G.O.Y.A. Rules

Preamble

The Greek Orthodox Youth Basketball League is an activity of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of New Jersey / Delaware Valley Region Youth Commission and is subject to all rules and directives of the Delaware Valley Region Youth Commission.
Entry Regulations:
1. Any Parish that is in good financial standing with the Delaware Valley Youth Commission will be eligible to sponsor a boy's and a girl's team in the Basketball League. More that one boys' and girls' team per parish is permissible. The teams will be established at the discretion of the individual parishes without reflecting a "Varsity" and "Junior Varsity" mentality.
2. Each Parish will submit, prior to October 1st, its official roster, which will list all of its players and their respective grades, along with proof of age for each player. A player's name may appear on only one roster. No additions or deletions will be accepted after the roster is submitted. The following will be considered valid proof of age: Birth certificate or Passport.
3. It is necessary fro each player to submit a signed parental permission slip, player's oath and medical consent form. These forms must be submitted to the League with the official roster.
4. All entry fees must be submitted on or before October 1st, as stated in the Youth Commission By-Laws. Teams must submit their rosters along with proof of age fro each player on or before October 1st. Teams not in compliance with this rule will not be permitted to play the first game and will be assessed a $50.00 late fee. If registrations requirements for a team are not complete when submitted, the whole packet will be returned to sender. If deadline passes before it is complete, penalty will be added.
League Regulations:
1. League will supple the following to the churches providing basketball courts for the League's use:
  1. Official leather basketballs (1 boys' and 1 girls')
  2. Official clock and horn
  3. Official scorebook with a copy of the League Official By-Laws attached.
  4. 12 pennies per gym
  5. A first aid kit will be kept at the scorekeeper's table.
2. League will pay for all referee expenses.
3. The Host Church will be responsible for assigning a competent timekeeper and scorekeeper and paying the referees from the League funds. Ideally, each participating team should provide on individual to handle the scorebook and /or time clock at each game.
4. The host Parish shall be responsible for the safekeeping of two basketballs, one clock and one horn and 12 pennies after the games. If this equipment is lost or misplaced, the host church is responsible for its replacement.
5. An official contact person representing the League will be present at all gyms during League play. That person is responsible for reporting the game scores to the designated Newsletter person before 5:00 pm on the Monday following the game. The report is to include a fax of the official game score sheet.
6. A snack bar will be open in each gym during League play to provide refreshments, ice, etc. for player, as well as spectators.
Team and Player Regulations
1. Each team member should play for the Church where his/her family is sustaining members and where they participate in parish life. In the case of new parish members, whether due to a move from one parish to parish within the Delaware Valley Region or from outside the Region to an area parish, consideration will be taken on an individual basis, by the Youth Commission. In most cases the player maybe be required to sit out one year.
  
  EXCEPTION: Should a player attend a Church that doesn't have a team, he/she may play for the team of his/her neighboring Church.
2. In the event that a family actively supports membership in more than one parish of the Region, team membership shall be based on G.O.Y.A. participation, Sunday school enrollment, etc. as determined by the Parish Priests of the parishes involved and the Youth Commission.
3. Each team member must be of the Greek Orthodox Faith and a member of his/her parish G.O.Y.A. All players are encouraged to actively participate In G.O.Y.A. activities other than athletics and must fulfill their parish Religious Education requirement.
4. Each team member must be in the 7th -12th grades, inclusive and shall be age 18 or under as of October 1st of that particular year. Should a player be 18 and turn 19 after the start of the season, he/she may continue to play for the duration of the season providing he/she is a high school student.
5. A team member will declared ineligible for the playoffs if he/she does not appear in the official scorebook for at least 4 games through the course of the regular season. A player shall not be listed in the official score book unless the player is physically present at the games.
6. Each team must be in proper uniform, with his/her player number plainly visible. Failure to comply wit the rules governing proper uniform will result in the player being deleted form the game line-up.
7. The host parish will be responsible for maintaining the official scorebook. Each team may supply its own unofficial scorebook.
8. Each team MUST be on time for its respective games. All team members should be informed of game times and locations by the team coaches and advisors. After a 15-minute grace period, the late arriving team will forfeit the game. No rescheduling shall be allowed. An exception to this rule may be made due to inclement weather, with the pre-approval of the League Committee Chairman. A newsletter should be distributed weekly to the players by their respective coaches.
9. A fine, equivalent to the amount of he referee's fees, will be assessed to the team that forfeits a game by not showing up. In the event of the foreknowledge of a forfeit, notice must be given to the opposing team before noon on the day before the game. If the opposing team does not receive advance notice and arrives at the gym ready to play, the team that forfeits will also be expected to pay any travel expenses that were incurred. (See Article IV. #8 for rule governing inclement weather.)
10. Should a player or coach be ejected from a game for any reason, he/she will be suspended for the next game the team is scheduled to play. With the second ejection, the player will be suspended for the remainder of the year.
  
  A coach will be suspended for the remainder of the year after the first ejection.
11. Should a player receive 3 technical fouls, or a coach receives 2 technical fouls during a season, he/she will be suspended for the remainder of the year.
12. Coaches are to sit on the bench during play. They may stand but must stay on front of the players' bench they will not "roam" the sidelines.
13. Coaches will be held responsible for the behavior of their players and fans.
14. The official scorekeeper is responsible for notifying the designated newsletter person and the League Chairman of all technical fouls and ejections, with the reasons for same. A tally of technicals and ejections will be recorded in the weekly newsletter.
15. A team shall forfeit any game in which an ineligible player has participated.
16. Youth Commission must be consulted for approval of any change of uniform color. In a game where both teams have the same color uniforms, the team who most recently changes its color will wear pinneys.
17. In the event that two League referees are not present for a game, the game will be played and considered official upon the agreement of all three: the coaches of both teams involved, and the League Official (if present).
Game Regulations:
1. Length: Game lengths are as follows -
  Girls - 8-minute quarters
  Boys - 8-minute quarters
  
  The clock will be stopped for shooting fouls, only. It will run during turnover and out of bounds violations.
  
  During the final two minutes of each quarter, the clock will be stopped for all violations.
2. Penalty: The opposing team will shoot the penalty upon the sixth (6) team foul of each half. The bonus (2 free throws) will be in effect upon the tenth (10) team foul of each half.
3. Fouls: A player will be removed from the game upon receiving his/her fifth (5) personnel or second (2) technical foul.
4. Three point shot will be in effect where 3-point line is marked on the floor.
5. Coaches are to instill good sportsmanlike conduct in their respective teams in accordance with Orthodox Christian tenets.
6. Timeouts: Each team will be permitted five (5) timeouts per game with may be utilized anytime throughout the duration of the game.
7. Overtime: In case of a tie, there will be a three (3) minute overtime period, during which the clock will be stopped on all violations. One timeout will be permitted for each team in addition to any remaining from the previous four quarters.
8. Point Span: At the time a team exceeds the lead stated below, that team will not be allowed to perform a full court press.
  
  Boys: If lead exceeds 20 points
  Girls: If lead exceeds 15 points
The coaches are encouraged to play the bench - especially at times when there is a sizable lead.
Playoff Procedures and Awards:
1. Playoff positions will be awarded to the teams that finish in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place at the end of the regular season.
2. Semi-final games will pair the 1st and 4th place teams in one game and the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the other game.
3. The winners will advance to the Championship Game and the losers will play for 3rd place.
4. All playoff games will be stop-clock throughout the game.
5. Trophies will be awarded to the teams that participated in the playoffs. Plaques will be awarded to all teams that participate in the League. Boys' and Girls' team Sportsmanship Trophies will be awarded Boys' and Girls' MVP Awards will be presented.
  
  In addition to the above, roving trophies will be awarded (for a one year interval) to the winners of the Boys' and Girls' Playoffs, respectively. If a team wins three years in a row, it shall retain the roving trophy permanently.
  
  The awards are named as follow:
  
  The Dr. Nick Nicolas Memorial MVP Awards (Boys' and Girls')
  The Rev. Constantine Combitsis Roving Championship (Boys)
  The Astra Foods Roving Championship Award (Girls)
6. Relative to the Sportsmanship Awards, each Girls' team will vote for the on e Girls' team (other than itself) and each Boys' team will do the same, relative to one Boys' team. The teams wit the most votes in each of the two categories wins.
7. With regard to the MVP Awards each Girls' team will vote for three girls (in order, from 1 to 3, wit the number 1 choice being awarded three points; number 2, two points; and number 3, one point). A team cannot vote for one of its own team members. The individual with the most points will win. The Boys will vote in the same manner for three boys.
8. No player may be nominated for the honor of All-Star or MVP if he/she received a technical foul during the regular season /post season for reasons of un-Christian-like behavior, specifically: hostility, anger, improper language. A list of those who have received such technical fouls shall be mailed to all coaches with the All Star/MVP ballots.
Tie-Breaking Procedures
1. Should there be a tie between two teams at the end of the regular season, the team with the least amount of technical fouls, committed by player, coach and team, will be awarded the higher ranking. Should there be a tie with regard to technical fouls, the team that won when those teams me during the regular season will be awarded the higher position.
2. Should three teams be tied at the end of the season, the team with the least amount of technical fouls, committed by player, coach and team will be awarded the higher position. If there is still a tie, the team wit the better record when playing I the other two will be awarded the higher position.
  
  The remaining two teams will be placed according to Rule VII.
3. Should three teams be tied at the end of the season all have the same record among each other, a round robin shall be implemented.
Grievances
1. The Grievance Committee shall consist of three individuals and an alternate, from four different parishes. All four of these individuals shall be appointed by the Youth Commission Chairman. He shall appoint on of them as Grievance Committee Chairman.
2. Any grievance must be submitted to the Youth Commission, in writing, and b postmarked within one week of the game. The grievance will then be forwarded to the Grievance Committee Chairman and Basketball Committee Chairman. Action should be taken within three weeks.
3. All Committee members from the parishes directly involved in a grievance shall not have a vote on any resolution pertaining to any such grievance. A quorum shall be defined as a minimum of two committee members. A quorum is needed to take action. A majority vote is required.
4. The Grievance Committee decision shall be final. It shall be empowered to issue suspensions and other necessary actions.
Rules Interpretation
1. The referees shall have absolute jurisdictions regarding the interpretation of rules for all League games.
Player/Coach Workshop
1. A Coaches' Workshop will be held before the start of each season. Date of this event should be determined and advertised with 2 months advance notice. All coaches must attend this workshop in order to be eligible to coach in the GOYA Basketball League. A Handbook for Coaches, that describes the responsibilities and duties of a coach, will be given to all coaches.
Scheduling
1. No change to the League Schedule will be made due to outside commitments. A letter detailing scheduling requirements must be sent to the League by September 15th for consideration.
2. No tournaments may be scheduled by participating League teams during the entire length of the season. Likewise, no participating League team may attend a tournament if it creates a conflict with the League Schedule.