2006 Basketball Rules

1. His Grace Bishop Serapion is in charge of and oversees all operations related to the Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese of Los Angeles Basketball League, and appoints and approves the basketball league officials responsible for organizing, coordinating, and supervising all league activities.

2. His Grace Bishop Serapion, Father James Soliman, league officials, and the committee are granted authority over any player, coach, assistant coach, spectator or any other bystander present at any game.

3. The committee is hereby granted the authority to call off any given game if, in their judgment, the players or spectators are in any way engaging in “anti-Christian” or unsportsmanlike conduct.

4. The committee is hereby granted the authority to make decisions as to whether a particular game should continue or be immediately terminated due to escalating tempers, unnecessary confrontation, and taunting.

5. Committee members on the premises of any game are granted permission to make any necessary modifications to the organization, set-up, or operation of the home game event for the purpose of ensuring fair play and good sportsmanship, and for avoiding arguments and altercations between players and/or coaches.

6. Committee members have authority over the coaches, assistant coaches, players, and unruly fans in terms of making final decisions and enforcing penalties along with the CIF referee(s).  The CIF referee(s) have the final say according to our league rules.  Committee members are there to aid the referees.

7. Committee members are required to oversee scheduled events. Not having a committee member present will result in a forfeit without rescheduling for the team not providing a committee member.  (The responsible team is noted by: (YOUR TEAM NAME)*.  This is the responsibility of the coach of the responsible team. Random checks will be made and a game will not go on if there is no committee member.  If a team continuously breaks this rule or any rule, they may be dismissed from the league or the whole league may be terminated.

8. A scheduled game may be played as a pick up game if in the committee member’s and the coach’s right judgment that it is a safe environment to play.  A league official must be notified before the start of the game.

9. A committee member may not at anytime alter, change, or modify any of these rules for any reason without prior permission from league officials.

10. At all games there must be the coach or the assistant coach (whose name must appears on the coach’s roaster online) present. If the coach or the assistant coach are not present, the game will be forfeited without rescheduling.  After Sunday, March 5^th, 2006 there will be no changing and/or adding of coaches.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

11. Coaches, you are the models of this league.  Any rule that appears within these set of rules have a much higher consequence if a coach or an assistant coach breaks it whether it is noted or not. These consequences could be, but are not limited to, suspending you as a coach or suspending your whole team

12. Coaches and committee members, unless otherwise noted, must attend all league meetings that are held.  You will know 2 to 3 weeks in advance.

13. Mandatory coach and assistant coach’s banquet. Please see invitation on website home page.  Failure to attend the February 26^th, 2006 mandatory coach and assistant coach’s banquet will result in you being dismissed as a coach/assistant coach and/or your whole team being dismissed.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  Please be advised, that you must RSVP by Monday, February 20^th, 2006.  If you absolutely cannot attend the banquet because of a compelling reason please notify a league official by February 20^th, 2006 and arrangements will be made.

14. It is against league rules for players and/or coaches to be involved in any form of “Trash Talking” either on the court during a game, in anticipation of an upcoming game, or after the completion of a game

15. “Trash Talking” falls under the category of “Anti-Christian” behavior and unsportsmanlike conduct, and will not be tolerated in this church basketball league.

16. “Trash Talking” during the course of a game will result in technical fouls awarded to the player(s) involved. If it occurs again during the course of the same game, the player will immediately be ejected from the game by the CIF referee(s).  If  a player has a repeated history of problems within the league, other actions will be taken.

17. “Trash Talking” related to the basketball league, whether it occurs during a game or apart from it, will be punishable by suspensions imposed by the league officials.

18. “Trash Talking” that involves swear words or vulgarity will result in a two (2) shot technical foul and possession of the ball remains the same.  If it is then heard again, the player/coach involved will be ejected from the game with possible suspensions of individual players/coaches and/or the entire team according to the discretion of the CIF referee(s) and committee members.

19. Foul language is not tolerated at all in this Christian league.  Foul language coming out from the mouth of any player will result in a two-shot technical foul. The possession of the ball will remain the same. If it is heard again from the same player it will result in removal of that player for the rest of the game.  If foul language is heard from a coach/assistant coach, that coach is to be ejected from the game immediately and is to be reported to league officials for further consequences.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.

20. If a coach is ejected from a game and they are the only coach present, in compliance with rule #10, the game will be terminated and forfeited to the opposing team regardless of the score.

21. Fighting or foul language coming from a spectator will result in removal from the premises by the referee and/or committee member.

22. Any fighting caused by any team member or coach will result in that player or coach’s disqualification from the league.

23.  Players and coaches must show respect to the referees and the scorekeepers at each game.

24.  THERE WILL BE NO ARGUING WITH THE REFEREE. The team captain and the coaches may speak to the referees only, if permitted by the referee. There may only be one team captain and one head coach per team that may speak to the referee.  The referee can choose not to talk to either one if too much tension occurs.

25. All bench players must be seated at all times during the game. Assistant Coaches may get up, but must remain seated for a majority of the game.  You will be warned once and the referee will then distribute technical fouls.

26. Only registered coaches and suited players may be seated on the coaches/players bench.  All fans must be seated on the opposite side of the coaches/players bench. No fans are allowed on coaches/players bench. No one is allowed on the base line.

27. Each team will have a 5-minute grace period after the starting time of season games. After the 5-minute grace period is up, whichever team delays will lose the game. No rescheduling will be allowed in this case.  PLEASE BE ON TIME!

28. Transportation must be provided to and from the game by each church.

29. You MAY NOT cancel or postpone or reschedule any game for any reason.  Any game that is not played on its scheduled date and time will be considered a forfeit without rescheduling.  The only exception to this rule is in the case of death or a funeral.  A league official must approve the rescheduling to take place BEFORE the actual scheduled time of the game. If a game is permitted to be postponed it MUST be made up on or within four (4) game days.

30. After the final game of the day, all players, coaches, assistant coaches, and spectators must leave the premises within 20 minutes after the game has ended.

31. After each game, the winning team must inform the league by the end of game day, who won the game with the correct scores (either by phone or email).  If the winning team fails to meet the due time, the opposing team will get the victory.

32. All teams must have team jerseys for each player and each with their own number. Players without their own jersey may not play. NO EXCEPTIONS FOR ALL 3 LEAGUES.  NO CHURCH NAMES MAY BE PRINTED ON JERSEYS; ONLY TEAM NAMES.  If church names are already printed, they need to be removed or covered.

a.       College

                                                              i.      Shorts must be at waist high.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

                                                            ii.      Jerseys must be tucked in at all times.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

b.      High School Boys

                                                              i.      Shorts must be at waist high.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

                                                            ii.      Jerseys must be tucked in at all times.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

c.       High School Girls

                                                              i.      Shorts cannot be shorter than knee height.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

                                                            ii.      Jerseys must be tucked in at all times.  There will be a general warning at the beginning of the game, if you are caught during the game it will result in a two (2) shot technical foul.

                                                          iii.      Jerseys must be short-sleeved.  No cut-offs or tank tops allowed.  (NO MALE JERSEYS ALLOWED).  If a team is not able to accommodate for new jerseys, they may wear a short-sleeved shirt underneath.  Jerseys must be checked at the beginning of the season; if not your team will be terminated from the season.

33.  Players may not swap jerseys after the online registration period ends.  The jersey that a player is registered with is the one they must wear all season long.  NO EXCEPTIONS

34.  Eligibility.

a.       College Boys

                                                              i.      Born in the year of 1983 thru the high school graduating class of 2006; high school graduating class of 2006 has the choice to play either college or high school ball, but not both.

                                                            ii.      Proof of ID may be required.

b.      High School Boys

                                                              i.      High school graduating class of 2006 thru high school graduating class of 2010.  Coaches have the right to open up their team to younger players at their discretion; high school graduating class of 2006 has the choice to play college or high school ball, but not both.

                                                            ii.      Proof of ID may be required.

c.       Girls League

                                                              i.      Born in the year of 1983 thru the high school graduating class of 2010. Coaches have the right to open up their team to younger players at their discretion;

                                                            ii.      Proof of ID may be required.

d.      Junior High Boys

                                                              i.      Junior high graduating class of 2006 thru junior high graduating class of 2009.  Coaches have the right to open up their team to younger players at their discretion. Junior high school graduating class of 2006 has the choice to play either high school or junior high school basketball, but not both.

                                                            ii.      Proof of ID may be required.

e.       Special Notes:

                                                              i.      Players who have taken either the GED or the CHSPE exam or have graduated early from high school must play in the high school league according to their prospective high school graduating date.  The high school graduating class of 2006 has the choice to play either college or high school ball, but not both.

                                                            ii.      If you have already graduated college and you are born within the league age limit you may still play in the college league.

                                                          iii.      If you are still in college, but are over the age limit, you may not play in the college league.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

                                                          iv.      Once a player is registered for a team and the adjustment period is over (5/22/2006), you may not switch teams for any reason.  After this date, this is your team for the whole season.

                                                            v.      A player may not play in more than one league at anytime.

                                                          vi.      You may not play for more than one team at anytime for any given reason.

35.  Eligibility of Coaches, Players, and Committee Members.  Failure to comply with any of these mandatory rules listed below and in rule #34 may result in the suspension or termination of your team.

a.      Coaches and assistant coaches:

                                                              i.      is one that is baptized within the Coptic Orthodox Church

                                                            ii.      Cannot be a player for the team that he is coaching.

                                                          iii.      Cannot be a committee member for The Coptic League.

                                                          iv.      No changes to coaches roster after Sunday March 5^th, 2006 deadline, only drops.

                                                            v.      A legal head/assistant coach is one that is on the coach’s roster.

                                                          vi.      Must have attended the coach and assistant coach’s banquet on Sunday, February 26^th, 2006 or the make-up meeting on Sunday, March 5^th, 2006 (see rule #13).

b.      Players:

                                                              i.      Must be within the legal age limit as described above in rule #34.

                                                            ii.      Is one that is baptized within the Coptic Orthodox Church

                                                          iii.      Cannot be a coach for the same team he is playing for.

                                                          iv.      Cannot play for more than one team.  No switching teams after the registration deadline.

                                                            v.      No changes to team roster after the May 22^nd, 2006 deadline, only drops (including no swapping/changing of jersey numbers).

                                                          vi.      A legal player is one that is on that specific team’s roster.

c.       Committee members:

                                                              i.      Is one that is baptized within the Coptic Orthodox Church

                                                            ii.      Cannot be a player or a coach for any team.

                                                          iii.      Must be approved by league officials and must meet at least one of the following criteria in order to be eligible:  1) Must be an active youth servant, or 2) Must be at least 30 years of age or older, or 3) Must be granted special permission by the church priest.

                                                          iv.      No changes to committee member’s roster after Monday, May 15^th, 2006 deadline, only drops.

                                                            v.      A legal committee member is one that is on the committee member’s roster.

36.  CIF referees will be provided for you.

37.  Please do not pay the referees at any game unless permitted to do so in advance from the league officials.  If you do pay, we will not be able to pay you back.  It will be considered as a generous donation to the league.

38.  There is a $700.00 league fee per team which will cover the league expenses.  The league fee must be turned in by Monday, May 1^st, 2006 for all leagues.  If not, you will forfeit a game for each game day that passes after that.  Make checks payable to “The Coptic League” and mailed to: The Coptic League P.O. Box 2786 Orange, CA. 92859.

39.  Please be advised that there is a $200.00 tournament fee for all junior high teams participating in the tournament.  The tournament fee will be due no later than Saturday, August 12^th, 2006. Make checks payable to “The Coptic League” mailed to: The Coptic League P.O. Box 2786 Orange, CA. 92859.

40.  Food, drinks, hard-soled and back-soled shoes are absolutely prohibited in the gymnasium.  Players MAY NOT bring in bottled water they must utilize the facilities drinking fountain.  This is for regular season games only.

41.  All committee members, players, coaches, and spectators must insure that the gym is spotless before leaving the gym.  This includes, and is not limited to: restrooms, spectator’s seating area, player’s/coach’s area, the main court, and the parking lot.  The gyms should be cleaned after each game.  Both the home team and away team must clean the gym.  It is the home team’s responsibility; the home team will suffer if complaints are submitted to the league from the gym staff.

42.  Please respect the public property.  We are granted the gym as a privilege that may be taken away from us if we abuse this privilege.

43.  Please also note that if a division of the league is dismissed from the gym or the playing site for any reason, that division will be terminated from the league for the rest of the season with no refunds!

44.  Please note also that coaches, players, and committee members are responsible for the spectator’s actions.

45.  Please note that not all games will be hosted in a gym.  Games will be hosted in a gym according to availability.  If a gym is not available for a certain weekend, an outdoor location will be assigned.

46.  Please keep all entrances and exits to the all facilities clean because it is a fire hazard.

47. No noise making equipment is allowed at any of the games.

48. Teams that have the opening game on game days should arrive early to insure that everything is properly setup and ready to go by tip off time.  Score board, bleachers, player’s seating, trash cans, and that they have a game ball.

49.  Playoffs

a.      Boys, Girls, and College Leagues:

                                                              i.      Top three (3) teams of each league/division will advance (single elimination).

b.       General Record Determination:

                                                              i.      Overall division record per team.

                                                            ii.      When two teams are tied in the standings, regular season head-to-head results are used as the tie-breaker.  If the season is not split (one team winning both games) then they (the team that won both games) takes the higher position. 

                                                          iii.      If three or more teams are tied, the combined record of each team against the other teams involved in the tie is used to break the tie.

                                                          iv.      If the above procedures fail to establish an advantage, point differential.

50.  Please see the league calendar for important dates and deadlines on when things are due.

51.  If one or more of these rules are broken and both teams are willing to play the game in a fun, safe, friendly atmosphere, you may do so, but please contact one of the league officials before the game starts and state that the game is being played for no record.

52.  Please be advised that all nonparticipating players, all committee members, all coaches, and all fans will be charged a $3.00 entrance fee per day of playoff and final game days.  Payment is collected upon entrance.

53.  A player must play for the church they attend regularly.  In the event the church they attend does not have a team, then they with the approval of that team's parish priest and coach can join the requested team.  If there is a discrepancy in the church the player states they attend then the following two rules apply:

a.      The player is to play for the team they played for a majority of the past 3 years (college and high school years can be used to calculate this).

b.      If the player has played for 3 various teams then the coach for the last team he played for as well as the new team the player will be playing for have to agree that:

                                                              i.      this is what's best for the players spiritual benefit in terms of church attendance

                                                            ii.      the player moving from team to team is mutually beneficial in that it is not deteriorating a team for the benefit of another.

c.       Steps to switching teams:

                                                              i.      A written letter from the coach must be sent to the league (basketball@lacopts.org) stating the reasoning switching to another team.

                                                            ii.      A written letter from the player must be sent to the league (basketball@lacopts.org) stating the reasoning switching to another team.

                                                          iii.      The parish priest of the team that the player wants to switch to must contact Fr. James Soliman to confirm that they are now part of that parish church and that the player’s move is in the best spiritual interest of the player.

d.      If the league does approve the move, then the player may be asked to "red-shirt" or sit out a 5 game penalty of the regular season games depending on the leagues decision.  They can participate in practices and joining the team but will not be able to participate in the first 5 games of the season.

Game Rules:

53.  The three-second rule in the key should apply when the offensive player has one foot in the key. When the shot goes up, the three-second rule is no longer in effect, the count starts over.  No defensive three-seconds.

54.  Players are allowed only 5 seconds to inbound the ball.

55.  Players are given only 10 seconds to get the ball and both feet across the half court line.

56.  After a made basket the clock does not stop.  The clock is still live unless the referee calls an official timeout or if the criteria in rule #57 is met.

57.  Game clock for College, High School Boys and Girls Leagues:

a.      20 minutes running time, 2 halves.  Time does not stop during free-throws and out of bound plays.  The clock stops during timeouts and injuries.  Time also stops within the last 2 minutes of each half, only if the difference between the two teams is within 10 points (i.e. 50-59 pts. time stops; 50-60 pts. time DOES NOT stop.)  Overtime will be 4 minutes running time with the last 1 minute stopping only if the difference between the two teams is within 10 points as described above.  Double overtime will be 2 minutes running time with the last 30 seconds stopping only if the difference between the two teams is within 10 points as described above.

58.  There are four 1-minute timeouts per game.  In the case of overtime, you are awarded one 1-minute time out for the whole over time period.  Timeouts do not carryover into over time.

59.  After calling a timeout, a team cannot advance the ball.

60.  When a technical foul is called, it is 2 shots and possession of the ball remains the same.

61.  A technical foul is not considered a team foul, but is a personal foul, if it was awarded to a person. If it is awarded to a coach or a team bench then it is just a team foul. A player on the bench can receive a technical foul, which will be considered as a team and personal foul.

62.  During free-throw shooting, all players including the ones that are not lined up along the key are allowed to enter the key when the ball is released from the hand of the shooter, except for the shooter who must wait for the ball to hit the rim.

63.  During free-throw shooting, the shooter is allowed 10-seconds to shoot each free throw.

64.  When a player receives his 6th foul, they are to be removed from the game immediately.

65.  Teams are awarded one-and-one situation when the opposing team reaches Seven (7) fouls in a half and double bonus for Ten (10) fouls

66.  At all games you must use a legal high school boys’ basketball.  No exceptions for the girls.

67.  During each game there must be three statisticians – and only three.  One statistician from each team taking stats and one timekeeper.  It is up to the committee members to aid the referees to enforce this policy, but it is the coach’s responsibility to ensure that there team comes prepared for any event (each team should come with a stats book and a stop watch).

68.  If a player, coach, or spectator is ejected from a game from the CIF referee and/or the responsible committee member he must leave the premises.

69.  All other CIF rules apply.

70.  All these rules are subject to change with or without notice.  Players and coaches are still responsible for the addition/clarification/change of the rules at any given time.

Last Revised: 3/9/06 5:30PM