Basketball teams adjust to new free-throw rule in early part of season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, December 10, 2023 | 2:16 PM

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One-and-one free throws always have been a gamble.

Make the first one, and you get a chance to make another. Miss, and you’re out of luck.

The jury still is out on whether a new free-throw rule is a make or miss.

A key change in the rulebook this season eliminated the one-and-one from high school basketball in Pennsylvania. Now players get two free throws after their opponent reaches five fouls in a quarter.

Foul totals also reset each quarter and do not carry over unless a game goes to overtime.

Local teams are getting acclimated to the rule change. While only a few games have been played, the long-term impact of the rule change is on the minds of coaches and players.

Scorekeepers also are adapting to a reformatted scorebook.

Penn-Trafford saw its share of fouls and free throws when both of its tip-off tournament games went to double overtime, including a 72-70 win over host Hempfield.

“I like it,” Penn-Trafford boys coach Doug Kelly said of the rule. “The carryover from end of regulation into overtime creates a challenge as we found out (opening) weekend in both games, but I like the reset each quarter. Again, we are trying to pressure full court and not foul. Against a team like Hempfield that always shoots foul shots well, you want to keep them off the line.”

Before, teams went into the “bonus” and shot one-and-ones when their opponent reached seven fouls in a half. The double bonus occurred after 10 fouls.

A few local referees think the two-shot fouls will make games go faster. There certainly won’t be as many lane violations.

“It adds a little coachmanship, if that’s a word,” longtime PIAA official Rudy Seneca said. “If you have one foul in a quarter, you can put in substitutes to foul and stop the clock. There is a lot more strategy involved in it. It’s an adjustment for all of us, but I think it’s good for the game.”

Kiski Area senior guard Isaiah Gonzalez was glad to hear about the new format.

“We shoot 40 or 50 free throws at the end of each practice,” Gonzalez said. “We shoot a lot on games, too. Hey, it’s free points. I like it.”

Yough managed fouls effectively in the championship game of its tip-off tournament, a 63-48 win over Derry.

“I go to the rim a lot, so I like it,” said Yough senior guard Terek Crosby, who is averaging more than 30 points. “Teams might not want to foul certain guys now (in the bonus).”

A defensive switch kept contact to a minimum as the Cougars protected their lead.

“The zone helped us with foul trouble,” Yough coach Jim Nesser said. “We kept (Derry players) in front of us.

“But we need to be able to make free throws down the stretch.”

Nesser said games could become chess matches as fouls creep closer to five.

“If you get a team, or player, who doesn’t shoot fouls well, teams might not have as much of a problem fouling,” Nesser said. “You get a good (free-throw shooting) team, and the thinking is different.”

The rule, instituted for a few reasons, including player safety, came down after the National Federation of State High School Associations made a change in the offseason and the PIAA adopted the free-throw tweak.

“In the WPIAL championship (last year), we burned two fouls at the end of the game against OLSH,” Deer Lakes boys coach Albie Fletcher said. “It could be a little different situation now. So far, we haven’t really had to deal with it much.”

The PIAA wanted to fall in line with other states that also are using the new format while improving the flow of the game and reducing stops and restarts.

“I don’t think it will change the game as much,” Penn-Trafford girls coach John Giannikas said. “Maybe it gives the team up at the end of the game a little bit more of an advantage because of a guaranteed second free throw that you wouldn’t have had if it were one-and-one trying to seal the game.

“I believe a 30- or 35-second shot clock would have had a huge impact on the game and for the better.”

The safety issue, which some coaches question, relates to players constantly “crashing the boards” on one-and-one attempts.

The NFHS said recent data showed higher injury rates on rebounding situations.

“If you have a bad quarter, and you get five or six fouls, it can change the way you play defensively,” Franklin Regional boys coach Jesse Reed said. “It might help the pace of the game that way. I like that the fouls reset, and you get a clean slate.”

Reed was already knowledgeable about the rule because it was in effect when the former Greensburg Central Catholic, Saltsburg, Kiski School and American University standout played professionally in Luxembourg.

The rule also applies to the NBA, WNBA and in women’s college basketball; in most cases, wherever teams play four quarters instead of two halves.

Belle Vernon girls coach Kaitlyn Slagus played with two-shot fouls when she was a standout forward at Bucknell.

“With no shot clock in the PIAA, I think it is hard to compare to the college level,” Slagus said. “However, I do think in high school that it can open the door to creative strategies for teams to use the resetting of fouls after each quarter to their benefit depending on the game situation.

“Without a shot clock, it may result in less points on the board because the fouls are resetting. You could have eight fouls in a half and no foul shots.”

Reed said shooting free throws knowing you have a second one even if you miss, has merit.

“If it’s late in the game and you miss the first shot, you might have more confidence because you know there is a second shot,” Reed said. “Some of the pressure is off.”

Greensburg Salem girls coach Rick Klimchock also appreciates the new format.

His team nearly upset Blackhawk in the championship of the Greensburg Salem tip-off, but turnovers disrupted a sound defensive game.

“I love the reset each quarter,” Klimchock said. “So, first-quarter fouls don’t affect the second, and so forth.

“I saw the drama of two-shot fouls late. I thought initially when the change came that taking out one-and-ones would relieve pressure. Believe me, it was still tough shooting two (in both tip-off tournament games).”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough