Our Scoreboard = Your Scoreboard

December 6, 2011

We've undertaken a pretty major endeavor at the MHSAA this winter.

At this moment on Dec. 6, we have roughly 70 percent of all boys and girls basketball games scheduled by our teams for this winter entered into our system -- with the goal of keeping an up-to-date record of every schedule, every score and every league's standings.

That 70 percent might sound like barely passing -- until one considers that's more than 10,000 of a possible 15,000 games that will be played by MHSAA schools this winter.

It's a massive effort. Our athletic administrators, secretaries and coaches have helped a ton. But we'd greatly appreciate your help as well.

Like with football in the fall, anyone can report a score, tell us if we have one incorrect, or add an entire schedule at any time. Just go through a quick registration on our site, and become part of what we hope will be an impressive and useful library of information..

Click here to check out tonight's statewide schedule, or search for any night's games for the entire season. Click on a school name or search under "Schools" to see what we have for that team's full schedule. (Postseason games will be added later.)

And click here for the quick registration (it takes 15 seconds or fewer) if you'd like to give us a hand.

Winter Rules Additions Focus on Safety

December 5, 2013

Rules promoting greater player safety and improved coach-player communication highlight the playing rules changes for the winter sports season now underway at Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools across the state.

The winter sports season involves eight different sports and approximately 70,000 student-athletes.  Practices began as early as late October; and tournaments begin in mid-February, running through the end of March. Competition is already underway in Girls Basketball, Bowling in the Upper Peninsula, Girls Competitive Cheer, Girls Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, and Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving. On Saturday (Dec. 7), competition begins for Bowling and Swimming in the Lower Peninsula, as well as Wrestling.  The Boys Basketball season begins on Monday (Dec. 9), and Skiing events may begin on Dec. 14.

Ice Hockey has several rules changes promoting player safety. “Blind-side” hits, checks to an unsuspecting or vulnerable player, can now be penalized; and the rule prohibiting a player form pushing, charging, cross or body-checking an opponent from behind into the boards or goal frame has reinstated the discretion for the official to issue a game disqualification when flagrant. Another safety change stops play when the goalkeeper’s glove is displaced – expanding a rule where the displacement of the keeper’s mask or helmet stops play.

Additionally, an embellishment rule has been added to discourage players from taking dives to draw penalties and exaggerating the severity of the impact of a play in which a penalty is called. Finally, when the attacking team bats the puck directly on goal, it shall result in an immediate whistle and a resulting faceoff at the defensive zone faceoff spot of the offending team.

In Basketball and Wrestling, electronic devices may now be used on the bench or in the corner for coaching purposes – for example, to show plays or keep statistics. Devices may not be used to dispute officials’ calls.

The head coach in Basketball may enter the court without penalty when a fight may break out or has broken out to prevent the situation from escalating. Players and assistant coaches who leave the bench in such situations will continue to be assessed flagrant technical fouls and be disqualified from the contest.

In keeping with rules book language published a few years ago in football, the basketball rules have added a section which limits public address announcers’ action during play. PA announcers, during game action, are limited to announcing who scores baskets and commits fouls. Any other announcements during play, like time remaining, are inappropriate. General announcements during time outs are still allowed.

In Wrestling, forfeits are no longer considered as matches when considering the five-matches-in-one-day limit for competition.

Winter tournaments begin the first full week of February in wrestling. The first MHSAA Finals of the season are the Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals on February 15, and tournaments conclude with the Boys Basketball Semifinals & Finals, March 21-22.