Rules | nchoops

Grade Divisions

Boys and Girls 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, Junior Varsity (JV 10th Grade), Varsity (11th and 12th Grade). NorCal Hoops reserves the right to combine grades into divisions when necessary to form a complete bracket.

Rules & Requirements

The NorCal Hoops Tournament Series is proud to present tournaments at facilities all around Northern California. Our tournaments offer a variety of play options. All teams and players must be AAU Members in good standing in order to participate.

NorCal Hoops reserves the right to refuse entry of any team in any tournament, for any reason, in order to maintain the integrity of the tournament series, to insure good sportsmanship and to provide a safe environment in which kids can participate.

Registration

All teams must have an AAU Club ID, and each player MUST have an AAU membership card to be eligible to play in our AAU Sanctioned tournaments. All teams AND players MUST have an AAU membership to participate in non-sanctioned tournaments (i.e. leagues and scrimmage tournaments).

Scheduling

NorCal Hoops will accept scheduling requests, but they CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

AAU Coach Eligibility

All coaches and program staff must hold a valid AAU Membership Card (for administrators). Since 2013, California has required that youth sports programs conduct Criminal Background Checks to insure that children are not exposed to child predators or felons. An AAU Coaches Membership is not issued until a Criminal Background Check is completed by AAU National Headquarters.

California Assembly Bill requiring coaching background checks (see Section J):

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB465

Players on Multiple Teams

Players are only allowed to participate on ONE TEAM during a tournament. This is in effect to insure the safety of the player. Two examples are cited below:

A club has two teams at the same grade level (an "A" team and a "B" team)
A club has a player who is capable of playing on his 6th grade tea, but also play up with the 7th grade team
A player plays on teams with two different clubs

In the examples above (and in other similar circumstances), the player can only participate with ONE TEAM during the tournament. Violations of this rule may result in both teams being forced to forfeit games in wich the player participated, at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

AAU Player Eligibility

All players must meet eligibility for AAU age requirements for boys teams and girls teams. Each player may be required to provide proof of AAU Membership, Birth Certificate, and/or Report Cards at time of tournament check-in. This will insure that all players on the floor are eligible, and eliminate the need for protests based on player age/grade eligibility. Players that cannot be age/grade certified will not be allowed to play. Teams found to have players ineligible for the bracket in which they are entered shall forfeit all games in which an ineligible player was on the bench.

Rules, Regulations & Exceptions

Tournaments are run under the auspices of the National Federation Of State High School Association basketball rules, with the exception of the rules stated below. All rules subject to change without notice.

CLICK HERE for National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules.

Game Clock Rules

Game Clock: NorCal Hoops typically runs 20-minute running clock halves (clock stops in the final 2 minutes of each half) or 7-minute stop clock quarters.
A stopped clock will re-start when the ball is handed to a player on an inbounds, except for during the final 2 minutes of each period, the clock will start when the ball contacts a player on inbounds.
Timeouts: In stop-clock games: 2-Full and 2-30 Second total timeouts per game. In running-clock games, 1 full and 1 30-second timeout per half (no carryover). There will be only one 30-second timeout during overtime.

Other Rules

Only TWO Coaches per team are provided complimentary admission to the tournament (coaches wristbands), and only coaches with valid AAU Membership Cards and a Photo ID will be issued free wristbands. Only two coaches are allowed on the bench during games.
Teams are NOT ALLOWED to have a Scorekeeper At The Scorers Table, unless the tournament does NOT provide an official scorekeeper.
Official Ball Sizes: 28.5" (Boys 2nd thru 6th Grade), 29.5" (Boys 7th grade thru Varsity), 28.5" (All Girls)
10 Second Back Court Violation, No Shot Clock.
Technical Fouls on coaching staff results in TWO Shots and possession for the Opposing Team. Two Technical fouls on a single coach will result in a coaches ejection from the tournament.
Players are not allowed to wear jewelry on the court (MedicAlert bracelets can be worn, but must be taped) for the safety of all players.
Teams may play with 4 players when necessary (missing players, foul trouble, etc)
Standings Tiebreakers: Determined by (1) Head-to-Head, (2) Point Differential which is total points scored less total point given, (3) Total Points (Max of 15 per game), (4) Total Points (no maximum), then (5) Total Points Allowed. The tournament director may opt to break a tie outside of the tie-breaker rules when special consideration is warranted or needed, at the discretion of the tournament director.
Overtime: There will be a 1-minute overtime period with stop clock, followed by sudden death with Jump Ball to begin the period and possession arrow determining possession in sudden death.
Full Court Press: For teams 6th grade thru Varsity, full court press must be removed when the team leading has a 20-or-more Point Lead. For 3rd thru 5th grade teams, full court press must be removed when the team leading has a 15-or-more point lead.
Violations of Full Court Press rules incur one warning, and subsequently a technical foul.
Protests require A $100 Cash Deposit to be heard by the Tournament Director. A favorable ruling results in a refund of the $100 deposit. A team forfeits the $100 deposit if the protest results in an unfavorable ruling.
NO SHOWS: Any team that does not show up for a game will be obligated to pay the tournament director $150 in financial compensation, and will be required to pay a refundable deposit of $100 per team (maximum $500) to be scheduled into future tournaments.
All teams must check in 30 minutes prior to their first scheduled game time, except for the first game of the day at each gymnasium, for which the team must arrive 15-minutes before scheduled game time.
Teams arriving more than 10 minutes late shall forfeit the game, but will be allowed to play the game with amy remaining time, up until the next scheduled game time.
Games can be started early when the tournament is ahead of schedule, at the discretion of the tournament director, floor managers or officials.
The Tournament Director reserves the right to change the clock management rules at any time during the tournament, to insure player and fan safety (during travel), and to insure the tournament schedule stays on time. If significant clock rule changes are required to get the tournament back on schedule, the Game Clock will continue to run during games until the tournament is back on schedule, at which time the Normal Clock Rules will be re-implemented.
Game clock will continue to run during the second half when one team has a 20-point or greater lead.

Un-Sportsman-Like Conduct

NorCal Hoops has a reputation for running well organized tournaments that are designed to provide a competetive and first class environment for THE PLAYERS. Un-sportsman-like conduct is not tolerated. Un-Sportsman-Like conduct includes physical violence, verbal abuse, profanity, provocative behavior, "hard" intentional fouls, or other behavior (at the discretion of the officials on the floor).

Abuse of our officials will not be tolerated by coaches, players or fans. Determination of Un-Sportsman-Like Conduct applies to Coaches, Players, and Fans attending the games. Officials have the sole discretion to call Technical Fouls when Coaches, Players, or Fans exhibit Un-Sportsman-Like conduct. Any Coach or Player who is assessed TWO Technical Fouls shall be ejected from the remainder of the Tournament, and any further NorCal Series Tournaments.

The Clock will run if any coach or player refuses to leave the floor. If the clock runs for more than two minutes during this time period, coach or player's team shall automatically forfeit the game, and Law Enforcement will be called to the scene.

Fans are not allowed to bring noise-making devices into the gyms. Fans that use such devices will be warned once (as will the coach of their team). Thereafter a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team for each use of the noise making device thereafter.

Officiating Policy

Officials for the NorCal Hoops Tournament Series are independent contractors, who are mostly CIF high-school certified referees that have extensive high school / AAU / NJB experience. Many of our officials have been with our tournament series for many years. Abuse of our officials will not be tolerated.

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director by the end of each Tournament. Complaints will be logged (by official) and forwarded on to the Officials Association for discussion and action.

Refunds will not be granted to teams that were not satisfied with the performance of an official, or officiating crew. Instead, NorCal Hoops will investigate complaints - and if warranted, take steps to insure un-satisfactory crews are not hired for subsequent tournaments.

NorCal Hoops works hard to maintain an experienced group of officials that help make the game experience a positive one for everyone involved.

Levels Of Competition

NorCal Hoops is the pioneer of "Elite (D1), Competitive (D2) and Novice (D3)" competitive classifications. Our tournaments attempt to provide three levels of competition when possible - but this is not always possible.

ELITE (Division I): Highly Competitive teams.
COMPETITIVE (Division II): Competetive, non-elite teams
NOVICE (Division III): Recreational and/or developmental teams

In order to provide a quality experience for all tournament participants, all "first time" teams in our tournaments must play in the highest competitive bracket offered (Elite or Competitive). Once a team demonstrates its competitive level, teams will be placed in the appropriate bracket for future tournaments. In other words ... teams must demonstrate that they are a NOVICE level team before being allowed to play in the NOVICE bracket. Teams may be required to "play up" in future tournaments, at the discretion of the Tournament Director - based on past performance of any given team.

Nor Cal Hoops does not guarantee that there will be all levels of play at every tournament. Setup of competitive brackets are based on team registrations, and are done at the discretion of the tournament director. Some tournaments will offer girls brackets, based on demand. Girls teams interested in participating should contact us and express interest.

Game Play Formats

We offer combinations of the following game playing formats:

2 Day, 3-game Tournaments (this is our standard offering)
1 Day, 3-game Tournaments (offered but cannot be guaranteed)
League Play

Brackets can be configured as Pool play, bracketed play, or "challenge bracketed play" (which can consist of one game with a team from the next oldest age bracket). Bracket configurations are determined based on number of teams registered, available floor space, and other factors.

Tournament Schedules

Tournament schedules are usually (but not always) posted to our website as follows:

1st Draft Schedule - Thursday prior to the tournament, approximately 9pm
Final Schedule - Friday prior to the tournament, approximately 1pm

It is each teams responsibility to verify your schedule and become aware of any Friday changes. DO NOT PRINT DRAFT SCHEDULES. No compensation or makeup games will be offered to teams that miss a scheduled game for any reason.

Snack Bar, Food & Beverage

NorCal Hoops provides water, Gatorade and a selection of packaged snacks for sale at our tournament sites.

Awards

Teams finishing in 1st place will receive player individual medals for each player who participated in the tournament. Coaches, or players that did not participate are not provided with awards. Additional awards may be presented at the tournament promoter's discretion.

Awards are given out at the conclusion of the tournament, and it is the responsibility of each team to collect their awards from the Tournament Director. If a team is unable to remain at a tournament to collect their awards, they can be shipped (at the team expense) via US Postal Service for some (but not all) of our tournaments. Awards can vary by tournament, so check with the director. Scrimmage Tournaments do not have awards.

Refunds

NorCal Hoops will refund tournament fees only in the case of:

a cancelled tournament
a cancelled grade / division
cases where a team paid for 3 games and was only scheduled to play 2 games (or similar)
a team no-show (the team that was denied a game will be refunded for that game, and fans will be refunded their pro-rated admission on days their team had only one game scheduled)

Otherwise, there will be no refunds of Tournament Fees, Admission Fees, or Other Fees under any circumstances.

Disclaimer

NorCal Hoops reserves the right to modify tournament rules and regulations, and clock rules at any time (including during a tournament) to best meet the needs of ALL TEAMS participating in our tournaments, in the judgment of the tournament director. NorCal Hoops contracts officiating crews and is not responsible for perceived deficiencies in the performance of any particular crew. NorCal Hoops cannot guarantee that weather, or some other uncontrollable factor, will prevent games from being played.

Grade Divisions

Boys and Girls 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, Junior Varsity (JV 10th Grade), Varsity (11th and 12th Grade). NorCal Hoops reserves the right to combine grades into divisions when necessary to form a complete bracket.

​

Rules & Requirements

The NorCal Hoops Tournament Series is proud to present tournaments at facilities all around Northern California. Our tournaments offer a variety of play options. All teams and players must be AAU Members in good standing in order to participate.

NorCal Hoops reserves the right to refuse entry of any team in any tournament, for any reason, in order to maintain the integrity of the tournament series, to insure good sportsmanship and to provide a safe environment in which kids can participate.

​

Registration

All teams must have an AAU Club ID, and each player MUST have an AAU membership card to be eligible to play in our AAU Sanctioned tournaments. All teams AND players MUST have an AAU membership to participate in non-sanctioned tournaments (i.e. leagues and scrimmage tournaments).

​

Register your Teams and Players at AAUsports.org

​

Scheduling

NorCal Hoops will accept scheduling requests, but they CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

​

AAU Coach Eligibility

​

California Assembly Bill requiring coaching background checks (see Section J):

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB465

​

Players on Multiple Teams

Players are only allowed to participate on ONE TEAM during a tournament. This is in effect to insure the safety of the player. Two examples are cited below:

A club has two teams at the same grade level (an "A" team and a "B" team)​

A club has a player who is capable of playing on his 6th grade tea, but also play up with the 7th grade team​​

A player plays on teams with two different clubs​​

​​

In the examples above (and in other similar circumstances), the player can only participate with ONE TEAM during the tournament. Violations of this rule may result in both teams being forced to forfeit games in wich the player participated, at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

​

AAU Player Eligibility

​

2017 AAU Boys Basketball Eligibility Rules

2017 AAU Girls Basketball Eligibility Rules

Rules, Regulations & Exceptions

Tournaments are run under the auspices of the National Federation Of State High School Association basketball rules, with the exception of the rules stated below. All rules subject to change without notice.

​

CLICK HERE for National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules.

​

Game Clock Rules

Game Clock: NorCal Hoops typically runs 20-minute running clock halves (clock stops in the final 2 minutes of each half) or 7-minute stop clock quarters.

A stopped clock will re-start when the ball is handed to a player on an inbounds, except for during the final 2 minutes of each period, the clock will start when the ball contacts a player on inbounds.

Timeouts: In stop-clock games: 2-Full and 2-30 Second total timeouts per game. In running-clock games, 1 full and 1 30-second timeout per half (no carryover). There will be only one 30-second timeout during overtime.

​

Other Rules

Only TWO Coaches per team are provided complimentary admission to the tournament (coaches wristbands), and only coaches with valid AAU Membership Cards and a Photo ID will be issued free wristbands. Only two coaches are allowed on the bench during games.

Teams are NOT ALLOWED to have a Scorekeeper At The Scorers Table, unless the tournament does NOT provide an official scorekeeper.

Official Ball Sizes: 28.5" (Boys 2nd thru 6th Grade), 29.5" (Boys 7th grade thru Varsity), 28.5" (All Girls)

10 Second Back Court Violation, No Shot Clock.

Technical Fouls on coaching staff results in TWO Shots and possession for the Opposing Team. Two Technical fouls on a single coach will result in a coaches ejection from the tournament.

Players are not allowed to wear jewelry on the court (MedicAlert bracelets can be worn, but must be taped) for the safety of all players.

Teams may play with 4 players when necessary (missing players, foul trouble, etc)

Overtime: There will be a 1-minute overtime period with stop clock, followed by sudden death with Jump Ball to begin the period and possession arrow determining possession in sudden death.

Full Court Press: For teams 6th grade thru Varsity, full court press must be removed when the team leading has a 20-or-more Point Lead. For 3rd thru 5th grade teams, full court press must be removed when the team leading has a 15-or-more point lead.

Violations of Full Court Press rules incur one warning, and subsequently a technical foul.

Protests require A $100 Cash Deposit to be heard by the Tournament Director. A favorable ruling results in a refund of the $100 deposit. A team forfeits the $100 deposit if the protest results in an unfavorable ruling.

NO SHOWS: Any team that does not show up for a game will be obligated to pay the tournament director $150 in financial compensation, and will be required to pay a refundable deposit of $100 per team (maximum $500) to be scheduled into future tournaments.

All teams must check in 30 minutes prior to their first scheduled game time, except for the first game of the day at each gymnasium, for which the team must arrive 15-minutes before scheduled game time.

Teams arriving more than 10 minutes late shall forfeit the game, but will be allowed to play the game with amy remaining time, up until the next scheduled game time.

Games can be started early when the tournament is ahead of schedule, at the discretion of the tournament director, floor managers or officials.

Game clock will continue to run during the second half when one team has a 20-point or greater lead.

​

Un-Sportsman-Like Conduct

The Clock will run if any coach or player refuses to leave the floor. If the clock runs for more than two minutes during this time period, coach or player's team shall automatically forfeit the game, and Law Enforcement will be called to the scene.

​

Fans are not allowed to bring noise-making devices into the gyms. Fans that use such devices will be warned once (as will the coach of their team). Thereafter a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team for each use of the noise making device thereafter.

​

Officiating Policy

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director by the end of each Tournament. Complaints will be logged (by official) and forwarded on to the Officials Association for discussion and action.

Refunds will not be granted to teams that were not satisfied with the performance of an official, or officiating crew. Instead, NorCal Hoops will investigate complaints - and if warranted, take steps to insure un-satisfactory crews are not hired for subsequent tournaments.

NorCal Hoops works hard to maintain an experienced group of officials that help make the game experience a positive one for everyone involved.

Levels Of Competition

NorCal Hoops is the pioneer of "Elite (D1), Competitive (D2) and Novice (D3)" competitive classifications. Our tournaments attempt to provide three levels of competition when possible - but this is not always possible.

ELITE (Division I): Highly Competitive teams.

COMPETITIVE (Division II): Competetive, non-elite teams

NOVICE (Division III): Recreational and/or developmental teams

​

Game Play Formats

We offer combinations of the following game playing formats:

2 Day, 3-game Tournaments (this is our standard offering)

1 Day, 3-game Tournaments (offered but cannot be guaranteed)

League Play

A club has two teams at the same grade level (an "A" team and a "B" team)

A club has a player who is capable of playing on his 6th grade tea, but also play up with the 7th grade team

A player plays on teams with two different clubs