalties assessed against such as an action and to

stress that the no-dunking rule applies to the game as well as the warm-up period).

11.The bonus foul shot begins with the 7th team foul, and all technical and personal

fouls against a team are counted to reach the total. The “one and one” bonus is the

only bonus that will be administered in all CYO divisions.

12.In All High school divisions, on a called timeout if a player is going to the foul line

the clock will not start until the foul shot(s) are completed.

13.In all divisions the free throw lanes may be occupied as follows:

a) The first marked lane space (the lane spaces adjacent to the end line) shall not

be occupied.

b) The second marked lane spaces shall be occupied by opponents of the free

thrower unless the resumption-of-play procedure is in effect.

c) The third marked lane spaces on each side may be occupied by teammates of

the free thrower

d) The fourth marked lane spaces may be occupied by opponents of the free

thrower.

e) Players may step in on the release of the foul shot only for the 6th, 7th, 8th grade

girls division and High school girls divisions

f) In girls division up to and including 5th grade, the ball must hit the rim before the

player can step in.

g) In all boys divisions (including High school) the ball must hit the rim before the

play may step in.

14.In all High School divisions when entering the last minute of the game with a 20

point lead the clock will not stop regardless of a change in score.

Officials’ Responsibilities

1. CYO officials are responsible to arrive at the game site at least fifteen (15) minutes

prior to the start of the game.

2. The attire required of CYO basketball officials is: black and white short sleeved non-collared shirt, black slacks, black belt, black socks, black sneakers or black regulation

official’s shoes, black whistle, and black lanyard or smitty. The CYO-BOA patch is to

be worn on the left shirtsleeve up at the shoulder seam. (NOTE: this rule has been

amended to stress that the official V-necked shirt should be worn and not a collared

shirt, and that the CYO-BOA shoulder patch is optional if you are certified for

example as an IAABO member than that could be worn in its place.)

3. Officials shall not wear any jewelry such as bracelets, wrist watches, earrings or

rings (weddings rings excepted), or carry cell phones or beepers during the game.

4. It is the responsibility of an official who ejects a coach, player or spectator from a

game to notify the CYO office of the details within twenty-four (24) hours so that

appropriate action can be taken. This policy applies to all situations of misconduct.

5. CYO officials are responsible to show for their game assignments. It is the official’s

responsibility to find his/her own replacement at the same skill level.

6. If an official misses an assignment, then no new assignments will be given to the

official until he or she has spoken to the County Director. Games already assigned

for the following week may be taken away.

7. The officials must sign the official scorebook prior to the game being started.

8. A full game fee will be paid to officials who show up for games that are forfeited.

9. Requests for payment due to forfeiture must be submitted to the CYO Office on the

CYO Payment Request Form.

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