Woodland Hills Metro Basketball Association

You Are Here : >

2017-2018 PIAA Rules and Regulations

Basketball Rules & Regulations 2017-18

(Metro Season Calendar for 2017-2018 Season)

METRO REGISTRATION COMPLIANCE & ACCEPTANCE
Metro USA Sports reserves the right to deny entrance to a district and/or team, or remove a team and/or district, at any time during
the season, for the following reasons:
1) Final rosters not received by due date
2) Registration fees not received by due date
3) Roster substitutions and/or additions after due date
4) Ineligible player not residing within school district
5) Behavioral issues with player, coach, parent and/or 3 rd party
6) Unsafe playing environment both on and off the court
7) Willfully not playing scheduled games
If a player, coach, team, parent and/or 3 rd party is removed, it will be immediate. Any fees paid will NOT be refunded. Any
administrative hours required to repair any schedule adjustment, will be invoiced to the district and team. Re-entry into Metro USA
Sports, in subsequent years, will require approval.

GAME SCHEDULE COMPLIANCE
Each team that gains entry to Metro USA Sports is required to play all games as scheduled between the specified dates.

SEASON COMMITMENT
All teams must be game-ready and committed to play between December 1 st and the end of the Metro Invitational Tournament. The
MIT’s is a segment of the winter season. All teams are required to participate. MIT entry fees are paid by Metro USA Sports for all
teams in good standing. All proceeds benefit the MIT Host District non-profit organizations.

CODE OF CONDUCT
Our Primary Objective: To provide a secure and safe environment for the youth of our communities, as well as our PIAA referees.
Metro USA Sports will do whatever it takes to protect our youth. Therefore, there will be “zero tolerance” when executing the code
of conduct. Metro USA Sports follows rules as specified by the National Federation and as adopted by the PIAA and WPIAL.
The “HEAD COACH” will have complete control over the code of conduct. This means the “HEAD COACH” must control all players,
assistant coach, parents, and any 3 rd party that is in attendance at a Metro USA Sports scheduled game. The team “HEAD COACH” shall
be held accountable for any violations as reported by the PIAA Officials. Metro USA Sports will uphold all violations from PIAA
sanctioned referees. If a PIAA sanctioned referee reports an incident, Metro USA Sports will act immediately in accordance with
PIAA regulations.

PIAA CERTIFIED REFEREES & RULES
Two (2) certified PIAA officials are required for each home game. Referees are NOT appointed by Metro USA Sports. They are
appointed and compensated by the host team. It is required by Metro USA Sports that every game book, for each team, be signed by
a referee. ALL referees shall be treated with respect at all times.

COMMENT: Metro USA Sports will completely rely on PIAA and WPIAL rules and regulations, entirely, to manage all sanctioned games.
All conflicts will now be settled by, well established, rules & definitions as noted in the PIAA handbook. Therefore, it is important that
all teams familiarize themselves with current PIAA rules & regulations. In addition, it is important that each district utilize referee
chapters and referees that are well versed in officiating games at the appropriate level.

WAIVER & RELEASE OF LIABILITY (Player...Coach)
COACHES will have verified that all rostered players hereby acknowledge, prior to participating, that they have general health and/or
accident insurance to cover any or all injuries that may be sustained at any location where games are scheduled throughout the
defined season. That all participants have further acknowledged that they have released Metro USA Sports from any liability resulting
from injuries or carelessness which is beyond the control of Metro USA Sports.TEAM & PLAYER QUALIFICATION
Teams must be formed with players that reside within their school district. Verification is done through address and school attending
per WPIAL standards.

AGE RESTRICTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH PIAA
You may NOT have reached......
Your 15 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 8 th grade school year.
Your 14 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 7 th grade school year.
Your 13 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 6 th grade school year.
Your 12 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 5 th grade school year.
Your 11 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 4 th grade school year.
Your 10 th birthday by June 30 th immediately preceding the 3 rd grade school year.

RULES & DEFINITIONS
Rules & definitions shall be in accordance with current National Federation and as adopted by PIAA/WPIAL rules & definitions.
Exceptions, qualifications, and points of clarifications as follows:
Ball Size:

BOYS: 29-1/2” circumference for grades 5 and higher. 28-1/2” circumference for grade 4 and lower.
GIRLS: 28-1/2” for all grades.
Jersey: Reversible preferred
Numbers: Any one or two digit number is acceptable by Metro USA Sports. Numbers on front & back is preferred.
Team Size: Games must be started with five players. We prefer rosters between 7 and 10 players.
Sponsors: Sponsor names on uniforms are acceptable as long as there is no affiliation with groups that support alcohol, drugs, tobacco,
and firearms.
3-Point Field Goal: A 3 point field goal is NOT permitted for 4 th grade & under for boys and girls. If the shot is taken & made, it shall be
scored as 2 points. The rule was created to teach & encourage proper shooting technique.
Pressure Defense 4 th & Under Only: 4 th grade and under (boys & girls) shall be restricted to full court man-to-man during the last 2
minutes of each half and may continue throughout overtime. Pressure defense may not be used if the score exceeds 10 or more points
at any given time.
Foul Shots 4 th & Under Only: The foul shot must begin at the line. If, after the shot, the player lands over the line, there will be NO
violation.
Team Bench: The team bench shall be limited to rostered & uniformed players and no more than three (3) coaches.

DIVISIONS (Important)
Teams are classified as Division 1 or Division 2 for grades 5 through 8 and scheduled separately.
The scheduling exception would be if there were not enough Division 1 teams in a given grade level. In which case, Division 2 teams
will be used to fill the schedule. All games will count as regulation games. Scheduling would be done randomly by using available gym
dates & teams.

CALL-UPS
A call-up is a “rostered” player, from the same district, that may be used by another team from the same district. You may ONLY use
a call-up from a lower grade level. Call-ups are NOT permitted from the same grade. For example a “B” team.

GAME PROCEDURE & TIME MANAGEMENT
QUARTERS: Four, 6 minute quarters utilizing a stop clock for grades 3 through 8. A minimum of 1 minute between quarters is required.
HALF: 2 minute minimum and 5 minute maximum
TIME-OUTS: Three (3) full and two (2) 30-second per game (modified for MIT’s)
OVERTIME: 3-minute stop clock with 1 timeout. There will be a 1 minute timeout between overtimes. Overtime games must be completed the same
day or recorded as a tie.

SCOREKEEPER: The home team shall designate an official scorekeeper and notify each coach & referee. The official scorebook must be signed by the referee.

IMPORTANT: All technical fouls on players, bench, and any other incident must have the scorebook signed by the PIAA referee.
Copies of the signed scorebook must be emailed to Metro USA Sports for documentation in the event of an incident. The referee must print their name, sign, indicate their chapter, phone contact number, email, and date. The report must be emailed & received within 24 hours. If this information is not provided, by the specified deadline, no record will be recorded by Metro USA Sports!GAME RESPONSIBILITIES

HOME TEAM
The home team shall provide equal practice time and game ball.
Home team may charge admission for adults and students, sell refreshments, and sell 50/50 raffle.
Home team must provide & compensate (2) PIAA certified officials, clock operator, scorekeeper, and scoring table at mid-court.

VISITING TEAM
The visiting team must arrive 10 minutes prior to game time.
Teams must bring their own practice balls unless prohibited by the host team.
Visiting teams must yield jersey color to the host team.
The visiting team shall forfeit if arriving at game start or after.
Once a game has started, it will be considered a regulation game.
Example: If a game begins and after 2 minutes there is a power failure, the district opts to close the gym, it shall be considered a game
played. Score must be reported with explanation.

IMPORTANT: All technical fouls on players, bench, and any other incident must have the scorebook signed by the PIAA referee.
Copies of the signed scorebook must be emailed to Metro USA Sports for documentation. The referee must print their name, sign,
indicate their chapter, phone contact number, email, and date. The report must be emailed & received within 24 hours.

SCHEDULED GAMES
The HOST team has complete authority over a scheduled game. Once a game is scheduled, it cannot be changed. If the visiting team
does not comply with a scheduled game, it shall be recorded as a forfeit.

AUTHORIZED POSTPONED GAMES
If a game has been postponed due to school permit changes or due to weather, then the HOST team must report it to Metro USA
Sports immediately. The visiting team must be informed immediately and copied with any email. Proof of permit change will be
required. If a schedule change has been made due to permit changes or weather, it must be agreed upon by both teams and reported to Metro USA Sports at once. If the HOST or Visiting team cannot agree on a make-up date before the end of season, it shall be considered a game not played with zero point value awarded. If a game is rescheduled for any other reason, and agreed on by both teams, it will be the responsibility of BOTH teams to complete the game.
ANY game change or modification must be reported to Metro USA Sports within 24 hours. The HOME team must copy the VISITING
team when emailing Metro USA Sport.

SCORE REPORTING
Metro USA Sports will accept scores from the winning team. The head coach from the winning team must report their score,
electronically, to [email protected] .Scores must be reported within 24 hours of the scheduled game.
IMPORTANT: To qualify for the Metro Invitational Tournament, each team must report 80% of their game scores (8 games). Scores
are to be reported per MIT deadline date. Therefore, if the winning team does not report a score within 24 hours, we will accept a
score from the losing team.

SCORE REPORT DEADLINES & ACCURACY
It is the responsibility of the HEAD COACH to be sure that their scores have been published accurately. Any inaccuracies must be
reported prior to the score report deadlines as established in the season calendar.

IMPORTANT: To qualify for the Metro Invitational Tournament, each team must report 80% of their game scores (8 games). Scores
are to be reported per MIT deadline date. Therefore, if the winning team does not report a score within 24 hours, we will accept a
score from the losing team.
Metro Invitational Tournament (MIT) Seeding
Qualification for MIT’s: To qualify for the Metro Invitational Tournament, each team must report 80% of their game scores (8
games). Scores are to be reported per MIT deadline date. Therefore, if the winning team does not report a score within 24 hours, we
will accept a score from the losing team.Team standings, for seeding, will be based on the following criteria (refer to the standings page on the website):
1 st Total Standings Points as shown in the website standings column
2 nd If there is a 2-way tie, head-to-head will be used or coin-toss if head-to-head cannot determine
3 rd If there is a 3 or more team tie, Metro USA Sports, will use a lottery
NOTE: Points are awarded for wins only. If games are not played, there will be no points awarded. Tie games will no
longer be considered. Points for/against WILL NOT be considered in standings calculations.
IMPORTANT! We must stress that the “game scorebook”, as provided by the home team, is the only evidence of the
completed game. The lead referee must print his/her name, sign the book, and provide an email address for verification. If there is
an issue...it must be verified. Metro USA Sports will no longer be liable to settle disputes since we cannot be at every game. Any
issue must be reported, by email, within 24 hours of the end of game. NO EXCEPTIONS.
DISCLAIMER: Any inaccuracies or contradictions that may be displayed on this sheet are purely accidental, and shall be ruled upon by
Metro USA Sports. Rules may be amended from time to time and as needed. Any such amendments can be found at the website.
http://www.eteamz.com/metrousa/

Website Manager

Woodland Hills Metro Basketball Association

2017-2018 PIAA Rules and Regulations

Site Links

Woodland Hills Metro Basketball Association