LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS
Title:

Use of Student Managers at Basketball Practice

Author:Jordan Brabec
School:Howells-Dodge
NSAA District:2
 
Proposal for:Activities Manual
 
Classes Affected:All
Activities Affected:Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
This proposal:WILL NOT increase costs to the school
WILL NOT increase costs to the NSAA
WILL NOT increase travel for participating schools
WILL NOT decrease a student's or coach's instruction time
Implementation date:2024-08-01
Sections affected in Activities Manual:Page
5
Article

Section
Team/Student Membership Requirements
Summary:Change to: 8. During the season of sport, the only persons allowed to participate in any practice session, drill, or scrimmage, are the team members and designated team student managers. A manager is defined as a 7th or 8th grade student in good academic standing who carries out duties for their high school team on a daily basis. These individuals will need to have an Athletic Physical and NSAA Consent Form on file with the school. Any other adult, college student, or alumni are not allowed to participate in any practice session, drill, scrimmage, game, or contest in which a school team or individual who is a member of a school team is involved. a. This does not prevent a coach from being involved for the primary purpose of teaching and demonstrating skills, methods, or techniques ***Student Mangers who are enrolled in that school's Junior High which assist the team each day be allowed to participate in practice drills and practice scrimmages.
Rationale:Due to dwindling participation in basketball, especially on the girl's side, many teams have limited numbers of players out for basketball. Factor in illness, injury, or providing a freshman-sophomore game experience during the week, many teams do not have enough players to conduct drills or scrimmage in practice. Allowing a junior high student manager to fill this role will allow full scrimmages and effective drills as part of a practice. Neighboring states such as Iowa and South Dakota allow for similar participation.
Pros:Allows smaller schools to scrimmage 5 on 5 and makes drills more effective when team size prohibits it.
Cons:Some managers could be small in stature; therefore, the coach should determine who should participate in order to keep everyone safe.