Flopping Addressed in 2024-25 High School Basketball Rules Changes

Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 11:41 AM

The NFHS hopes to get the "dishonest act" out of the game.

Shutterstock photo.

INDIANAPOLIS – High school basketball players are being warned to stop flopping.

The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee addressed flopping at its April 9-11 meeting in Indianapolis.

A new definition of and subsequent warning for faking being fouled has been added to the NFHS Basketball Rules Book for the 2024-25 season.

Faking being fouled is defined in Rule 4-49-1 as when a player simulates being fouled or makes theatrical or exaggerated movements when there is no illegal contact. Examples include, but are not limited to, embellishing the impact of incidental contact on block/charge plays or field goal attempts, using a “head bob” to simulate illegal contact and using any tactic to create an opinion of being fouled to gain an advantage.

The new language also establishes a procedure for officials to issue a team warning on the first instance of faking being fouled. The warning is recorded in the scorebook and reported to the head coach.

Any additional instances will result in a team technical foul and not a player technical foul, which was previously the case.

“The committee approved changes addressing a variety of different areas,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports. “Maintaining a focus on player safety, fairness, balance and rules that officials can effectively adjudicate continue to be the focus of the committee.”