Winter Classic: 4 on 4 Hoops Tourney Rules

  • Scheduling: Teams will play 3 round robin games and 1 or 2 playoff games.
  • Reseeding: Teams may be reseeded as a result of competitive balance requirements at Urban Rec’s sole discretion.
  • Rules: Please review the rules before the tournament with your team to avoid any confusion.  The rules are located below as well as on your Member Dashboard and can be accessed by clicking on Members in the upper-right corner above and then on Dashboard.
  • Uniforms: Bring light- and dark-coloured jerseys - default is home team wears light and away wears dark.
  • Subbing: Can be done with a checked ball when the team is on offense.
  • Fouls: Please call your own fouls (offense or defense). Games are self-refereed.  Participants are responsible for calling their own fouls - please err on the side of good sportsmanship.

Urban Rec Basketball Rules

Teams

  1. Have fun and play with good sportsmanship!  We expect all of our Urban Rec participants to have a “Fun First” attitude about this unique sporting opportunity.  There is an emphasis on the players knowing the rules and managing their own actions on the court.  Sportsmanship, fun and being social are number one at Urban Rec and we hope to see that exhibited by all of our participants!
  2. To be eligible to play in the league all participants must have signed an online waiver with Urban Rec. Players that do not sign an online waiver will not be permitted to participate. Team captains that do not fill out the online team roster will have their team removed from the schedule until they do so and all players have signed the waiver. Team captains are responsible for ensuring that all participants for their team are eligible to participate.
  3. The on-site volunteer Event Coordinator (EC) may do a random ID check for players at any time at their discretion to ensure they are eligible to participate.  If a team is found to be using an ineligible player, then that player’s team will forfeit the game if it has already begun.  If the ID check is done prior to the game starting then that player is simply not permitted to participate until they have indicated they have read the online waiver (they can do this via their smartphone). 
  4. All players should bring a dark shirt and a light shirt to all games. No grey.  By default, the visiting team will be required to change their shirts if both teams show up wearing a similar colour.

General Rules

  1. Any controversial play where teams are unable to determine the appropriate call due to not seeing the play, complexity of the situation, etc. can defer to the EC. Should the EC be unable to make a fair judgement call, the play will simply be reset. Once this is determined, the game will proceed without further discussion.
  2. ​UNSPORTSMANLIKE PLAY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED – Urban Rec leagues are recreational by design and sportsmanship is paramount. This is further articulated in the Urban Rec code of conduct that was signed by all players upon registering to play in any Urban Rec league.
  3. If the EC witnesses any acts of flagrant contact, elbowing, cheap shots, or any type of aggressive play or unsportsmanlike act, the game can be stopped and the player can be removed from the game.
  4. Trash talking is illegal. (Trash talk is language communicated that may be offensive to the coordinator, opposing players, teams, or spectators). The coordinator has the right to determine what is offensive language. If trash talking occurs, the EC will issue one warning. If it continues, the player or players will be ejected from the game.
  5. Only the players invovled in a play should make a call: absolutely NO CALLS PERMITTED from players not on the court.
  6. All other standard basketball regulations apply unless otherwise mentioned in the below rules.

Event Coordinator

  1. The Event Coordinator (EC) is NOT the referee. All games are self-officiated. Rather, the EC is responsible for timing the games, ensuring you have the necessary equipment to play, providing basic first aid and is a resource if you have any questions or concerns. They are however tasked with enabling a positive and safe atmosphere for the participants. At their discretion they may eject players for actions that are contrary to league policy, game rules or violate the code of conduct.
  2. In situations where the teams are unable to determine the appropriate call due to not seeing the play, complexity of the situation, etc. they can defer to the EC and if he or she also cannot determine a timely resolution, it will result in a reset in play.

Timing

  1. All games will consist of two 16-minute halves in length, run time.  After the first half, the EC will inform teams they are on a half-time break which lasts at the discretion of the coordinator.
  2. – Playoffs only – Shot clock & Stop time – If a playoff match enters the last two minutes of game with the score being within 10 points or less, stop time stipulations will be put into effect and monitored by the EC on site. Time will be stopped whenever the ball is out of bounds, on a foul, injury, etc.
  3. – Playoffs only – In the event of a tie at the end of regulation, teams should play a 2-minute OT.
    1. If a game remains tied after any OT period, the same rules will apply for further OT periods

Offense

  1. Games start with a shooting a 3-point shot for first ball. The team that does not win first ball will start with possession at the second half.
  2. Any time the offensive teams receives possession after a stoppage (ball out of bounds, foul call etc) the ball will be ‘checked in’ by the offense at the top of the key. Following the ‘check in’ the player MUST pass the ball (they may not dribble or shoot the ball).
  3. There is no “three in the key” penalty.

Defense

  1. In the event of a jumpball (two opponents are both holding possession of the ball for 3 seconds), the ball is awarded to the defense.  
  2. All games are self-refereed.  Any infractions will be discussed amongst the two players involved only. In the event of a foul during a scoring attempt, the ball is “checked up” from the top of the key by the team on offense.
  3. NO ZONE DEFENSE is allowed.
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