General Tournament Information G365 Tournament Rules Certification Rules Certification Age Breakdown General Tournament Information The home team must wear light colored uniform tops and the away team must wear dark colored uniforms. Game officials have the authority to eject players and coaches for poor sportsmanship at their discretion. All ejections are reviewed by the referee assignor and tournament director(s). All coaches must check-in at the designated location and receive a wristband in order to sit on the bench. Only two coaches are allowed per team. A program director may take the place of an assistant coach with prior approval. Coaches are responsible for controlling team spectators and fans. Referees and tournament officials have the authority to ask a player or fan to leave for unsportsmanlike conduct. Teams can receive technical fouls for the actions of their coaches, players and spectators for any distractions ruled as unsportsmanlike conduct by the tournament staff. If a coach, player, or spectator is ejected from the game, he or she may be suspended for the next game during tournament play at the tournament director’s discretion. The suspended coach, player or spectator may not be allowed on the property for the game in which they are suspended if the tournament director feels it is necessary. An ejected coach, player, or spectator must leave the vicinity of the playing court and must be out of earshot and out of sight of the officiating staff. Any tournament participant (player, coach, fan, or referee) that has a physical interaction with another player, fan, coach, or referee can be suspended for not only that weekend’s event, but also indefinitely, at the tournament director’s discretion. A return to the facility is at the discretion of the Grassroots 365 tournament staff. Fighting will not be tolerated at G365 events. Grassroots 365 does not condone the use of racial slurs from players, parents, or coaches. Use of racial slurs is grounds for ejection from the event. In the event of a two-way tie in pool play, the tie will be determined by the head-to-head outcome between the teams. In the event of a three-way tie, the tie will be determined by point differential with a maximum +/- of 15 points in any one game and only games against teams involved in the tie will be factored in. In the event that point differential does not break the tie between any of the teams (three or more teams), the tie between these remaining teams only will be determined by least points allowed against all of the teams involved in the tie. If there is a tie in point margin differential and in least points allowed between two teams within the three-way tie, head-to-head will be used to determine which of the two teams advances If there is a pool in which all teams do not all play each other in pool play, any ties will be determined by head-to-head outcome, followed by point spread, followed by least points allowed. Point spread and least points allowed are still relevant even if all teams do not play each other in pool play. For any game that results in a forfeit, the score will be 15 – 0. The winning team receives a +15 and the losing team receives a -15. All other rules, not specifically mentioned herein, will be in accordance with CIF “Southern Section” high school basketball rules. G365 Tournament Rules All games will consist of two 20-minute halves. All games will be running clock unless game is within 10 points or fewer in the final two minutes of the game in which a stop clock will be used. Teams will be in single bonus at seven (7) team fouls and will shoot one-and-one at 7 fouls. When a team reaches ten (10) team fouls for the half, the other team will shoot double bonus. Each team receives three full timeouts per game and one additional timeout per overtime. Unused timeouts do not carry into overtime periods. Individual players foul out if they receive five personal fouls. Each game will have a minimum of five minutes of warm-up time and halftime will be three minutes. Overtime periods will be two-minute stop clock time. If there is a third overtime period, the game’s result will be decided by sudden death (first team to score would win). If two players on the same team have duplicate numbers and it is caught by either the referee or the scorekeeper, a technical foul will be assessed. If a player shows up late to a game with a duplicate number, a technical may be assessed then as well. If it is not caught by halftime by any party, it cannot be called in the second half of the game. Players cannot play on two teams during the same game time slot, regardless of program. Once a player has checked into a game, they cannot leave that game to play for another team even if they are listed on and eligible to play for multiple rosters. In all divisions, players may enter the lane when the ball is released out of the shooter’s hand. The home team is responsible for providing the game ball. Only one coach is allowed to stand at a time per team and must stay in the designated coaching box. A coach does NOT need to sit after their first technical foul. All boys divisions 6th Grade / 12U and up will use the full size 29.5 regulation basketball. All girls divisions, and boys divisions in 5th Grade and below will use the 28.5 size basketball. Jewelry including necklaces, rings, and metal bracelets are not permitted. Stud earrings are only permitted if they are properly taped and as long as the official can confirm that they do not pose a risk for harm or injury. Any team which does not have five players (or their head coach) by the start of the game will be given a grace period of ten (10) minutes before the game starts. After ten (10) minutes, the team may choose to play with four players, utilize an assistant coach or parent to supervise the kids, or Open Gym Premier reserves the right to enforce a forfeit. In divisions 11U/5th Grade and younger, teams that have a lead of 20 points or more may no longer use a full-court press defense. Rules that are not listed here will be in accordance with NFHS basketball rules. Certification Rules Players are not allowed to play for multiple teams at the same grade/age level, regardless of whether they are playing in different divisions (Gold, Silver, Bronze, etc). Players may play for multiple teams only if they are not in the same grade/age level. Example: If a 7th Grade/13U player is on a “Gold” division team, she may not play for a 7th Grade/13U “Silver” division team. He may, however, play for an 8th Grade/14U team in any division. If a player plays for two teams from different programs in the same division, the first team they play with will be their primary team. When caught, the secondary team will forfeit any future games in which the player in question plays. If a player plays for two teams from the same program in the same division, the first team that they play for is considered their primary team and the secondary team will forfeit any games in which the player in question plays. All teams must be certified thirty minutes prior to their first game at the designated team check-in. All players must be on the roster at the team certification before their first game. Any player not listed on the team roster will not be eligible to play in the playoff/bracket round. If a player misses the first day of the event, she may still play the next day if they are listed on the certified roster sheet. Youth teams (8U/2nd Grade through 14U/8th Grade) must abide by the 2023-2024 G365 age/grade based guidelines (see our “Certification Birthdates” document for reference). Teams will be allowed to have two (2) grade exceptions per team. “Gold” divisions, however, do not have a cap on the number of grade exceptions per team (more than 2 is permitted). For the correct definition of a grade-exception, please also see our “Certification Birthdates” document. High school players are not allowed to participate in the 14U/8th Grade division, regardless of whether they make the age cutoff or not. Players who are born in the correct birth date range for a division but are in an advanced grade, are still eligible to play in that particular division, including the Gold level. Ex. If a player hoping to play 10U/4th grade is in 5th grade, but was born on 9/1/2013 or later, they can still play in that division. Players who qualify age-wise are eligible for their respective division they qualify for, no matter what grade they are in. “Reclassifying,” or being held back a grade, does not go into effect until September 1. For instance, players who just finished 7th grade and plan on repeating CANNOT play in 6th grade during the summer months. All boys teams must present a birth certificate for each player. If a player is seeking a grade exception, a hard copy report card must be present. To receive a grade exception, a player must be in the correct grade (must be in 7th grade to be eligible for the 7th Grade/13U division). A player who is in the proper grade for a given division, but is at least two years older than the age designated for that division before May 15th, 2024, will not be allowed to play in said division. For example, if a player is in 4th grade, but turns 12 before May 15th, 2024, he or she will NOT be able to play in the 10U/4th grade division. They will instead have to play in the 11U/5th Grade division or higher. All girls divisions are grade-based. Each player must present a hard copy report card. If a girls player is playing in the boys division, they must follow the same age/grade guidelines as the boys. High school divisions will be “Frosh/Soph,” “Junior Varsity,” and “Varsity.” Juniors and Seniors may NOT play Frosh/Soph, and Seniors may NOT play Junior Varsity. Per CIF Rules, “A student whose 19th birthday is attained prior to June 15 of the prior school year shall not participate or practice on any team in the following year. A student whose 19th birthday is on or before June 14 is ineligible.” Junior college players are not allowed to participate in Grassroots 365 events. If a team does not follow the certification process they may be removed without a refund. An opposing coach can submit a challenge of a player’s grade or age exception with a $100.00 deposit. Parents or fans associated with a team may not protest. The protest must come from the head coach or the one assistant coach who is allowed on the bench per team. A protest of a player’s age or grade must be submitted before the game starts, or within 30 minutes of the game’s completion. Certification Age Breakdown Gold divisions for all Grassroots 365 tournaments are grade based. Under these rules, any player who shows current proof of grade (report card, progress report, or school ID) is eligible to play for that grade level. All other divisions are age-based with two (2) grade exceptions allowed per team. Example- A player playing 13U/7th grade who shows proof that they are currently in 7th grade regardless of their birthdate is eligible to play as a grade exception. However, birthdate is still relevant. For example, please note that a player who is in 8th grade could still conceivably play 13U/7th Grade division if he fits into the correct age range. Players who are born in the correct birth date range for a division but are in an advanced grade, are still eligible to play in that particular division, including the Gold level. See age ranges below: 8U / 2nd Grade An athlete can be no older than 8 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2015 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2015 BUT is in the 2nd grade, that player is eligible for 8U as an exception 9U / 3rd Grade An athlete can be no older than 9 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2014 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2014 BUT is in the 3rd grade, that player is eligible for 9U as an exception 10U / 4th Grade An athlete can be no older than 10 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2013 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2013 BUT is in the 4th grade, that player is eligible for 10U as an exception 11U / 5th Grade An athlete can be no older than 11 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2012 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2012 BUT is in the 5th grade, that player is eligible for 11U as an exception 12U / 6th Grade An athlete can be no older than 12 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2011 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2011 BUT is in the 6th grade, that player is eligible for 12U as an exception 13U / 7th Grade An athlete can be no older than 13 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2010 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2010 BUT is in the 7th grade, that player is eligible for 13U as an exception 14U / 8th Grade An athlete can be no older than 14 on August 31, 2024 Birthday Range: September 1, 2009 – Present If a player was born before 9/1/2009 BUT is in the 8th grade, that player is eligible for 14U as an exception Additional Note: All rosters must be completed via the Passport prior to the first game. If the roster for your team is not completed by the first game, the first game for your team will be a forfeit.
