When the 2023-24 high school basketball season opens this winter, there will be different situations at the free-throw line, altering some late-game scenarios for coaches and players. A new rule issued by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association will give offensive players a little bit more of an advantage at the charity stripe and lower the pressure situations of a close game.

At its most recent board meeting, the PIAA voted to adopt the National Federation of State High Schools Association’s (NFHS) rule change that teams will shoot two free throws for common fouls when in the bonus. The change to Rule 4-8-1 eliminates the one-and-one foul shooting scenario. The bonus will now be set at five fouls in a quarter, instead of seven fouls in a half, and the team fouls will now be reset after each quarter, instead of carrying over.

According to a press release from Lindsey Atkinson, the NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee, the rule change was implemented to help reduce higher injury rates on rebounding situations and the NHFS saw this as an opportunity to reduce opportunities for rough play during rebounds. Atkinson also stated that the rule change will improve game flow and allow teams to adjust their play by not carrying foul totals to quarters two and four.

Like with anything else, the new rule was met with some positivity and some negativity as coaches try to grapple with the change and what it means for the sport. Emmaus High School assistant boys basketball coach, Eric Farkas, is not a fan of the rule change because it takes away the pressures of late-game situations and makes it harder for teams to mount any types of comebacks.

“I’m not a big fan of the new rule change,” said Farkas. “I like the pressure of making a one-and-one free-throw late in a game. It was part of the strategy that teams would use in late-game situations. It also slows down the overall pace of the game.”

Coaches are in a wait-and-see mode as to in how the rule will actually look and change the game.