THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: What shot clock? What new foul rules?

Two new rules changes had the potential to significantly change high school basketball in Idaho.

One was the addition of a 35-second shot clock, which will be used at state tournaments this season for the first time. Most schools, particularly the larger schools, are using the shot clock in the regular season and postseason, in preparation. It’s not required during the regular season yet, but …

Some even used the shot clock last year, if the visiting team was good with it.

The other rule change had to do with team fouls.

For years, teams took the ball out of bounds after non-shooting fouls until the seventh foul of EACH HALF. After that, teams shot one-and-one until the 10th team foul of the half, where teams got two free throws.

Now, teams shoot two free throws beginning with the fifth foul of EACH QUARTER. No more one-and-ones. Plus, the foul count resets each quarter, so if you were in the bonus in, say, the third quarter, you started all over with the foul count in the fourth.

With the regular season nearly over in girls basketball, and a few weeks away in boys basketball, the consensus from coaches:

Shot clock — barely noticeable, with some impact on the game.

New foul rules — depends who you ask.

YEARS AGO, a shot clock would have really helped Idaho high school basketball — especially in girls games. 

Nowadays, kids don’t need to be told to shoot.

The only issue was late in a quarter, with a team holding a lead, knowing they don’t have to shoot.

Now they do.

“I love it. It speeds the game up to where it should be,” said Coeur d’Alene girls coach Nicole Symons, who played at Coeur d’Alene and then Lake City in the 1990s. 

“Obviously it’s new to high school in Idaho,” Post Falls boys coach Mike McLean said. “Every one of these kids on these teams grew up playing in Spokane, they’ve had a shot clock since they were probably in the third or fourth grade.”

“The shot clock’s normal to me; I don’t know anything different,” said Lake City girls coach David Pratt, who previously coached in Washington, most recently with the Mt. Spokane girls. “The only difference would be the 35 (seconds) vs. the 30 (in Washington). And I don’t think it’s an issue. It keeps the game moving, but it’s not necessarily anything to worry about. Our kids do a nice job of understanding where it’s at.”

“I don’t sense any difference until the last minute and a half of the game,” Lakeland girls coach and former Hawks star Tyrel Derrick said. “Even the pace of the game is still the same.”

Derrick and Sandpoint girls coach Will Love both said they were in favor of the new rules, as they make the high school girls game more like women’s college and international games.

“While maybe subtle, the shot clock has been a big deal for us this season,” said Love, who guided Sandpoint to its first state title in program history last season. “Whereas teams would usually incorporate stall ball with a fourth-quarter lead in the past, the shot clock has caused most teams to increase their overall tempo over the entire game, including in late-game situations where they are winning. I believe it has played a role in our comeback wins against Grangeville, Lakeland and Moscow. Credit to our girls for making big plays on offense and defense in those comebacks, but the shot clock has provided an opportunity for us to make some of those plays that maybe weren't there in the past.”

AS FOR the new foul rules …

“Massive. Huge impact,” said Lake City boys coach James Anderson, who coached the Timberwolf girls the past six seasons. 

“I think the new foul rules have completely changed the game in favor of more physical, older teams, for sure,” Anderson said. “Absolutely. Huge change. Massive change. Totally changed it.

“I think you can play with more physicality, and there’s less punishment to it … In general, I think in high school basketball, that was a big change, and it’s far more physical, because now you get to reset your fouls at quarter, and it takes a lot to get to five. There’s just not as much punishment for fouling. Obviously there’s the personal foul count, but the team foul count … it’s a totally different game.”

Strategy.

“If we had four fouls on a team in the third quarter, our strategy would change — we have four fouls on them already, let’s get three more in the fourth quarter, lets run some plays and draw some contact and get in the bonus the entire fourth quarter,” Coeur d’Alene boys coach Jon Adams said.

“A hundred percent it helps a lot,” Symons said of the foul count resetting each quarter. “Because if you’re at a minute and a half left in a quarter and you have four fouls … hey, let’s hold back so we can get a reset (at the quarter), and you’re not giving them freebies at the free-throw line.

“It gives you a breath of fresh air, where you can still play aggressive defense knowing that you’re not going to put them on the line right out of the gate each quarter.”

SHOOTING TWO shots in the bonus every time helps the team that’s ahead, and makes it harder for the team that’s behind to catch up, because if you miss the first free throw (on a one-and-one), you still get a second free throw now.

“I like that (new foul) rule, though,” McLean said. “I think it punishes bad defense. Guys get two shots right away; I really like that aspect of it. I think it forces teams to be more sound defensively; you can’t gamble, you can’t run into a guy. Allowing them to get two shots, that’s a real advantage. I think it’s a positive thing. Down the stretch, if you have four team fouls, there’s not the hackfest to try to get to 10. 

“It rewards a team that is ahead,” McLean added. “You’ve earned that lead; you shouldn’t have to go make one-and-ones. Obviously I want my guys to make one-and-ones, but I think it’s a positive.”

Love said he did some research and found scoring has been rising at the 4A level in recent years, in particular in the 4A Inland Empire League, which consists of Sandpoint, Lakeland and Moscow. 

“Some other factors may be playing a part — players, coaches, etc.,” Love said. “But I don't think you can discount the impact that the rules changes have had on the increase.

“The new foul rule has definitely brought a new element to coaching the game,” he added. “You hope that your team is sitting at two or three fouls at the end of each quarter so you can be more aggressive defensively — especially in the last minute. Like the shot clock, the foul rule change can help with fourth-quarter comebacks. It's a lot easier to stay aggressive on defense when you have no team fouls to start the fourth quarter. If the other team picks up three quick fouls or gets to five, on the other hand, we are going to emphasize attacking the rim because now you are assured of shooting two free throws when the other team reaches five fouls.”

Part of the reason for the rule changes is player safety on rebounds. Less free throws, less potential for injuries scrapping for rebounds.

“The fouls, I still don’t know if I like it or not,” Derrick said. “I think you’re going to see more physical basketball. From a coaching perspective, it hurts us in the long run; we’re not as able to be as physical. We’re not deep, we can't take as many chances with being physical. That is an advantage, if you have nine or 10 players (in the rotation). If we have two or three foul out, I’m looking down at the waterboy.”

As for two shots vs. one-and-one …

“If I’m on offense, yeah (I like it),” Derrick said. “But if I’m down and I'm on defense, not so much.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.

    MARK NELKE/Press As this scoreboard shows, the visiting team (Post Falls) has committed five team fouls by late in the third quarter, putting Coeur d'Alene in the bonus (two shots, instead of one-and-one) the rest of the quarter. The foul count resets at the beginning of each quarter.