Your Thoughts: New high school basketball free-throw rules

[Crusader12-0]

New high school basketball free-throw rules have dramatically changed the game

Chris Cervino stepped to the foul line twice in the final minute of Saturday’s Bergen County Jamboree quarterfinal and, with the game still on the line, felt almost no pressure.

The Ramapo senior guard benefitted from a new, nationwide high school basketball rule that eliminated the one-and-one in favor of two shots when the opponent goes over the foul limit. So Cervino didn’t fear missing the first free throw because he knew he would automatically be shooting a second one.

“I have mixed thoughts about that, to be honest,” Cervino said after making all four free throws to secure a 56-49 win over Demarest. “I feel like the one-and-one was such a big part of the game because if you missed that first free throw, the other team is coming down and trying to win.”

“Mixed thoughts” is the best way to describe North Jersey’s reaction to this dramatic rule change. The Indianapolis-based National Federation of State High School Associations eliminated the one-and-one, awarded each half when the opponent reached seven fouls, and replaced it with two free throws, awarded each quarter when the opponent reaches five fouls.

Referees favor the change because it improves the flow of the game. Coaches are split on it because the one-and-one was a long-standing tradition and required different strategy.

For players, it's simple: if your team is shooting two, you like it; but if the other team is in the bonus and shooting a pair, you hate it.

How we got here

The NFHS announced the rule change in May, and director of sports Lindsey Atkinson explained the reasoning:

“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. 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.”

“What I like about it, from an officials’ point of view, is the flow of the game has improved tremendously,” said longtime North Jersey official Frank Porfido, noting that games have been several minutes shorter. “There’s not as many stoppages, and the game moves quicker, so the guys just play.”

Bergen Catholic coach Billy Armstrong agreed, saying he feels like there are fewer fouls and games are cleaner.

Games have become cleaner by affording each team a fresh start for each quarter. For instance, if a team committed four fouls in the first quarter, those four fouls no longer carry over into the second quarter toward the seven-foul bonus. Same thing for the third and fourth quarters. They no longer carry over.

“I think it gives players an opportunity, if they have a first quarter or third quarter where maybe they committed a few fouls, they can adjust and have an opportunity to not be in the bonus the rest of the half,” longtime North Jersey official Mark Bitar said.

Changes in strategy

The rule also gives teams with three or fewer fouls in any quarter the option of committing a non-shooting foul in the final minute to limit the opponent from scoring. For instance, if there are 30 seconds left in the first quarter, and the team on defense has three fouls, it can foul the offense in a non-shooting situation and there’s no free throws. A team that has one foul can commit three more fouls.

“I’m not the biggest fan of it,” Northern Highlands coach Jonathan Schmitt said. “At the end of the quarter, teams on offense are in a tougher position because if a team only has one or two fouls, they’re able to play harder defense, kind of go at the guy versus the ball.”

During the Jamboree Round of 16, Demarest benefitted from the rule change in a 61-57 overtime win over Pascack Valley.

In the final seconds of the first quarter, the Norsemen only had two fouls, so they inserted two reserves instructed to commit non-shooting fouls if Pascack Valley was about to earn an easy shot.

Also, with fourth-quarter fouls carrying into overtime, Demarest scored all of its points at the foul line with a 7-for-10 performance. During two of those first three fouls, the Norsemen missed the first free throw but had the opportunity to sink a second.

“The pressure is obviously still there because in overtime you’ve got to make free throws,” Demarest senior Brandon Srebnik said after going 3 for 4 from the line in OT and scoring a game-high 21. “But it’s definitely a lot less, because you know that even if you miss the first one, you can adjust and hit the second one.”

Other impacts

Thus, the rule change has made it more difficult for teams to come from behind. Previously, a trailing team would commit fouls and pressure the opponent to make one-and-ones. For instance, when a one-and-one was awarded after the seventh, eighth and ninth fouls, if the team missed a couple of front ends, that opened the door for the trailing team to rebound the miss, score, and foul again.

“On a negative side, but not from our officials’ point of view, is that teams that fall behind have a really difficult time getting back in the games,” Porfido said.

“Everybody just has to adjust to it,” said Kevin Diverio, longtime coach of defending Jamboree champion Don Bosco. “I like the one-and-one down the stretch because there’s a little more strategy involved. You try to foul someone who maybe misses the front end. It certainly changes the way things go at the end of games.”

The new rule certainly changed Cervino’s mindset in the final minute of Saturday’s Jamboree quarterfinal. He’s a long-range shooting threat for the defending NJSIAA Group 3 champion Green Raiders who rarely gets fouled and had only attempted two free throws prior to facing Demarest. Knowing that he was guaranteed two free throws made shooting the first one a lot less stressful.

“You definitely have more pressure shooting a one-and-one than a two-shot foul,” Cervino said. “I was shooting two shots and I didn’t feel any pressure at all, because I’ve got two opportunities to put at least one in the basket.”

[Crusader12-0]

I do not like the new rules. I think that 1&1’s make the final mins of game a whole more interesting. They make comebacks more likely and make free throws more important. I wish all levels of the game had 1&1’s, including the NBA. 

[Wosinc]

Don’t like it.  Same as I don’t like the 25 yd line start after a fair catch.  

[MA Fan]

It's been an upgrade. Nothing worse under the old rules than a game where teams were in the bonus the whole second or fourth quarter.

[HooverOutlaw]

I like it because teams that play hustle tough physical defense are not penalized as bad. The old rules helped these no defense, 3 point shooting, beat you at the free line teams much more.  

The private schools in Alabama for the most part do not like the new rules.