Scoring. Baskets made inside the three-point line are worth two points. Outside the line: three. Free throws: one each.
Game length. Most youth leagues run four quarters of six to eight minutes. Halftime is short. Overtime is usually one extra period if it’s tied.
Fouls. A personal foul is illegal contact: hitting, pushing, holding. Five fouls and the player sits for the game. When a team commits enough fouls (usually seven in a half), the other team shoots free throws on every foul, called the bonus.
Violations. No points, other team gets the ball.
- Traveling: taking more than two steps without dribbling
- Double dribble: stopping your dribble and starting again
- Out of bounds: ball or player touching the line or floor outside it
- Three seconds: an offensive player standing in the lane longer than three seconds
- Five seconds: taking more than five seconds to inbound the ball
The shot clock. Youth leagues often don’t use one, but high school and up typically run a 35-second shot clock. Your team has to attempt a shot before it expires.
Jump ball. At the start of the game, a referee tosses the ball up between two players who jump to tap it to their team. After that, possession alternates by an arrow at the scorer’s table.
The thing parents get wrong most often. Calling out fouls from the stands that weren’t called. The ref’s job is to call what they see. Your kid’s job is to keep playing.
Yelling “foul!” on every contact doesn’t help either of them.