[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by HokiePaul

... the Mikan/Russell section about widening the lane was confusing since you noted Mikan as the source of the NBA change which eventually trickled down to NFHS, but then mention it again with Russell. I'd leave crediting Russell with widening the lane in NCAA out to avoid confusion since Mikan was the first.

Two separate rule changes, so two separate paragraphs.

An article about basketball players whose dominance resulted in rule changes can't be written without mentioning the NBA "Mikan Rule" (widening the NBA free throw lane from six feet to twelve feet), and it was Russell's dominance in the 1955 NCAA tournament that resulted in the NCAA, in 1956, widening the college lane from six feet to twelve feet.

Plus, Bill Russell (along with Carl Yastrzemski) is one of my two all-time favorite sports figures, so I have to play up his role in changing the rules.

I'll try moving the NFHS rule change to Russell's paragraph. Does that help?

Mikan’s dominating play in the NBA also led to a rule change. Due to the narrowness of the free throw lane, imposing centers, such as Mikan, dominated the lane, scoring at will. The NBA, at the onset of the 1951–52 season, widened the free throw lane from six feet to twelve feet, a change known as the “Mikan Rule”, forcing Mikan to start farther from the basket, to give other players a chance.

Bill Russell (San Francisco 1953-1956, NBA 1956-1969), the six foot, ten inch All-American center for the San Francisco Dons, was one of the most dominant basketball players of his time. Russell was so dominant in the 1955 NCAA tournament that rule changes were enacted in college basketball to prevent a tall player, such as Russell, from gaining an advantage. In 1956, the NCAA widened the lane from six feet to twelve feet to make it more difficult for tall players to dominate the lane, scoring at will. The NFHS changed to a twelve foot lane in 1957.