New Rule Puzzles Maine Coaches

[BillyMac]

4-8-1: Eliminates the one-and-one for common fouls beginning with the seventh team foul in the half and establishes the bonus as two free throws awarded for a common foul beginning with the team’s fifth foul in each quarter and resets the fouls at the end of each quarter. Rationale: Improves flow by providing an opportunity for teams to adjust their play by not carrying over fouls from quarters 1 and 3 to quarters 2 and 4 while significantly reducing the opportunity for correctable errors to occur. Minimizes risk of injury by eliminating the one-and-one and reducing opportunities for rough play during rebounding opportunities.

We've already heard from officials, so now let's hear from the coaches.

Changes To Rules Affects 1-And-1 Free Throws, Resetting Foul Counts

By Steve Craig Portland Press Herald

High school basketball players will no longer feel the pressure of having to make the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation. And coaches in Maine aren’t sure what to make of the new national rule. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced this week that, starting next season, 1-and-1 free throws will be eliminated and team fouls will reset for each quarter. For decades, the seventh, eighth and ninth fouls in a half sent boys and girls to the free throw line for a 1-and-1 situation, meaning players had to make the first free throw to attempt the second. After the 10th foul of a half, all fouls resulted in two free throws.

Starting next year, the fifth foul in each quarter will result in two free throws. Fouling late in a game to force players to convert the 1-and-1 has been a staple strategy in high school and college basketball. “I thought the 1-and-1 put in a little added pressure in the moment on the shooter, and that could sometimes be use strategically,” said Jason Pellerin, the boys’ coach at Lawrence High in Fairfield. Bill Goodman, coach of the Cheverus girls, said he doesn’t mind the rule changes but wonders why they were even made. “There was no one clamoring for this rule change,” said Goodman, 54. “I’ve followed basketball, played it, or coached it my whole life and I’ve never said, ‘Geez, they have to change that rule.’”

According to NFHS Director of Sports Lindsey Atkinson, eliminating the 1-and-1 was in part driven by data that showed a higher incidence of injury during rebounding situations. “You’re not going to stop fouling and you’re still going to have the chance to miss the second foul shot, so you’re still going to have rebounding,” said Dave Halligan, Falmouth’s boys’ coach. Halligan has won 581 games and six state titles in 36 seasons as a high school basketball coach. Halligan said he expects the rule change will actually increase hard, aggressive fouls “because now you get five in a quarter.”

The new rules align with women’s college basketball, which adopted quarters instead of halves in 2015. Men’s college basketball, which has 20-minute halves, uses the 1-and-1 after the seventh foul of a half, and the 10th foul results in two free throws. Lynne Hasson, who coaches the South Portland girls, said she likes the changes, in part because she got used to seeing them while watching her daughter Maddie Hasson, the 2020 NCAA Division III Player of the Year, at Bowdoin College. “Two shots instead of the 1-and-1, I like the idea,” Lynne Hasson said. “I really do think it will force teams to play better defense. You don’t want to put the opponent on the line for two shots early in the quarter.”

Kevin Millington, who coaches the South Portland boys, predicted the rule changes will make it tougher for teams to come from behind. “When you’ve got two free throws, even making one can push the lead a little bit, so I think teams that are winning will be more likely to win,” said Millington, who has coached the Red Riots to consecutive Class AA titles. With fouls resetting to zero at each quarter, Millington said he anticipates situations where teams that have to foul late in a game to stop the clock and hope for a missed free throw now will have “a lot more fouls to give. And then, of course, I worry about referees in Maine who like to call intentional fouls in that situation, so are we going to see more intentional (fouls)? I hope not.”

Mike Burnham, executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association, confirmed that Maine will follow the NFHS rules. Personnel and style of play will be factors in how much the rule changes impact a team, said John Morgan, coach of the Noble boys. Some may feel playing more zone to avoid fouling is the best approach. Others may go to full-court pressure, knowing team fouls won’t carry over to the next quarter. “You could go out and say we’ve got four clean (fouls) to be aggressive. And if you’re a high scoring team, maybe you don’t even care if they go to the line early in a game,” Morgan said. The foul-reset rule means teams can commit up to eight fouls in a half – four in each quarter – before forfeiting free throws, compared to six fouls with the previous rule. “You can actually foul more and get rewarded to a point that way,” said John Baehr, who coaches the Winthrop girls.

[BillyMac]

Area Coaches Embrace Shot Clock And New Federation Decree On How Team Fouls Are Count

By Sean Krofssik, Record-Journal staff

There was already a major change coming this winter to Connecticut boys and girls high school basketball: the shot clock.

Now more changes have arrived.

This week, the National Federation of State High School Associations announced rule changes for the 2023-24 basketball season. The biggest apply to foul shooting.

The one-and-one has been done away with. All trips to the foul line will be two shots.

How that “bonus” situation is calculated has changed. Team fouls will no longer be counted by halves. They will reset at the end of each quarter.

Two-shot free throws kick in on all fouls when the opposing team reaches five in a quarter.

Under the old rules, a team shot one-and-one when an opponent committed seven fouls in a half, then went to two foul shots when the 10th foul of the half was committed.

According to Lindsey Atkinson, the National Federation’s director of sports, the Federation’s basketball rules committee studied data that showed higher injury rates during rebounding situations. Scrapping the one-and-one was seen as a way to reduce rough play.

Atkinson also said that resetting the fouls each quarter will improve game flow, and some local coaches agree.

“I like the five fouls and cleaning the slate each quarter,” Southington boys coach Ed Quick said. “You can get in situation where the referees are calling a game tight and get to five fouls really quick in the first quarter and then you can adjust to that in the second quarter. I like cleaning the slate.

“Doing away with the one-and-one is interesting.”

After years of deliberation, the 35-second shot clock was already arriving this winter for Connecticut boys and girls basketball.

“The shot clock is well overdue; it’s good Connecticut has caught up,” Quick said. “They are trying to get the games flowing. You don’t know until you try it.”

Another change announced this week deals with inbounding after a foul. When the defensive team commits a violation in the frontcourt before the five-foul bonus, or the ball becomes dead, the offensive team will inbound at one of four designated spots — either the nearest 28-foot mark along each sideline or the nearest spot 3 feet outside the lane on the end line.

The spot will be determined by where the infraction took place.

The one exception is when the defensive team causes the ball to go out of bounds. The resulting throw-in will be at the spot where the ball went out.

Those rule changes might seem arcane, but according to Quick, they’re not.

”Spotting the ball is bigger than you think, and having four spots where you take the ball out and knowing those four will be helpful as far as preparing, because there are parts of the floor where you would rather not take out the ball,” the Southington coach said.

Sheehan girls basketball coach Mike Busillo said he likes the changes.

“I know the Federation’s rational is less contact, but this gets the game more in line to what is happening in college,” Busillo said. “I think it would be better for high school basketball in general if it was played with the same rules that are used at the higher levels. I would like to see a standard game for all levels and genders.”

Busillo also said he’s fine with the one-and-one being done away with.

“It’s change and not not everyone is comfortable with change,” Busillo said. “If you are late in a game and down, sure, you would like a team shooting one-and-one, but we are talking about three instances in the game on fouls seven, eight and nine. So it’s not a big deal.

“I like the reset of fouls, too, because you won’t have teams marching to the line with five minutes to go in the second quarter,” the Sheehan coach added. “The game flow should be better with not as many interruptions and foul shots. I kind of like it.”

Southington girls basketball coach Howie Hewitt said he’s fine with the foul reset per quarter and doing away with the one-and-one.

“It all makes sense and it’s easier, and it will probably take some of the pressure off of the players on that first foul shot,” Hewitt said. “These changes are fine. I think they will have such a little impact on the game and people will get used to it. It’s going to be nothing compared to adjusting to the shot clock.

“The free throw changes aren’t radical; you just have to be aware of them,” Hewitt continued. “The girls on the team can’t believe there was a time where there was not a 3-point shot.”

Platt boys coach Shawon Moncrief is also supportive of the Federation’s move.

“I think the changes are trying to emulate the NBA game,” Moncrief said. “I think it will speed some things up and where you aren’t going to the line as much. I like the reset and having the clean slate each quarter and not a parade to the foul line. I like it: Keep the game moving.”

Moncrief said he is looking forward to the shot clock coming into play next winter.

“I was at a AAU tournament a few weeks ago and a team was winning by a lot and they started holding the ball with 10 minutes to go in the game,” Moncrief remarked. “I think the shot clock is good and makes you keep playing until the end.”

Maloney girls basketball coach John Vieira said the changes will be positive in the long run, but will present some growing pains in the early going.

“It was already going to be different with the shot clock coming in, and now no more one-and-ones,” Vieira said. “I like the changes; I’m in favor of them. The changes correlate with the higher levels and it’s good to have a universal system.

“The one-and-ones were unique for our game, but we will adapt,” Vieira added. “It will change some strategy and put more emphasis on defense because once you get that fifth foul, they are shooting two.”

[SNIPERBBB]

I really hope that that the two shots will clean up the end of the games as it should remove the impetus for the foul-a-thon at the end. It should force a trailing team to actually play defense in trying to steal the ball.

[SC Official]

I love this change. Everyone I know who officiates NCAAW has loved the change after a few years of using it.

[JRutledge]

I went to a camp this weekend, just got back in Memphis that use the new rule for the 17U level. This was the only level that played 8 minute quarters and was able to use the 5 fouls and then penalty rule.

I am going to say, the new rule eliminated a lot of shooting at the FT line. Obviously we mainly had shooting fouls that we shot during the game. It was rare that we even got in the bonus and if we did it was within the last minute or so of each quarter. The game flowed better less stoppages. I think this rule will do what it is supposed to do. You will have to make plays off the FT line or play defense and defend the opponent and avoid being in the penalty in the first place.

Peace