The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- May 24, 1999

Basketball rules committees vote to rescind 'held-ball' rule

The men's basketball rule previously known as the "held-ball" rule is no more as a result of action taken at the May 3-6 meeting of the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees in Kansas City, Missouri.

The former rule, which was exclusively for the men's game, was rescinded after one season of use. Next season, in all held-ball situations, the team that is awarded the ball will be determined by the alternating-possession arrow, just as in 1997-98 and previous seasons. Last season, a held ball created by the opposing team when its opponent had player control automatically was awarded to the team that created the held ball, with no change in the arrow.

"We felt that (the rule instituted last year) didn't serve the purpose for which it was intended," said Reggie Minton, chair of the men's committee and coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy. "This was the feeling of the committee as well as of the majority of the feedback we got from coaches, the media and the public."

The alternating-possession arrow had replaced the jump ball in all cases except the beginning of the game and overtime periods starting in the 1981-82 season.

Free-throw lane change

Both the men's and women's committees changed the rules regarding positioning of players during free-throw attempts. The change is similar to last year's respective experimental rules for both men and women, each of which moved the players in the two inside free-throw lane spaces 10 inches farther away from the end line.

This year's change will allow the players occupying those positions to move an additional two inches (that is, 12 inches -- the full length of the block) to the outside edge of the block (the edge farthest from the base line). Last year's reduced-block experiment was accomplished by placing a 2-inch-wide piece of tape at the 10-inch mark of the block. Inside players could not step on any part of the tape until the shooter released the ball.

The rationale for the change is the same as for last year's experiment -- to give the inside players the rebounding advantage they were intended to have. Under the previous rule, when inside players were spaced 12 inches from the player in the lane space next to the block, the committees felt that the inside players were too easily forced under the basket and out of rebounding position. Other players on the lane will continue to be separated by 2-inch lines.

"We are trying to create as much fairness in the game as possible," Minton said. "The inside position should have the advantage it was intended to have with this change."

The committees eliminated the need to add the 2-inch line for ease of implementation and to prevent requiring institutions to modify their courts since the courts often are used by other entities that would not be playing under the new rule. Despite the rules change, a school constructing a new court or resurfacing an old court should continue to include the block on its court.

"This will just make it easier to implement," Minton said. "Who's to say whether we have this rule only a year or two? Rather than have everyone change their court, we're just going to try this for next season and see if it works."

The women's committee took the free-throw-lane change one step further. While the men's committee elected to retain the previous limit of eight players on the lane, the new women's rule limits the number of players on the free-throw lane to five, as did the 1998-99 women's experimental rule.

Barbara Jacobs, secretary-rules editor for the women's committee and coordinator of women's basketball officiating/sport administrator for the Big East Conference, explained the reason for the difference.

"The women's game is not played above the ring and therefore congestion in the lane can be a major problem," she said. "Allowing only five players in the lane will help clean this up."

Timeouts

Both committees agreed to modify timeouts to limit the amount of time needed to complete the final minutes of games. Although the impetus for the change was televised games, the timeout rules were changed for all games, regardless of whether they are on television. Separate rules were created for games covered by electronic media (radio or television) and those that are not.

The change for the electronic media games introduces to the rules book the experimental "television timeout" rule that was used for men's and women's televised exempted contests played last season before January 1. Under the change, television (or radio) timeouts will be called after the 16-, 12-, eight- and four-minute marks in each half. Teams will not possess full timeouts. Each team will have five mini-timeouts of 30 seconds. Each team may carry over four mini-timeouts into the second half. The first mini-timeout called by either team will become a full timeout (75 seconds). In each overtime period, each team will carry over the timeouts it possesses at the end of regulation and gain an additional mini-timeout.

"This should reduce breakaways from the game in the last few minutes," Minton said. "This will be good for both the fans in the arena and those watching on TV."

Given the change to games with electronic media, to be more consistent, the committees increased the former 20-second timeouts for games without electronic media coverage to 30 seconds in length. All other rules regarding number and length of timeouts and number allowed to be carried over remain as they were last season. The committees felt that maintaining consistency with the 30-second timeouts in games not covered by electronic media was worth increasing the length of timeouts by 10 seconds. Such games do not have the time interruptions that electronic media games have, so adding a minimal amount of time is not a concern. For each overtime period, each team will be granted an additional full timeout and be permitted to carry-over the timeouts it has at the end of regulation play.

"The committees gave a lot of thought to making the timeout rule consistent with electronic media or without," Jacobs said. "Making all mini-timeouts 30 seconds long will help with this."

Division lines

Both committees also gave teeth to existing rules requiring the midcourt division line and center circle. A home team not having a visible, continuous, 2-inch-wide midcourt division line that extends the entire width of the court and a visible, continuous, 2-inch-wide center-circle line will be charged with an administrative technical foul at the start of the game.

The purpose of the change is to assure that teams comply with the rule as written, which has been a problem with the advent of logos at the center circle. The midcourt division line is required for officials to be able to determine back-court violations. The center-circle line is necessary for putting the ball into play to begin the game and overtime periods. As with the previous rule, a solid or shadow-bordered line is permissible.

In another change regarding court markings, a 3-foot-long line shall be extended from the current coaching-box line onto the playing floor, similar to the old "hash mark." The purpose is to help officials to see more clearly if a coach is out of the coaching box. All rules regarding coaching-box enforcement remain the same.

Points of emphasis

There are two new men's points of emphasis -- calling the intentional foul as defined by the rules book, particularly in the closing minutes of the game, and rough low-post play, with or without the ball. The other points of emphasis are rough play away from the ball, palming and the coaching box, all of which were points of emphasis last season. The new points of emphasis for women are legal defense (block/charge) and the principle of verticality. Post play and hand-checking repeat from last year as points of emphasis.

Men's experimental rules

Two men's experimental rules that must be used in men's exempted games played before January 1, 2000, were created. These rules also may be used in exhibition games before that date or in conference play upon receiving permission from Ed Bilik, men's secretary-rules editor.

The first experimental rule states that on the 10th foul and thereafter in both halves, the team fouled shall have the option of either taking the ball out or shooting the free throws. The purpose of the experiment is to determine whether this will shorten the end of the game and reduce the number of fouls. For the second experimental rule, the rules governing the free-throw lane will be adjusted so that six men instead of the current eight will be allowed in the lane during free throws. The change in the block described above will remain in effect. The purpose is to see how such a change affects congestion and contact on the lane while continuing to provide coaches with strategic opportunities.

The women's committee elected not to have any experimental rules for next season.

Other highlights

Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees
May 3-6/Kansas City, Missouri

The men's and women's basketball rules committees enacted several rules changes during their recent meetings, including the following that apply to both men's and women's basketball: