By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Beginning for the 2023-24 high school basketball season, the one-and-one free throw will become extinct.

In a rule change prompted by the National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules Committee, all bonus free throws awarded to teams will be two-shot fouls.

The rule change was prompted by data collected by the NFHS.

“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 Director of Sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee Lindsey Atkinson said.

The rule change was supported by the NFHS’ Board of Directors and approved at its annual meeting in Indianapolis in late April.

It was not the only rule change approved.

The other rule change impacts how fouls will be administered.

Instead of seven fouls per half to push a team into the bonus category, teams will now reach the bonus category if they reach five fouls within a quarter. And fouls will reset at the start of each quarter.

With the two-shot foul replacing any one-and-one scenario, there is no need for a second threshold foul administration number because there is no longer a “double bonus,” which used to be prompted with the 10th foul in a half.

“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,” Atkinson said.