[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Yeah, as of the late 70's, Iowa schools could choose whether to play basketball as you know it or 6-player. This lasted until the 92-93 season, after which 6 player was no longer an option.

The differences boil down to:
1. Each team had three players in each half court, guards (defenders) and forwards (offense). Crossing the division line was a violation.
2. The ball could only legally be bounced twice during a dribble.
3. Top scorers typically averaged 40-50 points per game due to having fewer players to distribute the scoring.
4. After a score, the old lead would toss the ball to the new lead, who would hand it do the new forward standing in the semi-circle at half court for a throw-in; as he continued to the new lead position.

There were some other minor differences as well, but those are the key points.

In some states, the 6 player system divided the court into three sections rather than two.

I remember a setup in VT that had 2 rovers, 2 forwards and 2 defenders. It resulted in 4 on 4 at the offensive end.