Questions & Answers

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General Questions

What is RPB?

Rancho Penasquitos Basketball is a recreational basketball league for youth, grades 3-12, in Rancho Penasquitos.

When does registration begin?

Usually in late September or early October.

When does the season start?

The season runs from January to March. Practices may begin anytime after November 15th.

What division will my child play in?

Teams are formed by grade level. In rare cases, and frequently in the older divisions, certain grade levels may be combined, but the majority of children will be playing basketball with others from their own grade level.

What are the official rules for games played in RPB?

The "rulebook" is called the "Coaches Manual" in RPB and is online here in two separate files. The general Coaches Manual contains most of the rules and refers back to the official Basketball
Rules Book published by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Certain grade-level divisions within RPB are aligned each year based on enrollment in each grade level. A set of Division-specific rules is published each year on a separate page. The following files contain the rules for the 2009 season.

Tournament Questions

What is the format of the tournament?: The tournament is single-elimination and includes all teams in each division (except Boys 3 and Girls 3-4 divisions).
How are the teams seeded for the tournament?: Teams are seeded according to their place in the regular season standings.
What about ties in the standings, teams that have the same won-lost record?: Ties in the standings are resolved according to the following rules:

Head-to-head competion. RPB looks at the records in games played among the teams tied for a position in the standings. For example, if Team A and Team B both have a 6-5 record and are tied for 4th place, and Team A beat Team B during the regular season, then Team A gets 4th and Team B gets 5th. For ties involving more teams, the teams are evaluated based on games against the other teams in the tie.
Strength of teams beaten. RPB looks at the place in the standings of the teams that each team in a tie has beaten. In this example, Team C and Team D are both 2-9 and tied for 8th place; they've played two games against each other, both winning one. RPB calculates the average place in the standings of the teams that each of these teams has beaten during the season. If Team C beat the 4th and 10th place teams, and Team D beat the5th and 6th place teams, then Team C gets 7.0 "win points"and Team D gets 5.5 "win points". Since the teams that Team D beat are stronger than those defeated by Team C, then Team D gets 8th place and Team C gets 9th.
Strength of team lost to. If steps 1 and 2 don't resolve the standings, then a procedure similar to that in step 2 is executed for the teams that beat each team in the tie.
Coin toss. If steps 1-3 fail to resolve a tie, then the placement is determined by a coin toss at the RPB board's "tiebreaker meeting" on or soon after the last day of the regular season.

Note for 3-way (or larger) ties: If three or more teams are tied for a place in the standings, the above procedures are carried out in order as above. After one of the teams falls out of the tie (at any point), then the procedure starts again at step one for the remaining teams.

Scoring Questions

What is a bonus?: When a team is charged with more than 6 team fouls in one half, then the other team gets a one-and-one free throw opportunity on all subsequent fouls. The team shooting 1-and-1 is considered to be "in the bonus" situation.
What is a double bonus?: There is a double bonus (two shots instead of one-and-one) starting at 10 team fouls in any half.
Do pre-game free throw count against a player's point limit?: Pre-game free throws DO NOT count towards the point limit, but they DO COUNT in the player and team point totals.
Who gets to be a scorekeeper or timekeeper?: RPB playing rules stipulate that both coaches must approve of both the scorekeeper and timekeeper, and that each person has completed the pre-season scorekeeper and timekeeper training class.
Who gets the credit for the points scored on a technical foul?: These are "team points" and are not awarded to any player. Mark them in the small row underneath the row for player #8.
Does the 16-point limit apply to the combined Girls 6^th-7^th grade division?: No. The point limit applies to Girls 6^th grade and below, but not to Girls 7th grade. When the divisions are combined into a Girls-6/7 division, RPB has chosen to use the G7 rule.

Overtime

What happens regarding playing time, scoring limits, timekeeping, and the bonus during overtime?

Playing time restrictions do not apply during overtime. Any player (except one who has fouled out) may play during overtime.
Player scoring limits do not apply during overtime(s). Therefore any player can score points.
The clock must stop on each and every whistle during the entire first (and second) overtime period.
Team fouls during overtime(s) are added to those accumulated during the second half. Therefore, if when a team commits its 7th foul of the second half (including overtimes), then the opposing team is in the bonus. Starting with the 10th team foul of the second half plus overtimes, the opposing team is in the "double bonus" situation and gets two shots on every foul.

Scoreboard Questions

The scores are showing up on the wrong sides (home and guest are reversed); how do I fix it?: Press the RESET button, then the POSSESSION CHANGE button. This should switch the scores on the front and leave the scores on the back as they are.
How do I start a new game?: Press and hold the NEW GAME button for a few seconds. Be patient: the 1-0 score will change to a 0-0 score in a few more seconds. If you're impatient, press the same button again.
What if the clock is counting up:: Press <Countdown> key, quickly followed by <Poss. Change> key.
How do I set the period to 7 minutes (or 8 minutes)?: 1. Easiest way is to start a new game (see above), then use the <minutes> or <-1 min> buttons to add or subtract minutes to the correct number.
2. Alternate method is to hold the <Set Clock> buttondown for 3 seconds, then use numeric keypad to enter period time in 4-digit format. (e.g., 0700 for 7-minute quarter)
How do I clear the possession arrow?: Start a new game (see above) to clear it. Warning: This clears everything else too, because the only time you'd want to clear the arrow is at the start of a game. During the game, the possession arrow is a toggle button, so if it's pointing the wrong way, then press it again.
How do I fix the clock if I've let it run too far (or not enough)?: You can add or subtract minutes in the (rare) case of a timekeeping error (e.g., failing to start or stop the clock at the correct times).
-Add minutes or seconds, if necessary, with the <Minutes> or <Second> keys
-Subtract minutes or seconds, if necessary, with the
<-1 Min" or <-1 Sec> keys
-Clock must be stopped to add or subtract minutes.
How do I change the score?: -Increase home or guest score by pressing the <Home Score> or <Guest Score> buttons
-Decrease home or guest score by pressing the <-1 Home> or <-1 Guest> buttons.
How do I sound the horn?: -Horn key says <Basketball>
How do I set the clock for basketball?: This should never have to be done, since these scoreboards are used only for basketball. Sometimes, however, somebody might accidentally set it for another game.
- Use the <Select Game> button: Hold it down for 3 sec, then hit <Minutes> button (upper left in group of 12 buttons) to select basketball. That's it.

Official Score

What is the official score?: The official score is the score shown on the top and bottom of each scoresheet; this is also known as the "running score. When a point is made, this score should be marked first, by crossing out the points as they are scored. The scorekeeper should also mark the jersey number of the player who scored the basket above the running score line. This allows for easy reconciliation between the running score and the player scores down below on the sheets.
How are official scores shown on the website?: On the website, the "official scores" for each game are those shown on the game "results" page. The official scores are also noted in purple on the "stats" pages. If you spot any discrepancies, please send me an email with details.
What happens if the official score does not agree with the sum of points scored by all players on a team?: Before the statitician enters the results and stats onto the spreadsheet, player totals are checked against what was entered on the sheets for each quarter. If the sum for all 8 players does not agree with the official score, there is really no way to adequately reconcile the discrepancy after the game is completed, so the official score is regarded as the game score and the points are left as is. This is a problem that can be prevented during a game by careful cross-checking, as recommended in the scorekeeper/timekeeper training session.
What happens if the scorekeeper forgets to record the running score?: If the scoresheets show official scores of zero (0) points for one or both teams, and the sheets were signed/approved by both coaches, the scores will stand. If an official score needs to be changed, then both coaches (or the division coordinator) need to contact me with the corrected score. If both coaches agree, then I can make a change in the official score. Otherwise, the zero will stand as the official score for the game. Because the running score does not always agree with the sum of the player points in a game, and because the running score is the official score for the game, the board has decided that this is the fairest way to handle a "blank" running score.
What if the scorekeeper did not record points for the correct player?: The scorekeeper is the official scorer for the game. If s/he makes an error, it must be corrected during the game and cannot be corrected after the game. (If another person claims to be able to keep track of scoring more accurately, then that person probably should attend a scorekeeper training class and volunteer to be the team's official scorekeeper next season.)

What a player scores for the wrong team?: Points scored in the wrong basket are counted for the team that is going for that basket. Individual points for the basket are awarded to the player on the scoring team who was standing closest to the player who put the ball into the basket. (Usually these points are given to a player who is unlikely to reach a scoring limit, or one who doesn't score very often, if it is difficult to determine exactly who was closest.)

Club / Competitive Basketball

Can my child play in RPB and a club team at the same time?: No. RPB is a RECREATIONAL league. Those on Club (e.g. Sundevil, Wolverine, Bronco) or High School basketball teams which will have practices and/or games at any time during the RPB game season (January through March) are not eligible to play in the RPB program.

Offensive Fouls

Do offensive fouls count as "team fouls" and do they result in free-throws for the other team?: An offensive foul (player with ball charging or pushing off) does count as a player foul and team foul, but it results only in a change of possession -- it is not a shooting foul even in a "bonus" situation.

It is possible, though, for a player on the offensive team to commit a foul that results in free throws being taken by the defensive team player (e.g., a flagrant shove).

Technical Fouls

How are technical fouls marked on the scoresheets?

Technical fouls need to be marked with a slash and the player number in the "Technical Fouls" section. If the technical is called on the coach, write "C." If it is a team foul (e.g., for back-court pressure), write "T." On the other team's sheet, mark two points in the running score, with a T above the points scored; also mark a "2" in bottom row of the player points section.
Technical fouls also count as a team foul and need to be marked (with player number, T, or C) in the "Team Fouls Each Half" section.
Technical fouls against a player also count as a personal foul and need to be marked in the "Personal Fouls" section too.
So, if a player receives a technical foul, you need to mark it in three places on the scoresheet. If it's on the coach or the team, mark it in two places.

Fouling Out - Replacement Players

When a player fouls out, how does this affect the replacement player's playing time requirements?

Players "foul out" upon being called for their 5^th personal foul of the game. Once they get 5 fouls, they're done and can't play in the game anymore. Playing time rules no longer apply to a player who has fouled out.
When a coach puts in a replacement player for the player who fouled out, all playing time rules continue to apply for the replacement player.
Special rules apply for teams with 7 available players.

(Examples for team with 8 players available.)

Example 1: Upon a foul-out in the 3^rd quarter from a team with 8 players, a replacement player who has already sat out for an earlier quarter comes into the game. The scorekeeper must mark a partial quarter played for the replacement player. Because the replacement player has already sat out one quarter, s/he may play for the rest of the game, and must play for the entire 4^th quarter (to meet her/his playing time requirement).
Example 2: Upon a foul-out in the 3^rd quarter from a team with 8 players, a replacement player who has played in both the 1^st and 2^nd quarters comes into the game. The scorekeeper must mark a partial quarter played for the replacement player. Because the replacement has not yet sat out for a full quarter, the replacement player may not play at all during the 4th quarter.
The examples cited above apply regardless of the clock time of the foul-out in the 3rd quarter. Similar examples could be cited for foul-outs during the 1st, 2nd, or 4th quarters. Sometimes a coach will choose to have his/her team play with 4 players for the remainder of a quarter after a foul-out, to retain maximum playing-time flexibility during the game's subsequent quarters.
This clarification applies to mid-quarter injuries as well as foul-outs. See pages 9 and 10 of the Coaches Manual for additional examples.

(Examples for team with 7 players available. See special rule on page 10 of Coaches Manual.)

Example 1: Upon a foul-out in the 1st quarter from a team with 7 players available, the rest of the game is treated as if the team has 6 players, i.e., the opposing coach may pick who will sit out the second quarter.
Example 2: Upon a foul-out in the 2nd or 3rd quarter, the opposing coach may choose the player off the bench who will replace the fouled out player.
- This is the one exception to the regular playing time rules: the period will not be charged to the substitute player's playing time. That is, unless the player has already played (prior to the foul-out) in the quarter, the quarter may be considered as the player's "sit out" period.
- Scorekeepers should make a special mark on the scoresheet to indicate that this rule has been activated.
- Under these conditions, in all periods following the foul-out, no player may sit out two periods unless every other player (except the one who fouled out) has sat out for one full period.

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