Interesting strategy.
 

Normally when the second free throw shot is made, the players just play on and the clock starts. Sometimes, when there is a sub waiting for the shooter, we whistle to allow the sub.

Tonight the varsity coach of one team would send in a sub at every second free throw at their basket. Afterward, during the post game I asked about that. One of the other officials has more experience with this coach. He said that he does that to keep the fast break from happening.

Rita

That would do it. Interesting.

My high school coach used this strategy a lot, mainly when we were pressing. It's a great strategy to allow a team to set up defensively after the made basket.

My question is, (no rulebooks in front of me) wouldn't the other coach pick up on that and complain about it?

In your OP, you didn't make it clear whether or not the sub was for the shooter every time. Could you clarify?

What is there to complain about? Substituting after a made free throw is absolutely within the rules.

It doesn't have to be for the shooter. Anyone can sub in/out until the throw-in team has the ball at their disposal.

Fair enough. Clever coach.

That's why I posted it. Legal but not usual.

Rita

Wow! A coach who knows and uses the rules to his advantage, much like the one somebody mentioned who did this to setup his press. Sounds like a smart guy to me.

I teach high school and obviously never call my school's games. However, before the season starts I always offer a rules clinic/Q&A session with the school teams. This year I asked the coach if he had any questions on the rules (he's a first-year coach). He said no, that he hadn't even seen a rules book. I was stunned. So I asked one of our former assistants (who started officiating this year, BTW) and he said in his 13 year coaching career the coaching staff was never given a rule book by any school he worked at. I guess that explains a lot if it's a common practice.

I think this is an excellent point in some coaches, players and fans ignorance. I like to think of it this way: when you play monopoly, you know the rules when you play, so that everybody plays the right way and you can figure out your strategy. When you play basketball (or a lot of other sports, it seems), why don't you read the rules, or at least have somebody (i.e. the coach) know them well enough to teach you?

I'm kind of glad that some teams (coaches) actually know the rules and use them to their advantage over the negligent ones.