NCAA MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RULES COMMITTEES RECOMMEND CHANGES TO THREE-POINT LINE

INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the three divisional governing bodies that the three-point line be moved back to the international distance, and that the international trapezoid free-throw/three-second lane be adopted, effective for the 2003-04 season.

The NCAA Women's Basketball Rules Committee recommended that the international three-point line be used in the women's game, effective 2003-04, and that the trapezoid lane be used as an experimental rule in selected games during the season.

If accepted, the recommendations, which were formed during meetings in Indianapolis April 29-May 1, would represent the first major changes in existing court-line dimensions since the 1956-57 season, when the lane was widened from 6 feet to 12 feet for the men's game. The men's game added the three-point line in 1986-87; the women's game added the shot in 1987-88.

Art Hyland, chair of the men's committee and men's basketball officiating coordinator for the Big East Conference, said the men's committee felt the recommendations were necessary to keep up with the modern game.

"The present dimensions have not kept pace with the physical size, prowess and skill of the players," said Hyland, who has been the men's committee chair for the past two years. "With more space created around the basket by both changes, there should be more opportunity for cutting through the lane and to the basket, and more dribble penetration by outside players. This is consistent with our emphasis on cleaning up rough play over the past few years."

Lynn Hickey, women's committee chair and director of athletics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, expressed the rationale for the women's recommendation.

"Our student-athletes have demonstrated increasingly strong shooting behind the arc," Hickey said. "Moving the line back 9 inches will be a small adjustment for today's players."

"We will experiment with the trapezoid next season to determine if it could also have a positive effect on the women's game."

Hyland said that the new dimensions would help to continue the emphasis on reducing offensive and defensive physical play in the post, which began three years ago when then-University of Kansas and current University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, coach Roy Williams was chair of the men's committee.

"Under the present lane configuration, an offensive player who successfully posts up at the block will most likely score or get fouled; therefore, most coaches defend the low post by fronting or three-quartering the offensive player. This has led to rough play by both the offensive and defensive post players."

"The committee concluded that under this new configuration, it would not be as important to front the offensive post player since he is farther from the basket. In addition, the offensive low-post player would become a more skillful player rather than relying on brute strength."

Hyland said that in forming the recommendations, committee members considered the experiments with these rules over the last three years, and also their extensive discussions with people involved with international basketball, such as NCAA senior vice-president and USA Basketball President Tom Jernstedt and C.M. Newton, past chair of both the men's rules committee and the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, who served as chief executive officer of the 2002 World Basketball Championship for men in Indianapolis. The committee also reviewed a letter co-written by Newton, former North Carolina coach Dean Smith and former Providence College coach and commissioner of the Big East, Dave Gavitt, asking the committee to adopt the changes, which helped further validate the opinions garnered from the experiments.

Under the recommendations, the three-point line would be moved back approximately 9 inches to a distance of 20 feet, 6 ¼ inches from the center of the basket to the outside edge of the line. The current distance is 19 feet, 9 inches. The exact metric distance for the international three-point line is 6.25 meters. The trapezoid lane widens the current lane at the end line by approximately 3 feet, 11 inches on either side. The new lane lines would run approximately from that point on each end line to the intersection of the current free-throw line and lane lines. At its widest point (at the end line) the trapezoid lane's width is 6.0 meters or 19 feet, 8 ¾ inches. The current rectangular lane is 12 feet wide.

A court diagram can be viewed on the USA Basketball Web site at http://www.usabasketball.com/rules/court_diagram.pdf.* The only difference from the international lane under the recommendation would be that the dotted semicircle inside the lane would not be necessary since the college games do not conduct jump balls in that area.

The trapezoid was experimented with in the men's certified games of the 2000-01 season. A rectangular lane 2 feet wider on each side than the current lane was experimented with in the 2001-02 season, and then during this past season, with the international three-point line added. The certified games are selected contests played before January 1 of each year. Originally, such games were known as "exempt" games. Tape or temporary paint, which was used in the certified-game experiments, would be permissible to be used as court markings until permanent lines could be added to all courts.

The men's game would continue to allow four opponents of the free-thrower and two teammates of the free-thrower to line up on the lane during free throws as under the current rules. The international block and other lane spaces also would be used. The three-point line and the lane lines would no longer have to be of contrasting colors since they would not intersect.

The recommendations will be considered by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet (June 24-26, Bonita Springs, Florida), Division II Championships Committee (June 24-27, Savannah, Georgia) and Division III Championships Committee (June 23-25, Indianapolis).

A complete list of all other major rules changes, recommendations and points of emphasis for both the men's and women's games is attached. An asterisk denotes where the men's and women's rules differ.

In another action, the committees voted to add the following sporting behavior statement to the rules book: "The primary goal of the rules is to maximize the safety and enjoyment of the student-athlete. Sporting behavior is a key part of that goal. Sporting behavior should be a core value in behavior of players and bench personnel, crowd control by game management and the officials' proper enforcement of the rules governing related actions."

MB:llc/mel

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Attachments:

• NCAA Men's Basketball Major Rules Changes for 2004
• NCAA Women's Basketball Major Rules Changes for 2004

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