No more one-and-ones: HS basketball adapts rule change, two free throws after five fouls

TOPEKA (KSNT) - High school basketball will look different starting in the 2023-24 season.

Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) basketball administrator Kyle Doperalski confirms with KSNT 27 News that national rules changes will be implemented in the coming season.

The big change from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee, Rule 4-8-1, comes to fouls and free throws.

Previously, after seven fouls from the opponent would result in one-and-one free throw attempts for your team. Meaning, if a player makes the first free throw, they would get an attempt at a second. Miss the free throw, and play would continue as a missed shot. After 10 fouls from the opponent, your team would get two shots, regardless of a make or miss.

Fouls would reset at the end of the half, so at the start of the second half, the team fouls would go back to zero.

Under this new ruling, five fouls results in two free throw attempts, with the one-and-one eliminated from the game. The team fouls also reset after each quarter under new ruling, instead of each half.

NFHS says that a reported decrease in injury was the main cause of the rule change.

“The rules committee studied data that showed higher injury rates on rebounding situations and saw this as an opportunity to reduce opportunities for rough play during rebounds,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee, in the NFHS press release. “Additionally, resetting the fouls each quarter will improve game flow and allow teams to adjust their play by not carrying foul totals to quarters two and four.”