The
Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors approved a
recommendation at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, December
12, 2011, to modify three rules from the NFHS Basketball Uniform Rules
for the 2011-12 season.
The
modifications address the most common illegal uniforms violations that
have occurred around the state and the Board’s modifications will make
those offending uniforms legal immediately.
“Over
the past few years, we have come to the realization that a large
percentage of our member school basketball teams are in violation of the
NFHS uniform rules,” said IHSA Associate Executive Director Kurt
Gibson. “We have unsuccessfully tried to make some changes to the
uniform rules at the national level, which led to the decision by our
Board to provide a remedy for the majority of our schools with illegal
uniforms.”
The modifications made by the Board are as follows:
NFHS Rule 3-4-1e: modified to read: “Side inserts, including trim/piping/accent color(s),
Shall not extend into either the front or back torso of the jersey to a point closer than one inch of any number.”
NFHS
Rule 3-4-4b: modified to read: “Lettering above or below a number on
the front torso of a jersey may be arched, but the first and last
letters must be on the same horizontal plane and neither shall extend
beyond the mid-point of the number.”
NFHS
Rule 3-4-4d: modified to read: “Any point on any letter, decorative
accent in an identifying name, or decorative accent not part of an
identifying name shall not be closer than one inch to any point on any
number(s).”
“Traditionally,
we follow the NFHS Rulebook without exception, so this is certainly
rare that we ask the Board of Directors to grant a rule modification,
said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “However, we believe that
this change makes sense and will make the lives of our coaches,
student-athletes and officials easier, while also maintaining the
integrity of the uniform.”
As
a result of the change, schools who have previously received a waiver
from the IHSA no longer need to present their waiver to the game
officials.
“It’s
important to note that today’s changes do not uniformly eliminate
illegal uniforms,” added Gibson. “Rather, they allow exceptions to
common, but illegal, uniform styles that we believe do not hinder the
ability of the game officials and game administration to recognize the
uniform number.”
