IBCA E-Newsletter

IHSAA changes for 2026-27

During its annual review of IHSAA member by-laws on May 4, 2026, the IHSAA Board of Directors approved Personal Branding Activities for high school student-athletes.

The Personal Branding Activities item, which passed 13-5, allows student-athletes at member schools to potentially benefit while preserving their amateur status. The rule is effective in 2026-27.

The term “Personal Branding Activities (PBA)” was chosen to clearly distinguish the high school model from the college version of Name-Image-Likeness (NIL). At the most basic level, students will not be allowed to use their school affiliation nor appear in uniform during activities.

“Unlike the current college system, where schools often play a direct role in NIL compensation, the new rule keeps high schools out of arranging or funding deals for student-athletes,” IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig said. “Instead, it allows students to benefit independently from their school, without using school branding or representing school-sponsored endorsements. It creates a clear distinction between the college model and the educational mission of high school athletics.”

Allowable Personal Branding Activities include:

• Non-School, Non-Athletic PBAs: Students may engage in PBAs provided they do not represent a member school and do not perform athletic services.
• Personal Brand Development: Students may develop and monetize their personal brand through social media, personal appearances and endorsements unrelated to their school athletic participation.
• Skills-Based Services: Students may provide non-athletic services such as tutoring, personal training instruction or coaching youth sports for reasonable compensation.

Prohibited Personal Branding Activities that will result in ineligibility include:

• School Representation: Any PBA that represents or references a member school, unless directly connected to the student’s participation in the school’s interscholastic athletic program and directed by the school.
• Prohibited Activities: A student must not participate in any PBA related to products, services, individuals, companies or industries that promote gaming or gambling, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, illegal or banned substances (including performance-enhancing substances), sexually explicit material or firearms or weapons.
• Athletic Services: Any PBA that involves utilizing athletic skills or participation in interschool athletic contests or demonstrations that are organized, sponsored by, or affiliated with a member school. A student may provide the following activities if not associated with member school representation.
1. Instruction Services: individual or group instruction, lessons, clinics or camps.
2. Appearances and Demonstrations: Participation in events, exhibitions or promotional activities that may involve athletic skill, provided such participation is not tied to a member school or member school competitions or outcomes.
3. Private Training and Coaching: Providing training or coaching services to individuals or teams not affiliated with a member school.
• PBA Collective Participation: Participation in or acceptance of benefits from PBA Collectives that work on behalf of, in conjunction with, or for the benefit of a member school.
• Recruitment-Related Activities: Any PBA offered to entice a student to attend a particular high school for athletic purposes.

Six-Quarter Rule

Here are details on the IHSAA six-quarter rule, also passed in May 2026.

The maximum number of season basketball games in which any team may participate, excluding the IHSAA Tournament Series, shall be 22 games and no tournament, 20 games plus one tournament, or 20 games and a maximum of Three (3) tournaments, provided that all games played in two of the three tournaments are included in the 20-game limitation.

1. Options for player participation during any one season, excluding Jamboree shall be a maximum of:
1. Eighty-eight (88) quarters and no tournaments; plus two (2) additional quarters for every instance where a player participates in six (6) quarters in the same session.
2. Eighty (80) quarters plus one tournament; plus two (2) additional quarters for every instance where a player participates in six (6) quarters in the same session.
3. Eighty (80) quarters and a maximum of three (3) season tournaments (excluding IHSAA Tournament Series), provided the quarters played in the second and third tournaments are included in the 80-quarter limitation; plus two (2) additional quarters for every instance where a player participates in six (6) quarters in the same session.
2. For purposes of this section a “session” occurs when a junior varsity and varsity games are played on one admission ticket without clearing the gymnasium.
3. No player may participate in more than six (6) quarters in one session.
4. If a school schedules a junior varsity game and a varsity game on successive days, a player may participate in a maximum of six (6) quarters in the two (2) games combined as if the games were scheduled in the same session.
5. The maximum quarters participation allowed, five or six quarters in one session, is as follows:

Sub-varsity	Varsity
1	4
2	3
3	2
4	2 (this is the only scenario to play 6 quarters)

6. No team or player may participate in more than eight quarters in one calendar day. A record of the quarters played in basketball by individual players shall be kept on file in the principal’s office at all times for use in certifying eligibility of players.

Moratorium reminder

Also, here is a reminder about the “moratorium” days for the summer of 2027. The “regular moratorium week” continues in 2027 as it long has been – one week that includes July 4. For 2027, that is June 28 through July 4. In addition, each school is to select five additional days of “no contact” between coaches and athletes during the IHSAA’s summer season. The added five days must be a Monday through Friday, not a Saturday or Sunday.

These may be five individual days or five consecutive days.

• Example: 7/5 through 7/9 would be five consecutive days.
• Example: 6/18, 6/25, 7/9, 7/16 and 7/23 would be five Fridays.

How does this affect basketball coaches?

If one of your school’s days is:

• June 18 (girls Charlie Hughes Team Showcase), you would NOT be able to participate on that day.
• June 25 (boys’ Charlie Hughes Team Showcase), you would NOT be able to participate that day.

June 11 (Boys Top 100 Underclass Showcase) and June 17 (Girls Top 100 Underclass Showcase) are not affected as these events are for individual players. However, coaches would not be able to attend or have contact with their player at the Top 100 Underclass Showcase event if one of these days is part of your moratorium.

Coaches are encouraged to have a conversation with your Athletic Director and offer your thoughts about when you would like to see these five days take place, or NOT take place, during June and July.