NCBL - Northeastern Conference Senior Basketball League Rules

The Northeastern Conference Basketball League (NCBL) Senior Division is designed to be an integral part of the Northeastern Conference Youth Ministries Program. This is designed to give each local Adventist Youth Society and its basketball team another opportunity to fellowship with other societies and teams, to demonstrate and foster Christian friendship and to further demonstrate God’s gift through physical, social, mental and spiritual capabilities.

The NCBL Senior Division shall be governed by a Commission chosen by the Northeastern Conference Youth Director or an Associate Youth Director. This Commission shall consist of:

1.    Each A. Y. Society or department within the Northeastern Conference approved by the NCBL Senior Division Commission is permitted to field a basketball team.

2.    Each team is under the sponsorship of the local Adventist Youth Society Council and the local church board and is governed by the decisions of these bodies.

3.    Each team shall consist of a certified Seventh-day Adventist coach and no less than eight (8) players and no more than fifteen (15) players. Each certified coach and player must present their identification badge to a staff member at the door of every game. Failure to do so will result in a penalty fine of $4 to enter the gym.

4.    Teams must complete all forms supplied by the NCBL Senior Division and return them by the specified date.

5.    Each team shall be composed of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

6.    Minimum age to participate in the NCBL Senior Division is 16 years.

7.    Players who attend church, who are active members, but have not yet taken a stand to be baptized and are currently active in the JNCBL are eligible to participate in the NCBL Senior Division up and including the age of 20 years.

7a. All non-baptized Seventh-day Adventists shall be exposed to the precepts and teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church by regular invitation and encouragement to attend church. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are prohibited in the NCBL Senior Division.

8.    All team members entering the league will have to prove their eligibility by submitting their baptismal certificate.

The NCBL Senior Division shall be divided into divisions and the commissioners shall decide the composition of each division and shall notify each team of the division to which it is a part.

All league fees shall be determined by the NCBL Senior Division Commission prior to the beginning of each season and shall be paid by the specified date set by the commission. Failure to comply with this or any other registration requirement, prohibits the team from participation in the league.

The NCBL Senior Division Commission shall be responsible for determining format and sites of the playoffs and championship games. Notifications shall be sent out no later than March 1st of the current season.

Teams participating in the NCBL numbering 19 and above will use the sweet sixteen format.

1.    Prayer is to be offered before each game night.
2.    The NCBL Senior Division Commission members shall be responsible for all gyms, scorekeepers and officials, and shall maintain the records of the NCBL Senior Division.
3.    Once a game is started, the officials are responsible for the continuation, completion and conduct of the game. The commissioner on site may intervene either upon request of the officials, or when deemed necessary.
4.    The coach shall be responsible for the conduct and eligibility of all members of his/her team.
5.    Each team member must play in each of his/her team’s games that he/she is present for and is physically able to play in. Non-compliance will result in game forfeiture.
5a. Team members listed on their previous roster as an injured player cannot re-enter the following season under the same status.

5b. Coaches not complying with special rule #5 terminates NCBL Senior Division certification and are immediately ineligible to coach.

6.    League play shall be governed by the NCAA rules and regulations regarding basketball except where the NCBL Senior Division Commission has adopted special rules.

7.    Any player or coach using profanity on or off the court shall be ejected from the game and shall be suspended for the remainder of the season including tournament competition. The interpretation of “off the court” will include both the interior and exterior of the venue being used.

8.    Fighting is prohibited in the NCBL Senior Division. Participants will be ejected immediately from the game and the venue followed by a suspension for the remainder of the season. Pending commissioner’s decision, participants may be band permanently from participating in the NCBL Senior Division.

9.    No player or coach verbally threatening or physically attacking an official or commissioner will be allowed to participate in the NCBL Senior Division.

10.    The NCBL Senior Division has zero tolerance for the wearing of jewelry, body piercing adornments, which include earrings, chains, finger rings, nose rings, beads, ankle or wrist bracelets, by participating league members. See also NCAA Rule 3 Sec. 7 Art. 7. Medical alert ID’s must be reported at the time of registration and/or when newly diagnose during the current season.

10a.   Violation of Special Rule #10 will render the person ineligible to
                  participate in that evenings game/activity and the offending member’s
                  NCBL Senior Division identification card will be confiscated. The head
                  coach will be notified and suspended for his/her next game. A second
                  offense will result in a three game suspension as well as a one game
                  suspension for the head coach. All suspensions include playoffs
                  and championship play. If the violation results in a forfeiture, Rule #1
                  of Fees will apply.

11.    All protests shall be forwarded to the Conference Youth Director in writing by the following Tuesday. A ten dollar ($10.00) fee must accompany each written protest. This ten dollar ($10.00) fee will be refunded if the protest is deemed legitimate. Protests involving an official’s judgment will not be entertained and protest arriving after the specified time will not be honored.

12.    All games must begin within thirty (30) minutes of the starting time. If a team is not prepared to start a game at the end of the thirty (30) minute period, the commissioner will consult with the coaches and may impose a grace period of up to 15 minutes. After the grace period expires, the commissioner will declare a forfeit.

13.    Running Time: The decision regarding running time for any game will be at the discretion of the official and the commissioner on site. However, if running time is caused by the tardiness of a team, then the team at fault shall start in the FOUL penalty for the first half of the game.

14.    A player must play in a minimum of three (3) regular season games in order to be eligible for play in the post-season games. The only exception will be if the individual is away at school (out-of-town) at the start of the season, and his name is on the roster from the start of the season.

15.    Uniforms: In compliance with standards of NCAA all teams participating within the NCBL Senior Division must wear complete uniforms (shorts and shirts) with visible numbers from the outset of each season. No sweat pants or unconventional shorts will be accepted. The length of team shorts must not exceed more than one inch below the knee. Team members not in proper uniform for any one game will not be allowed to play. No exceptions will be granted.

a)    All uniform shirts and shorts must be tailored the same (i.e., in regard to length, trim, color and design.) The coach of any player who enters a game without proper uniform will be assessed a technical foul, and the player will be removed from the game upon which they cannot re-enter until the aforementioned has been corrected.

b)    All players of the NCBL Senior Division must wear their team uniforms appropriately and as so designed or fashioned.

c)    All new teams entering the league must be in uniform from the onset of the season. All new uniforms must comply with the NCAA rules on numbers for size and location. See Rule #3 Sect. 5 Art.8b – 8e. Starting in the 2009-2010 season all teams participating in the NCBL Senior Division must have and wear either reversible uniform jerseys or a home (light game)/away (dark game) jerseys.

The following numbers are legal:

0	1	2	3	4	5	00
10	11	12	13	14	15
20	21	22	23	24	25
30	31	32	33	34	35
40	41	42	43	44	45
50	51	52	53	54	55

Team rosters can include 0 or 00 but not both. The numbers on the front and back of the team jersey shall be the same color and style. Violation of uniform rules cannot be rectified through the expense of technicals.

Please refer to the NCAA 2008-2009 Rule Book, Rule #3, Section 5, Article 8a. Please take special notice of Rule #3, Section 5, Article 17 and the Note along with Art. 17.

For a copy of the NCAA rule book you may write to:

SENIOR NCBL RULES & REGULATIONS