You may know that in the professional leagues the three point line is twenty three feet and nine inches in front of each basket. In the high school game the same line is positioned nineteen feet and nine inches from the basket. This allows still developing athletes to be able to achieve a desirable performance.

In a professional basketball game each quarter is twelve minutes in duration. This differs at the high school level in so much that the games are forty minutes in length with each quarter only lasting ten minutes. The reason is to ensure that the young players do not overexert themselves.

The rules and regulations are determined by the National Federation of State High School Associations. There is a thirty five second shot clock that is restarted each time the possession of the ball changes play. An offensive player can remain in the free throw area for a maximum of just three seconds before they must give the ball over.

Another important aspect of the high school game relates to carrying the ball. The rules that are in place dictate that a player can take only a single step after starting his dribble, this has resulted in offensive players shuffling their feet as they try to off balance the defenders. If such a move involves moving both the free foot and pivot foot the player will be penalized. A dribbler must also ensure his hand is on the top of the ball during dribbling as otherwise he will be called up for palming, the same penalty is given to those players that like to place their hand underneath the ball in an attempt to gain extra control.

High school basketball also enforces an alternate possession rule as opposed to requiring a jump ball whenever there is shared possession. The only time during a game when a jump ball is signaled is at the start of the game and at the beginning of the overtime. At any other time when there is joint possession the referee will alternate the ownership of the in bound ball between the two teams.

Most local states school sporting associations will also enforce specific regulations that players, coaches, and teams are supposed to abide by. For example they may stipulate when the season can begin and when it should end, this usually coincides with the start and finishing of the school year.

There is also usually a stipulation that students can only participate in a fixed number of quarters in a particular season. This is to ensure that the players are given an adequate amount of rest and recuperation time which if not in place would otherwise lead to physical and mental exhaustion and a deterioration in academic performance.

Additional resource links: http://www.rooseveltbasketball.org/