Rule Book
League Policies
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Rules: The North Atlanta Church Basketball League will play under Georgia High School Rules except for the modified rules specified herein for each age group.
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Coaches: Each coach is responsible for the appearance and conduct of their players at all time. No team will be allowed to warm up, practice, or play unless a coach or an acting coach is present.
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Grace Period: There is no grace period. A team must have four players ready to play at the scheduled time or a forfeit is granted.
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Forfeited Games: Every effort should be made to play every game. If, however, a team does not have four players present and ready to play (at the scheduled time or when the earlier game on the court is over, if it is running longer than expected) a forfeit will be declared. In that case, for the sake of the children present, a scrimmage game is to be played. It is to be officiated as if it were a regular game.
Guest Players: All games can be started with 4 players and end with as few as two players. If you only have 4 players, you are allowed 1 guest player to allow you to play with 5 players. However, this guest player must be chosen from an age group below your age group. You cannot add guest players to get your team above 5 players.
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Lineup: The coach will submit a lineup in writing, which corresponds to the roster, turned in by league director and to the scorer. (This does not mean writing the players name in the scorebook)
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Uniforms: Teams will be required to have matching jerseys of like colors and legal numbers. (Numbers 1-5, any combination)
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Technical Fouls: Any unsportsmanlike conduct that results in a technical foul will automatically result in the removal of the player from the game for a period of two minutes. A second technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct will result in ejection from the game and suspension from the next game. A coach’s receiving two technical fouls will result in the coach being removed from the game.
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Dunking: Dunking is not permitted in any facility. 1st violation=Warning; 2nd=Technical Foul, Loss of Points and Loss of Possession.
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Officials: Each church is responsible for securing officials and with acquainting the officials with the rules and policies covered herein. There will be one official for 10 and under games and two officials for 11 and over games.
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Prayer: A prayer will be offered by the home team prior to the game.
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Protests: There will be no protest.
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Schedule: Regular season games will be played on Saturdays beginning January 3, 2014. Games will not be rescheduled. At the end of the seven-game season, teams will be matched in groups of four (where possible) for the playoffs. Playoff games will be held on the eight Saturday of the season. Championship games will be played weekday afternoons/evenings during the following week. The first regular season game canceled due to inclement weather will not be made up. If a second cancellation occurs, it will be made up at the end of the season. For tournament pairings, the results of the six games will be used.
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Playoffs: All teams receive at least one playoff game.
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Jewelry: The Georgia High School Association policy prohibits the wearing of any jewelry while playing basketball. As we play under GHSA policies, we will enforce that rule. To that effect, no one wearing any jewelry (including, but not limited to rings, bracelets, anklets, or earrings) will be permitted to play in any North Atlanta Church Basketball League game.
Age Group Modifications
No Press Rule: There is a “No Press Rule” for all ages 10 and under. When the defensive team gains possession of the ball, the opposing team shall clear out of the offensive back-court, and retreat to the free throw line in the front –court and set up their defensive positions. Once a player with the ball has crossed half-court, all defensive players may pick up the offensive players.
On a fast break, the defensive team may pick up players at half court.
On a front court throw in, the ball may be in-bounded into the backcourt. This is not a backcourt violation.
**If the winning team calls time out with under 30 seconds left in the game, it forfeits the right to inbound the ball into the backcourt**
There must be an obvious “half court” line for the cross-court games to function.
Procedures for Scorekeepers and Referees
Half way through the quarter, the scorekeeper will stop the clock and signal to the referee that the halfway point has been reached. The referee will then stop the game as soon as it can be done without hampering the play.
At that time, all players on the bench shall enter the game.
Coaches Note: You may not use substitution time as a time out. If you choose, you may use one of your time outs at this point.
Scorekeeper Note: Enter an “X” in the “Quarter played” box on the scorebook when a player begins a quarter and a “/” when a player enters the quarter at the midway point.
Scorekeeper Note: Be sure to change the arrow at the half so that the teams keep their proper alteration.
Substitution Rules
Every player will play half of the first three quarters of the game.
Every player must sit out for at least half a quarter during the first three quarters. Free substitutions shall be permitted during the fourth quarter.
Explanation
Those players who start a quarter must remain in the game until play is stopped midway through the quarter by the referee. Those who did not start and play in the first half of the quarter shall enter the game and remain in the game for the duration of the quarter.
This shall be the participation requirement for the first three quarters, unless a player is injured or fouls out of the game.
A match up of players is allowed only at the start of the game.
The league expects the coaches to deal with this rule with integrity and always with a sense of fairness to the players. It is more important at this stage for the children to play and to learn to enjoy the game than to be overly concerned with winning or losing.
If you are playing a team that is obviously not following this procedure, please deal with the problem quickly and discreetly. This should be done at the first appropriate time out. Talk with the referee at the scorer’s table at this time. No players or parents should hear this conversation. The referees will deal with it accordingly with one warning and then technical fouls thereafter.
Rules and Policies at a Glance
Age Group
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7 & 8
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9 & 10
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11 & 12
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13 & 14
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Goal Height
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9 feet
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10 feet
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10 feet
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10 feet
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Ball Size
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Boys: 28.5
Girls: 28.5
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Boys: 28.5
Girls: 28.5
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Boys: 29.5
Girls: 28.5
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Boys: 29.5
Girls: 28.5
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Free Throws
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9 feet
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12 feet
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15 feet
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15 feet
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Time/Quarter
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Boys and Girls
8 minutes running
*Clock stops last two minutes of 4th quarter and during mandatory substitutions
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Boys and Girls
8 minutes running
*Clock stops last two minutes of 4th quarter and during mandatory substitutions
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Boys and Girls
10 minutes running
*Clock stops last two minutes of 4th quarter and during mandatory substitutions
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Boys and Girls
10 minutes running
*Clock stops last two minutes of 4th quarter and during mandatory substitutions
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Lane Violation
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5 seconds
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5 seconds
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4 seconds
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3 seconds
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One and One
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On the 5th foul of each quarter
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On the 5th foul of each quarter
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On the 7th foul of the half-2 shots on the 10th foul of the half
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On the 7th foul of the half-2 shots on the 10th foul of the half
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Free Throw Violation
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On the Release
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On the Release
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On the Release
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On the Release
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Press
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No
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No
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Yes (no press if 15 point lead)
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Yes (no press if 15 point lead)
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Halftime
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3 minutes
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3 minutes
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3 minutes
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3 minutes
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Lineup
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A lineup of starting players is permitted only at the start of the game
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A lineup of starting players is permitted only at the start of the game
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A lineup of starting players is permitted only at the start of the game
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A lineup of starting players is permitted only at the start of the game
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Timeouts
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2 per half
*No carryover
1 for each OT
*No timeouts may be carried into overtime. Only one timeout allowed in any overtime
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2 per half
*No carryover
1 for each OT
*No timeouts may be carried into overtime. Only one timeout allowed in any overtime
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2 per half
*No carryover
1 for each OT
*No timeouts may be carried into overtime. Only one timeout allowed in any overtime
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2 per half
*No carryover
1 for each OT
*No timeouts may be carried into overtime. Only one timeout allowed in any overtime
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Possession
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A jump ball at the beginning of the 1st quarter and any overtime will period. All other possessions will alternate throughout the game
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A jump ball at the beginning of the 1st quarter and any overtime will period. All other possessions will alternate throughout the game
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A jump ball at the beginning of the 1st quarter and any overtime will period. All other possessions will alternate throughout the game
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A jump ball at the beginning of the 1st quarter and any overtime will period. All other possessions will alternate throughout the game
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Overtime
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2-minute overtime using a stop clock will be played. If game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the game will be scored a tie. *in the playoffs, a 2nd overtime period will be played sudden death
(1st basket wins)
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2-minute overtime using a stop clock will be played. If game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the game will be scored a tie. *in the playoffs, a 2nd overtime period will be played sudden death
(1st basket wins)
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2-minute overtime using a stop clock will be played. If game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the game will be scored a tie. *in the playoffs, a 2nd overtime period will be played sudden death
(1st basket wins)
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2-minute overtime using a stop clock will be played. If game is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the game will be scored a tie. *in the playoffs, a 2nd overtime period will be played sudden death
(1st basket wins)
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No Press Leagues: If the winning team calls time out with under 30 seconds left in the game, it forfeits the right to inbound the ball into the backcourt.
7 & 8, 9 &10, 11 & 12 and 13 & 14 Divisions
Mercy Rule: In the event any team has a 30 point lead in the second half of play, the clock will become a running clock for the remainder of the game. Additionally, the score will be removed from the scoreboard and recorded only in the official scorebook for the remainder of the game.
