Rules

About NorCal Series Tournaments

The NorCal Tournament Series consists of TEN tournaments held at facilities at locations all around Northern California. Tournaments offer a variety of play options to 10U thru Varsity AAU basketball teams. Your team and players must AAU Members in good standing to participate.

NorCalHoops.Net reserves the right to refuse entry of any team in a tournament, for any reason, in order to maintain the integrity and sportsmanship of NorCalHoops.Net tournaments.

Levels Of Competition

Nor Cal Hoops is one of the only tournament providers that regularly provides three levels of competition. Our tournament director classifies teams into the following competitive levels:

• 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.

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 the following game playing formats:

• 1 Day Tournaments (2-Games-Per-Team Guarantee)
• 1 Day Tournaments (3-Games-Per-Team Guarantee)
• 2 Day Tournaments (3-Games-Per-Team Guarantee)
• 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).

Tournament Schedules

Preliminary Schedules are posted to our website the Wednesday or Thursday PRIOR to each tournament. Final schedule changes are posted on the Friday evening prior to the tournament. It is each teams responsibility to verify your schedule and become aware of any Friday changes. No compensation or makeup games will be offered to teams that miss a scheduled game for any reason.

Admission

Admission is charged at the door each day of the tournament. Fans will be issued a wrist band upon payment of admission which must be worn at all times. No re-entry will be allowed without a valid wrist band. There are no refunds. The amount of admission varies depending on number of days and venue. NorCalHoops.Net publishes the Admission Fees on the tournament FINAL schedule.

TWO coaches per team will be provided with free admission at time of check-in. Additional coaches will be required to pay the price of Admission, no exceptions.

Snack Bar, Food & Beverage

Each tournament offers various levels of on-site food and beverages ranging from a fully stocked snack bar to "drinks and snacks". The snack bar will open 1 hour after the tournament begins, and close 1 hour before the conclusion of the tournament. Hot Dogs, Pizza, Candy, Muffins, Coffee, Soda, Sports Drinks, Water, and other snacks are typical fare. Pizza is usually available between 11am and 5pm. No Food or Drink is allowed in the gymnasiums. No Ice Chests, bottles or cans are allowed into the facilities.

Requirements

All teams must have an AAU Club ID, and each player MUST have an AAU membership card to be eligible to play in AAU Sanctioned tournaments. All players MUST have an AAU "AB Benefit" membership to participate in non-sanctioned tournaments (i.e. leagues and scrimmage tournaments). For non-sanctioned tournaments, the membership card must have the "Added Benefit", which provides your player with insurance coverage when playing in non-AAU Sanctioned events. Most of our tournaments will be AAU Sanctioned, but some of them may not. More information on the AAU Added Benefit Membership can be found HERE.

Rules & Regulations

AAU Eligibility
All players must meet eligibility for AAU age requirements. You can use the Age / Grade Eligibility Calculator to insure all players are eligible for this tournament. Each player will be required to provide proof of AAU Membership, Birth Certificate, and Grade Exception Forms 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
National Federation Of State High School Association rules shall apply, with the following exceptions:

• Game Clock: 7-minute stop clock, starts when ball handed to a player on an inbounds.
• Timeouts: 2-Full and 2-30 Second total timeouts per game. One 30-second timeout during overtime.
• Only TWO Coaches Allowed On The Bench
• 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 9U thru 12U), 29.5" (Boys 13U and older), 28.5" (All Girls)
• 10 Second Back Court Violation, No Shot Clock.
• Players Cannot Enter The Key On Free Throws Until Ball Contacts The Rim. Defensive players move above the block beginning in 2008/2009 in conjunction with new high school rules.
• Technical Fouls On Coaching Staff Result In TWO Shots, And The Ball For The Opposing Team. Two Technical fouls results 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)
• Teams May Play With 4 Players When Necessary (late player, or foul trouble)
• Standings Tiebreakers: Determined by (1) Head-to-Head, (2) Point Differential (Total Points Scored less Points Given), (3) Points (Max of 15 per game), (4) Total Points, 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, at the discretion of the tournament director.
• Overtime: There will be a 1-minute overtime period, followed by sudden death with Jump Ball to begin the period and posession arrow determining posession in sudden death.
• Full Court Press: For teams 12U thru Varsity, full court press must be removed when the team leading has a 20-or-more Point Lead. For 9U thru 11U 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.
• Any Team That Does Not Show Up For A Game Will Be Obligated To Pay The Tournament Director $100 In Financial Compensation.
• All Teams Must Check-In 30-Minutes Prior To Their First Scheduled Game Time. First game of the day, teams must arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to game time.
• Teams Arriving More Than 10 Minutes Late Shall Forfeit The Game, But Will Be Allowed To Play The Game With Any Remaining Time, Up Until The Next Schedule Game Time.
• Games Will Be Started Early If The Tournament Gets Ahead Of Schedule.
• The Tournament Director Reserves The Right To Change The Clock Management Rules To A 20-minute Running Half Clock At Any Time, In Order To Keep The Tournament Schedule. If This Occurs, 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.
• The tournament director reserves the right to change tournament clock rules to benefit all teams in the tournament without notice (i.e. accommodate more teams, keep games on time, etc).

Un-Sportsman-Like Conduct

NorCalHoops.Net 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.

Officiating Policy

Officials for the NorCal Series are high-school certified EXPERIENCED referees that have extensive high school and/or AAU experience. Most of our officials have been with our tournament series for many years, and they are considered and treated as a valuable part of our tournament family. 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.

Awards

Individual Player Awards (Medals and/or Ribbons) shall be given, at a minimum, to 1st Place teams when there are 4 or less teams in a bracket. Additional awards are offered for 2nd through 6th place, at the discretion of NorCalHoops.Net, depending on number of teams in a bracket. There will be two sets of 1st place awards given for combined brackets where teams from two different age levels compete in the same pool - with a 1st place set of medals being awarded to the best team in the younger-age group, and another 1st place set of medals being awarded to the best team in the older age group. 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.  Awards can vary by tournament, so check with the director.  Scrimmage Tournaments do not have awards.

Refunds

There will be no refunds of Tournament Fees, Admission Fees, or Other Fees under any circimstances.

Disclaimer

NorCalHoops.Net reserves the right to modify tournament rules and regulations 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.