Minimizing Fouling in Bonus Situations with Analytics
It’s almost always a bad idea to foul in a basketball game, but now with the new foul shooting rules from NFHS for high schools in the USA, it’s even more important to minimize fouling at the end part of quarters. Specifically, teams will shoot two free throws after the fifth foul has been committed through the end of the quarter. Fouling in bonus situations has always been bad, but it is especially so this year. In general, it’s helpful to know your most foul-prone defenders, and minimize their playing time in bonus situations.
Unlike HUDL, Synergy, or other platforms, Hoopsalytics can determine the fouls-per-32-minutes or fouls-per-40-minutes of all your players, so you know how to best avoid giving your opponents the gift of two free throws. From the Player Stats, you can sort your team by fouls committed, and display stats on a per-32-minute basis to get a fouling rate for each player.
The graphic at the top of this article shows which of my players were foul-prone, and how we uncovered this analytic. This year, if they continue the trend, we’ll pull them in the bonus situations.
I hope you find this helpful for your team too! Feel free to leave a comment, or reach out to us if you’d like to learn more.