The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recently announced some changes to free throws and fouls for the upcoming school year.
Beginning next year, high school basketball teams will shoot two free throws once the foul bonus has been reached. The bonus qualifications will also be changing. A bonus is reached when a team commits five fouls in each quarter. Team fouls will reset each quarter as well.
Previously, teams would be given a “one-and-one” bonus when the opposite team reached seven fouls in a half and two foul shots when ten fouls were reached each half. A “one-and-one” foul shot is when the first free throw is a live ball if missed and a second free throw is given if the first shot is made.
The NFHS said these changes will make the game flow better and reduce the risks of injuries in rebounding situations.
“The rules committee studied data that showed higher injury rates on rebounding situations and saw this as an opportunity to reduce opportunities for rough play during rebounds,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee. “Additionally, resetting the fouls each quarter will improve game flow and allow teams to adjust their play by not carrying foul totals to quarters two and four.”
Throw-in procedures for front-court violations have also been adjusted. When a ball is in the team’s control on the offensive side of the court and the defensive team commits a violation or the ball becomes dead, the throw-in by the offensive team will be at one of four designated spots determined by where the violation took place. The designated spots are either the nearest 28-foot mark along the sideline or the nearest spot three feet outside the lane line on the end line.
However, if the defensive team causes a ball to go out of bounds, the throw-in will continue to be where the ball went out of bounds.
In addition, if an official administers a throw-in to the wrong team, the error can be fixed before the first dead ball after the ball is live. However, the error can not be corrected once the ball changes possession.
According to the NFHS, basketball is the third-most popular high school sport for boys and the fourth-most popular high school sport for girls in the country.
