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Useful Information

Major Rule Changes

4-49 (NEW), 10-2-1g (NEW), 10-4-6f: Changes the penalty for faking being fouled from a player technical to a warning for the first violation and a team technical for any subsequent offense and adds a definition and examples.
Rationale: Allows officials to issue a warning before assessing a technical and the technical will now be assessed to the team and not the player, lessening the severity of the penalty while addressing the behavior.

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4-47-5 (NEW), 10-2-1g (NEW), 10-4-5b: Changes the penalty for failing to immediately pass the ball to the nearer official when a whistle sounds from a player technical to a warning for delay for the first violation and a team technical for any subsequent offense. 
Rationale: Allows officials to issue a warning before assessing a technical and the technical will now be assessed to the team and not the player, lessening the severity of the penalty while addressing the behavior.

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10-2-7 (NEW), 10-5-1i: Changes the penalty for dunking or attempting to dunk or stuff a dead ball from a bench technical to a team technical.
Rationale: Continues to penalize the offending team with a team technical foul (free-throws, offended team the ball to start the period, a foul added to the team count), but no longer requires the coach to lose the coaching box to start the game and no personal foul is awarded.

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4-6-1 EXCEPTION (NEW): Creates an exception to basket interference by allowing a player(s) to touch only the net while the ball is on or within the basket provided that the contact did not affect the ball.
Rationale: Allows play to continue unless the contact of the net affects the try for goal.

Faking Being Fouled, Best Practices

The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee has developed the situations below to assist in the education of officials as to how to adjudicate Faking Being Fouled warnings and technical fouls. While the committee has done their best to illustrate the most common examples, they know there will be situations that the committee did not capture here. Please use the following as guidelines for adjudicating Faking Being Fouled penalties.
In the examples below, Team A is always on offense and Team B is always on defense.


1. Offensive player, A1, is dribbling the ball and fakes being fouled by a defender. This is described in the rules as using a “head bob” to simulate illegal contact. In this play, the team that is faking being fouled is on offense and there is player control of the ball. (4-49-1b)
Adjudication: When does the official blow the whistle and signal for both the first and subsequent infractions?

  • As soon as the official identifies behavior that, in their opinion, rises to the level of faking being fouled the whistle should be blown and the faking signal (New #15) should be displayed.

    • First Infraction – Team A has control of the ball, so the official will report the warning to the table, notify the head coach, and then go to the point of interruption (POI). If A1 is in Team A’s frontcourt, Team A will have a throw-in at one of the four designated spots closest to where the faking being fouled occurred. If A1 is in Team A’s backcourt, the throw-in will be from the spot out of bounds closest to where the faking being fouled occurred. (4-36-2a)

    • Subsequent Infraction – A team technical foul is charged to Team A. Team B will shoot two free throws and get the ball for a division line throw-in opposite the scorer’s table. (10-2-1h, 10-2 PENALTY)

 

2. Offensive player, A1, after releasing a jump shot, goes to the floor without contact or after incidental contact. This is described in the rules as overtly embellishing the impact of incidental contact on an attempted try for goal. In this play, the team that is faking being fouled is again on offense; however, there is NO team control since the ball was released on a try for goal. (4-49-1a)
Adjudication: When does the official blow the whistle and signal for both the first and subsequent infractions?

  • As soon as the official identifies behavior that, in their opinion, rises to the level of faking being fouled the whistle should be blown and the faking signal (New #15) should be displayed.

    • First Infraction (Successful Try) – There is NO team control, so when the try is successful, the basket will count, the official will report the warning to the table, notify the head coach and Team B will be awarded the ball on the endline. Team B may move along the endline as after any successful try. (7-5-7)

    • First Infraction (Unsuccessful Try) – There is NO team control, and since the try was unsuccessful the ball became dead when the try ended. There is NO rebounding on this play. The official will report the warning to the table, notify the head coach and the ball will be awarded based on the possession arrow. If Team A retains control in its frontcourt, the throw-in will be from one of the four designated spots nearest to where the faking being fouled occurred. If Team B gains control in its backcourt, the throw-in will be from the spot out of bounds closest to where the faking being fouled occurred. (6-4-3, 6-4-4g)

    • Subsequent Infraction – A team technical foul is charged to Team A. Team B will shoot two free throws and get the ball for a division line throw-in opposite the scorer’s table. (10-2-1h, 10-2 PENALTY)

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3. Defensive player, B1, attempting to “draw a charge” goes to the floor with no or incidental contact. This is described in the rules as overtly embellishing the impact of incidental contact on block/charge plays. In this play, the team faking being fouled is on defense and thus the offended team (Team A) has team control. (4-49-1a)
Adjudication: When does the official blow the whistle and signal for both the first and subsequent infractions?

  • The official should signal faking being fouled (New #15) as soon as the official identifies behavior that, in their opinion, rises to the level of faking being fouled. The official should withhold the whistle so as not to penalize the offensive team for actions of the defense.

    • First Infraction – The team that is faking being fouled is on defense. The official will display the faking being foul signal (New #15) when the official recognizes the behavior but will withhold the whistle until: (a) Team A scores – repeated attempts at the basket are allowed; OR (b) Team B gains control of the ball. Once Team A scores OR Team B gains control, the official will sound the whistle, report the warning to the table, and notify the head coach.

      • Successful Try – The basket will count. Team B will be awarded the ball on the endline and may move along the endline as after any successful try. (7-5-7)

      • Team B Gains Control – Team B is awarded a throw-in from the spot out of bounds closest to where they gained control. (7-5-3b)

    • 2nd/subsequent infraction – The same procedures as above apply.

      • Successful Try – The basket will count. A team technical foul is charged to Team B. Team A will shoot two free throws and get the ball for a division line throw-in opposite the scorer’s table. (10-2-1h, 10-2 PENALTY)

      • Team B Gains Control – A team technical foul is charged to Team B. Team A will shoot two free throws and get the ball for a division line throw-in opposite the scorer’s table. (10-2-1h, 10-2 PENALTY)

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