Coaches give new free-throw rules a shot

Basketball enthusiasts may notice one rule change when regular-season play begins tonight.

The one and one is done.

Instead, the bonus - two free throws - will be awarded for common fouls committed when a team is in the bonus.

A second change is that teams will be in bonus once the opponent commits five fouls in a quarter.

Fouls reset each quarter.

Summerland boys' basketball coach Brett Kaczor said he likes the change.

"It's going to take some time to really get used to shooting two free throws on the fifth foul of each quarter, but I think it's for the better. It's going to force teams to play cleaner, more efficient defense, or you will get penalized a little harsher and sooner than before," Kaczor said.

Bobcat girls' coach Jacob Birch said it's the change may affect a game.

"If a team is fouling late in the game to try to catch up, it takes away the ability to foul with the possibility of the other team missing the front end of the one and one," he said.

According to Kaczor, the rule change will take some pressure off free-throw shooters knowing they automatically get two shots.

"I think the rule was put in place to try to clean up the game a little bit more with kids having to play better defense. I also believe it was put in place to speed up the game a little bit more, too," he said.

It'll require strategy from a coaching perspective, too.

"By skipping the one-and-one aspect, teams on defense, or those that are trailing, have to be wary of whether or not they want to send the opposing team to the line to shoot two free throws every time," Kaczor said.

The change was announced May 15 by the National Federation of State High School Associations.