1-and-1 free throws eliminated in basketball rule changes approved by PIAA

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, July 14, 2023 | 1:32 PM

Purchase Photo Options

The one-and-one free throw has effectively fouled out of Pennsylvania high school basketball.

The PIAA board on Wednesday approved an updated rulebook that changes the way fouls are counted and the number of bonus shots a player receives. Starting next season, players who traditionally would receive a one-and-one bonus will take two shots instead.

Also, team fouls will be reset on a quarter-by-quarter basis rather than by half, and only five fouls are needed to reach the bonus.

The changes were part of an updated rulebook released in May by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The PIAA, which uses the NFHS rulebook, had the option to accept or reject the changes.

The PIAA approved them despite some apprehension.

“There was a lot of discussion and a lot of concerns,” PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said. “We went to the NFHS summer meeting, where our staff questioned their staff on how this came to be.”

Ultimately, adopting the new national standard was the preferred option, he said. The PIAA first solicited feedback from its committees for game officials and coaches, as well as the basketball steering committee.

The rule changes take effect starting with the upcoming 2023-24 season.

“If you don’t do that, it sort of puts your schools in a bind when the rulebook is written one way and you’re adopting something else,” Lombardi said. “It also hurts our schools that play a number of contests with bordering states. When they adopt the rulebook, which rules are you playing? So it adds to an awful lot of confusion.”

Under the new rules, teams will reach the bonus and receive two free throws starting with the fifth foul of a quarter. However, a team’s foul total resets to zero after every quarter.

Previously, teams were awarded a one-and-one bonus when an opponent committed seven fouls in a half. They didn’t receive a two-shot bonus until an opponent reached 10 fouls in a half.

The format is already used in women’s college basketball.

The rule change was approved by the NFHS basketball committee in April, and later by the NFHS board of directors. The organization cited injury prevention among the motivating factors.

“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,” NFHS administrator Lindsey Atkinson said in a statement in May. “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.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.