Committee Switches Foul Rule To Place Premium on Accuracy

Basketball's controversial "one-and-one" foul rule yesterday was changed so as to place the premium for a second shot on secrecy rather than poor shooting.

The change was proposed by Spring-field coach John Runn and approved by the National Basketball Committee at its Kansas City meeting. The rule was recommended by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The new rule means that during the first 37 minutes of the game a player is on titled to a second shot if be makes his first free throw. If he misses the first shot the ball will remain in play.

The Rules Committee also voted to divide the game into two 20 minute halves instead of the present four 10 minute quarters.

The new shooting rule will not change the penalty for a foul committed against a player in the act of shooting. The award here will remain at two shots, regardless of whether the first attempt is successful.

The present rule allowing two shots on all fouls committed in the last three minutes will remain next season.

In voting the rules change, the committee passed over two other proposed alterations in the rules. The first proposed that the new one-and-one change apply for the whole game, while the second proposed that the offended team put the ball in play if the first shot is successful.

The new foul system succeeds the plan applied during the past two seasons wherein the offended player in awarded a second shot if the first is missed.

Norm Shepard, varsity basketball coach, said yesterday that he thought the new foul rule should help the game. "For a long time," he explained, "it has been apparent that fouls have been too cheap."