Regular Season Games for 2023-24 

• Each team will play 9 regular-season games over 9 weeks. 

• Teams can choose to add 2-4 league games in RI and/or Massachusetts by contacting Mike Vaughan, the commissioner, in the preseason so he can add crossover games. Town/City Directors should have specific dates, grade levels, and location they want added to a team’s schedule. These crossover games will show up as regular season league games. If teams choose to manually add additional games after the season begins, they will show up non league games at the bottom of their schedule. 

• All RI MetroWest games are played on 9 Sundays.

• Playoff seeding will be determined by the league’s point system and strength of schedule.

Towns/cities MUST book their gyms for RI MetroWest regular-season home games on the following 9 Sundays dates below. If a town/city has a scheduling issue, please contact Mike Vaughn, the Metro West League Commissioner.

Book these NINE Sundays:

• December 3  10 , 17 

• January 6, 20, 27 

• February 4,  11  25 

Choose any of the following Saturdays to add additional league games. Saturdays will be added to the Metrowest system as cross over league games unless teams schedule their own non league games. 

• December 11, 18

• January 5, 19

• February 3, 10, 17.

The RI MetroWest Rhode Island State Championships are on the following dates (locations could change) :

• Play-in games: Games will be played on Tuesday, February 28, Wednesday February 29, or Thursday March 1. Location TBD.

• Quarterfinals and Semifinals: March 2 and 3 at Johnston Recreational Center, Toll Gate East Greenwich and North Kingstown High Schools. 

• RI MetroWest State Championships:  Games will be played Wednesday March 6 and Thursday March 8 at Warwick Veterans Middle School, North Providence, North Kingstown, Toll Gate, East Greenwich and Ponaganset High Schools. 

New England Championships (Small and Large Divisions):  Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17 at Dana Barros Basketball Club, Mass Premier, and M-Plex. 

 

Basic Rules:

• The MIAA and RIIL High School Rules are used except as noted below.

Eligibility:

• All players MUST reside in the town/city that they reside in AND attend public school.  There are NO exceptions for the 2023-2024 basketball season.  This policy is in place to avoid “handpicking players” from other communities to gain a competitive advantage.
• All head coaches MUST collect report cards and enter a completed roster with player names, numbers and addresses into the platform in order to be eligible for the 2023- 2024 season.  If a roster does NOT match players in the official book, the opposing coach can take a picture of the book and protest the game.
• If a player lives in one town/city and attends a private school in another town/city, he/she MUST play for the town/city  he/she resides in (primary address).  Example: Player A goes to OLM and lives in West Warwick. Player A MUST play for West Warwick. If West Warwick does not have a team, player A’s parents should contact the West Warwick President to try to form a team in that grade level.
• If a player's parents are divorced, the player MUST play for the town/city where he/she attends their local public school (as shown on the report card).  If a player’s parents are divorced and he/she attends private school, the player MUST play for the town/city where they reside (as shown on the report card).
• If a player played for another organization’s town/city last season in 2021-2022, he/she MUST follow the updated eligibility requirements for the 2022-2023 season. Example: Player B was granted a waiver to play for Smithfield last season but lives in Coventry, player B MUST play for Coventry this season.
• If a player repeats/reclassifies in 8th grade, they are NOT eligible to play in RI Metro or RIYBA again this season. If a player repeats a grade in 3-7, please provide documentation to the Eligibility Coordinator to review. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
• All co-ops (two towns merging together for specific grades) must be approved by the Eligibility Coordinator

*This is Rhode Island and we are a small state. Please follow the rules and have pride in playing in the community you live in and attend school. Our goal is to avoid having a player play travel for Portsmouth while attending middle school in Middletown. This is NOT AAU or club basketball. Travel youth basketball is an extension of recreation basketball as towns/cities have “A and B” teams for each grade.

**If a player is reported by another town/city for NOT following the requirements, the Eligibility Coordinator will investigate the situation. This is a formal process and MUST be handled professionally by a town/city President to the RIYBA Board of Directors. We will NOT accept phone calls or emails from parents. This avoids any rumors or conflicts between communities.**

Coaches:

• Only the coach and up to 3 assistants are allowed on the bench. Everyone else must be a player who is on the official team roster.  Scorers, analysts, or anyone else may not be on the player bench or bench area.  The game officials may allow more, but ask people to leave the bench area if behavior becomes a concern.  Only one coach can stand to coach.  The coach’s box is the area directly in front of his or her player bench.

Shot Clock:

• A shot clock is NOT used.

Game Length:

• Games consist of four 8-minute quarters. Stop time is used (i.e., the clock is stopped on the referee's whistle).
• Halftime is 5 minutes. No mercy rule is used. We ask coaches with large leads to eliminate pressing, shooting threes, and behavior in a mockery fashion. SEE NO PRESSING RULE BELOW.

Overtime:

• Overtimes shall be 3 minutes in length. Each team will receive 1 additional time-out per overtime. This adds to any time-outs you have.

Time-outs:

• Each team is allowed 5 full-time-outs per game.

Fouls:

• The following rules concerning fouls shall be in effect:
• 2 Free Throws will be shot on the 5th foul of each quarter.
• Second-half fouls carry over into overtime for the purpose of Free Throws.
• Player technical fouls are counted as personal fouls and team fouls.
• Any player receiving 2 technical fouls in a game or who is ejected from a game shall not
• participate in the next league game. Any player involved in a fight will be removed immediately.
• Any coach receiving a technical foul must sit for the remainder of the game.
• Any coach receiving 2 technical fouls in a game or who is ejected from a game shall not participate in the next league game.
• The coach may receive 2 indirect and 1 direct technical before removal.

Equipment:

• Game balls shall be leather or synthetic leather. The following sizes shall be used:
• Boys Grades 7th & 8th standard men’s ball 29.5.
• Boys and Girls 3rd grade will use a 27.5 ball
• Girls Grade 4 will use the 27.5 Ball.
• Boys Grades 4th-6th and Girls 5-8 will use standard 28.5

Full Court Pressing:

• There shall be no full-court pressing by a team with a lead of 20 points or more.
• No pressing is allowed for 3,4 and 5 grade teams except for the last 2 minutes of the 2nd quarter and
• the last 3 minutes of the 4 quarter and any subsequent overtime. Please review the pressing rules below.

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Boys & Girls Modified Rules

FOUL SHOOTING RULE - APPLIES TO 3, 4, and 5 Grades Boys & Girls. The intent of this rule is to increase foul shooting percentage and avoid the many other rebounding fouls, aggressive play, and confusion during the foul shooting action at these levels.

1. ALL foul shooters are allowed to start their try 1 step (appx. 3ft) in front of the marked foul

line.

1. They must maintain the same line restrictions as with any other foul shot. The imaginary line for jumping forward or leaving once the ball is airborne is at the officials' discretionary judgment and would be a violation.
2. If they so desire to start their attempt at the marked line they are allowed to go over it on

the follow through but are held to the same rules if they started in front of the line.

1. MOST IMPORTANT PART AND ADDITION TO THE NEW RULE AS FOLLOWS:  Following they're trying in steps #2 & 3  THE SHOOTER IS NOT allowed to be the first player to secure control of the ball EVEN if it is tapped/touched by anyone else first.  THIS WOULD BE A VIOLATION AND THE BALL IS GIVEN TO THE OTHER TEAM at the point of interruption.  This would include shooting “intentionally” and tipping it to a teammate to gain team control.
2. IF the shooter elects to shoot/try at the marked (traditional) line and maintains all NORMAL restrictions (E.G. THE LINE AND WAITING TILL RIM CONTACT) He or She follows the normal free throw shooting rules.

RULE ENFORCEMENT: Man to Man, Double Teaming, and Press Modified Rules.

If it is evident that the defense is:

1. Intentionally playing zone principles, has a player that is basket hanging, or players shadowing the ball.
2. Doubling the ball by DESIGN regardless of where the ball is on the floor
3. Pressing in the backcourt prior to the time allowed to do so or up by more than 20 points.

The order of sequence:

1. Informal warning to the coach.  
2. A Formal warning to the defense (1 per game for each category)
3. An illegal defense call that gives the offense 1 shot penalty with the lane cleared out and the ball back at the point of interruption. NO technical fouls are given.  The rule can be enforced as many times as needed.

MAN TO MAN RULE for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades. Please review carefully.

The rule is not intended for the offense to gain an advantage with clear-outs and one on one play AND the miss conception that a defender must always be within so many feet of the offensive player to be considered “man to man” is not correct. Man to Man defense is the only allowed defense to be played at this level.  We encourage “man to man” to be taught using proper man-to-man principles.  This includes help side, basket line, switching on screens, strong side vs weak side concepts, or picking up the ball at or around the 3-point line.

The two types of concepts NOT allowed are basket hanging by one player (picture A) OR helping

defenders shadow the ball (picture C).  All other man-to-man principles should be encouraged and

coaches should understand the difference between a coach breaking the rules or a 9/10-year-old that is a

little lost. The best way for an offense to show a defense is to play zone principles is move players from

the strong side to the weak side and vice versa on a consistent basis. If a defender does not adjust to the player

they are covering… then it would have “zone principles.”

Please review the pictures below:

• Help Side Defense (weak side), defenders on the weak side are allowed to be in the paint/basket line.  In the 2nd  picture, the defender playing “5” is now hanging at the basket as the player he/she is covering is now relocated, the defender should relocate with the offensive player.
• Defenders picking up players at or around the 3-point line are acceptable as long as they are in line with the player they are defending. In the 2nd picture, defenders are clearly sagging off and “packing” the paint. Defensive players do NOT have to go out to the offense, but they cannot pack the paint.   
• Players playing weak side and strong side are allowed. In Picture 2 players have left their player to Shadow the ball by OVER helping prior to ball movement. This is not allowed. There is no violation for an offense of “clearing out”.  If the defense is adjusted properly they can prevent clear-outs from happening as they do NOT have to be 3 feet from their “player”  Picture C and D. It is important to understand that a good man-to-man defense can look like a zone. 

 

**The intent of the rule is to force coaches NOT to play zone or try to gain a competitive advantage, but to teach.  Coaches who are constantly looking for an official to call a ZONE violation are also looking for a competitive

advantage that the rule is NOT intended for.  Allow officials to determine if an opposing team is playing

with Zone principles**