Before the 2007-2008 Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) season began, the International Association for Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) decided to enforce two rules, the Uniform Policy and the Blood Rule, more stringently.
The Uniform Policy requires players to keep their jerseys tucked in at all times during a game. If a player does not comply with this rule, he must be substituted out until the jersey is properly tucked in. If he is told repeatedly, he can incur a technical foul.
The second rule requires a player with blood on his uniform to remain out of the game until he can change his jersey. This policy aims to prevent transmission of HIV and other blood-borne infectious diseases. “Any time there is blood, the athlete must come out of the game until we stop the bleeding,” said Philip Fisher, coach of the Runnin’ Rebels, the boys’ varsity basketball team.
Although the Uniform Policy has been around in recent years, it is now coming under greater scrutiny by IAABO officials. “We try to set a precedent. We try to tell the players to look neat and professional out there on the basketball court,” PSAL referee Kyle Toppin said. “We just want to remind the players to keep the jerseys in because if they keep on falling out, they can’t play.”
While the rule is strictly enforced, it has not had much of an impact on Stuyvesant’s teams. “I keep [my shirt] tucked in anyway to make sure everything is under control,” said senior Jake LaMountain, captain of the Rebels.
“We’ve always known about it. It’s nothing new to us,” said senior Katherine Pan, captain of the Phoenix, the girls’ varsity basketball team.
The referees talk with the captains of each team before every game to go over the rules. “We are told to before the game by the refs and by our coach,” Pan said.
The main factor in combating the Uniform Policy is communication between the players, coaches and referees. Toppin said that in order to enforce the rule, officials need to be very proactive in talking with the coaches and captains. “I think communication is one of the most important things,” Toppin said.
This rule has come into greater effect as a means of improving the image of high school basketball. The NBA recently implemented a rule much the same. It stated that a player must keep their uniform tucked into their pants throughout the whole game. With the Uniform Policy, IAABO is formalizing high school basketball. “It makes high school basketball look like gentlemen are playing, not just schoolyard kids,” said junior Nolan Becker, who plays for the Rebels.
While maintaining a strict image on high school basketball, IAABO has dealt with the safety of the game as well. As with the Uniform Policy, there has been greater enforcement of the Blood Rule this year than in previous years. This rule was instated to increase the safety of high school basketball, especially safety amongst the players on the court.
With 3:41 remaining in the Rebels’ game against Beacon High School on Monday, December 10, Becker was elbowed in the nose. As blood fell on his jersey, the game came to a stop until he had changed jerseys with a teammate. “It’s a good rule. It’s better safe than sorry,” Becker said.
Coach Michelle Nicholls of the Phoenix brings a “blood jersey” to every game. “In case something happens where there is blood on their uniform, the blood jersey can then be switched for the jersey that doesn’t have blood so that way that player can still play in the game,” Nicholls said. Although her players seldom run into this rule, she brings it to every game as a precaution.
Whether it is to improve the safety of the game or just the image, IAABO is slowly cleaning up high school basketball.