Tuesday/Thursday Crosstown Basketball Rules

Urban Rec Basketball Rules

Teams

  1. Have fun and play with good sportsmanship!  We expect all of our Urban Rec participants to have a “Fun First” attitude about this unique sporting opportunity.  There is an emphasis on the players knowing the rules and managing their own actions on the court.  Sportsmanship, fun and being social are number one at Urban Rec and we hope to see that exhibited by all of our participants!
  2. To be eligible to play in the league all participants must have signed an online waiver with Urban Rec. Players that do not sign an online waiver will not be issued membership keytags and are not permitted to participate. Team captains that do not fill out the online team roster will have their team removed from the schedule until they do so and all players have signed the waiver. Team captains are responsible for ensuring that all participants for their team are eligible to participate.
  3. Playoffs Eligibility – all players must have played a minimum of 2 nights over the regular season to be eligible to play in the playoffs. A team using an ineligible player will automatically forfeit the playoff game if the game has begun and that player has played in the game at that point. If a player shows up that is not on the team roster, they will not be allowed to play regardless if they played or subbed during the regular season. All players must be on the roster and indicate they have read the online waiver even if they are subs.
  4. League Coordinator (LC) may do a random ID check for players at any time at their discretion to ensure they are eligible to participate.  If a team is found to be using an ineligible player, then that player’s team will forfeit the game if it has already begun.  If the ID check is done prior to the game starting then that player is simply not permitted to participate until they have indicated they have read the online waiver (they can do this via their smartphone). 
  5. Prior to your game, please double-check the online league schedule for your game times.  If your team is late and not ready to go when the whistle blows to start the match, then you will lose playing time.  A match will consist of two 25-minute halves. 
  6. Teams have a 10-minute grace period from their scheduled start time as tracked by the League Coordinator to field the minimum starting lineup:
    • 4-on-4 basketball- a full starting lineup consists of 4 players including at least 1 woman and 1 man on the court, but a team may play with only 3 players if that is all they have provided they have at least 1 woman and 1 man on the floor.
    • If a team does not have enough players to field the minimum starting lineup (including at least 1 woman and 1 man) by the end of this 10-minute grace period, then that team defaults the game and is subject to the associated default fee used to reimburse their opponent.  In this situation, the teams are encouraged to mix up players and play for fun during their time slot.  Any team defaulting more than 2 games in a season may be asked to leave the league, with no refund.
  7. Teams may avoid defaulting in regular season games by utilizing players from other teams (other than your opponents) that play in the league without penalty.  However, in the playoffs, this can only be done to avoid being subject to the default policy- the game will be considered an automatic loss (but not a default) if a team utilizes players not on their roster to field a lineup.
  8. All players should bring a dark shirt and a light shirt to all games. No grey.  By default, the visiting team will be required to change their shirts if both teams show up wearing a similar colour.

League Coordinator

  1. The League Coordinator (LC) is NOT the referee. All games are self-officiated. Rather, the LC is responsible for timing the games, ensuring you have the necessary equipment to play, providing basic first aid and is a resource if you have any questions or concerns. They are however tasked with enabling a positive and safe atmosphere for the participants. At their discretion they may eject players for actions that are contrary to league policy, game rules or violate the code of conduct.
  2. In situations where the teams are unable to determine the appropriate call due to not seeing the play, complexity of the situation, etc. they can defer to the LC and if they also cannot determine a timely resolution, it will result in a reset in play.

Timing

  1. Teams will play one game each week in a 60-minute time slot, and each game will be two 25-minute halves (running time). There are no timeouts.
  2. In Regular Season games, if the score is within one possession in the last 30 seconds of the second half, the clock will stop on all dead balls (no shot clock will be used).
  3. – Playoffs only – Shot clock & Stop time – If a playoff match enters the last two minutes of game with the score being within 6 points or less, shot clock & stop time stipulations will be put into effect and monitored by the LC on site. Time will be stopped whenever the ball is out of bounds, on a foul, injury, etc. The shot clock will be set at 20 seconds, which will only reset for a team should they recover an offensive rebound (the ball must hit the rim to be considered an offensive rebound).
  4. – Playoffs only – In the event of a tie at the end of regulation: teams will play overtime up to 2 minutes in length provided time is available in the gym booking to do so (this will be at the discretion of the on-site staff). Shot clock and stop time rules will be in effect.

Offense

  1. Games start with a rock-paper-scissors with the winning team getting the ball first.
  2. Before the start after any stoppage, the player starting the game must ‘check’ the ball to their opponent and must make a pass once the game is back on (they cannot shoot, or dribble off a restart).
  3. Any ball that goes out of play, after any basket, or any foul call, the ball will be ‘checked’ back in at the top of the key.
  4. Players can only sub during stoppages in play (made basket, ball out of bounds or after a foul).
  5. After a basket, the team who was scored on will take possession from the end line below their basket
  6. There is no “three in the key” penalty.

Defense

  1. Each team shall be permitted five (5) team fouls per half.  Upon a team’s sixth (and subsequent) foul, the non-offending team shall be awarded one (1) point as well as possession of the ball following the foul.
  2. Urban Rec has extended the restricted area to the second hash mark from the foul line. Defenseive players may not try and draw a charge inside this restricted area.
  3. Full court man-to-man pressure is permitted, however—should a team lead the game by 15 points or more, the pressure must be removed & no attempts to defend the ball handler are permitted (impeding progress, trying to steal the ball, setting traps, and so on) before half court. Any infraction of this rule witnessed by the on-site staff will result in the offending team being assessed a foul, which counts towards a team’s allotted number of fouls per half.
  4. In the event of a jumpball (two opponents are both holding possession of the ball for 3 seconds), the ball is awarded to the team on the defensive side of the court.
  5. All games are self-refereed.  Any infractions will be discussed amongst the two players involved only. In the event of a foul during a scoring attempt, the ball is “checked up” from the top of the key by the team on offense.
  6. Teams must play player-to- player Defense. Absolutely NO ZONE DEFENSE is allowed.

Miscellaneous

  1. Before play, please check the area for any debris, puddles or dangerous obstacles and report these findings to your LC.
  2. Any controversial play where teams are unable to determine the appropriate call due to not seeing the play, complexity of the situation, etc. can defer to the LC. Should the LC be unable to make a fair judgement call, the play will simply be reset. Once this is determined, the game will proceed without further discussion.
  3. ​UNSPORTSMANLIKE PLAY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED – Urban Rec leagues are recreational by design and sportsmanship is paramount. This is further articulated in the Urban Rec code of conduct that was signed by all players upon registering to play in any Urban Rec league.
  4. If the LC witnesses any acts of flagrant contact, elbowing, cheap shots, or any type of unsportsmanlike act, the game can be stopped and the player can be removed from the game.
  5. Trash talking is illegal. (Trash talk is language communicated that may be offensive to the coordinator, opposing players, teams, or spectators). The coordinator has the right to determine what is offensive language. If trash talking occurs, the LC will issue one warning. If it continues, the player or players will be ejected from the game.
  6. All other standard basketball regulations apply.
  7. Tiebreaker - If two or more teams are tied in the standings at season’s end, the tiebreaker will be as follows:
  • 1st tiebreaker – higher in-division win
  • 2nd tiebreaker – higher UR fun point average
  • 3rd tiebreaker – head to head winner
  • 4th tiebreaker- points for/against in head to head games
  • 5th tiebreaker – coin flip
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