All Tournament games will be conducted under National Federation of High School (NFHS) Basketball Rules, unless otherwise noted.
The clock will stop according to NFHS rules regardless of the point differential in the first half.
For all divisions 8th Grade and below, the clock will run in the 2nd half if there is a lead of 15 or more points. The clock will stop once the lead is below 15 points.
For all divisions 9th Grade and above, the clock will run in the 2nd half if there is a lead of 20 or more points. The clock will stop once the lead is below 20 points.
Anytime the running clock is used, the clock is stopped only for time-outs, injuries or at the officials’ discretion.
Grades 3 & 4: 12-minute halves.
Grades 5 & 6: 14-minute halves.
Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12: 16-minute halves.
Pre-Game warmup will be a minimum of 5 minutes.
Half-Time will be 5 minutes but could be reduced to 3 minutes if games are running behind.
A 2-minute stop clock overtime will be used if the score is tied after regulation. Teams will be granted 1 timeout. Timeouts from regulation do not carry over.
In the 3rd overtime period, the first team to score wins.
Each team receives two 30 second timeouts per half. Timeouts do not carry over between halves. Players will be allowed to sit during timeouts.
A team will shoot 2 free throws once 10 team fouls have been accumulated. There is NO single bonus (1 & 1) after 7 team fouls.
If a player is ejected from a tournament game, they are ineligible for their team’s next game (this does not apply if a player fouls out).
If either a coach or player accumulates 3 technical fouls over the course of the tournament, they will not be allowed to participate or coach for the remainder of the tournament.
If a coach is ejected from a game by the officials, he/she must immediately leave the playing area. If the coach complies with the officials & tournament staff promptly, he/she will be allowed to coach the next game – if a coach is uncooperative, he/she may not be allowed to coach for the duration of the tournament.
Each team shall provide 1 parent or coach to assist the officials by keeping the official clock or book if no tournament staff is designated. This person must refrain from showing partiality, coaching players on the floor, or commenting on calls made by officials.
The designated home team should wear white or lighter colored jerseys and be prepared to provide the official game ball if the tournament doesn’t provide the ball. The home team is listed second on the schedule and the bottom team on the bracket.
Spectators are encouraged to actively cheer their teams but are not permitted to disparage opposing players or coaches, nor heckle the officials.
We expect all individuals to conduct themselves in accordance with the Mavs core values: Character, Respect, Authenticity, Fairness, Teamwork, and Safety.
Any party exhibiting behavior inconsistent with Mavs values may be subject to immediate removal from the tournament without refund. Such actions would include: Use of profanity, threatening or violent action, failure to comply with staff or security instructions, or any other behaviors deemed to be sufficiently inappropriate as to merit removal from the tournament by either the site director or tournament director.
Tie breaker for pool champion and/or bracket seeding will be decided by the following from all games played in the tournament until the tie is broken: Head-to-Head, Highest Point Differential, Least Points Allowed, Most Points Scored.
If 2 teams are tied in the standings, the team who won the head-to-head matchup will win the tiebreaker.
If 3 or more teams are tied, the head-to-head record between the tied teams is used. If they are still tied then the aggregate point differential from all tournament games will be used to determine all teams’ final standing. A maximum of +15 points and -15 points is calculated for each game. A win by forfeit counts as +15 points and a loss by forfeit counts as -15 points. If 2 or more teams are still tied, then the tiebreak procedures for those teams start over with Head-to-Head.
Divisions are primarily based on player grade level. In addition, players are required to be the typical corresponding age of their grade level i.e. 8th Grade – 14 years old. However, players are allowed to be up to 1 year older than the typical age, but shall not turn 2 years older before Sept 1st of the current year.
Example
5th Grade Division – Typical age 11 Years Old
Player A – 5th Grade, 12 years old, turns 13 December 5th Eligible to play in 5th grade
Player B – 5th Grade, 12 years old, turns 13 July 31st NOT Eligible to play in 5th grade
List of grades and corresponding ages
2nd Grade 8 years old 7th Grade 13 years old
3rd Grade 9 years old 8th Grade 14 years old
4th Grade 10 years old 9th Grade 15 years old
5th Grade 11 years old JV (10th & Below) 16 years old
6th Grade 12 years old Varsity (12th & below) 18 years old
Regardless of age, players are only eligible to play in their grade division or higher. Players cannot play in a lower grade division.
Teams are not allowed to press beyond half court with a 25 point or more lead in the 2nd half.
If a division has a low number of teams that register, that division may be combined with the next division above or below it. When rules are different for the two grades in a division, the older grade’s rules will be used.
Only the head coach may protest another team’s player. The protest fee is $100 and must occur prior to the start of the game. The player being protested must produce both a birth certificate and current report card. If the protest is lost or no documentation is produced, the player is ineligible to compete in the tournament. If the player’s age and grade are both validated, the $100 is forfeit and the player shall be eligible.
All Girls Divisions – 28.5” Ball
6th Grade Boys and Below – 28.5” Ball
7th Grade Boys and Above – 29.5” Ball
It is required to have numbers on the back of the uniform and is recommended that uniform numbers be on the front of the uniform. All other NFHS rules regarding uniforms and uniform numbers are waived. A team must have both a light and dark colored jersey. Home team wears the light-colored jersey, and the Away team wears the dark-colored jersey.
When a team forfeits a game in any tournament, that team must pay the Dallas Mavericks a fee of $80 per forfeited game. This fee will help reimburse the other team(s) for the loss of their game. They will receive a loss by 15 points. The opposing team will receive a win by 15 points and will be refunded for the loss of the game when the fee is paid by the forfeiting team. A game called by a game official or Site Director due to the misconduct of a player, coach or fan shall be deemed a game forfeit.