2 Foul Participation

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Pomeroy blogged about this month back (I just noticed).

https://kenpom.com/blog/introducing-2-foul-participation/#more-1886

It's a pay site. I trust this excerpt falls within fair use rules.

2-Foul Participation is simply the percentage of time that a starter with two fouls in the first half has been allowed to play.

If a starter picks up a foul with ten minutes left in the first half and plays one of those remaining minutes, then he’s participated in 10% of the minutes he could have. Add up the possible minutes for all starters and the minutes on the floor and you get the team’s number for the whole season. That figure was around 20% for all of big-time college basketball last season, a number that has been dropping steadily since 2010, the first season for which we have complete play-by-play data.

Coaches are gradually getting more conservative about playing guys with foul trouble in the first half. Even with foul rates declining to historic lows last season, coaches were less willing to play a guy after he picked up his second foul.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

So, on balance, do you favor letting them play after they pick up their 2nd foul, or sitting them for the rest of the first half?

What other factors do you consider?

For example, if the player is a crucial end-of-game performer, are you more likely to sit him for the rest of the half?

Alternatively, if the game is getting out of control in the first half, are you more likely to put him back in?

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Play them early in the year and see how they handle it. With our depth, we can afford to take the chance. Once you figure out who can manage the game with 2 fouls you start to make individual decisions. Veteran vs Freshman might skew it a bit to.

I expect Roy will let his perimeter players play through and take a conservative approach to the Bigs!

 

[Terror Beard]

Depth of the team would play a part in decision making as would the style of play (zone defense? M2M? Press?). Also, veteran players can be relied on to play cautiously through foul trouble whereas I wouldn’t trust less experienced players the same.

 

[DSouthr]

As for me, when a player picks up his second foul in the first half, if he is a key player, you sit him for the rest of the half. IN both Hicks and Brice's Jr seasons, I honestly would have pulled them after their first foul in the first half. Reason being, both seemed to become hesitant after they picked up their first fouls when they were Jrs rather than playing freely, best way I know of to pick up foul #2...

Note, sometimes that just isn't possible, if you are limited with who you have and the opponents are building a solid lead, you have to take the risk because saving your star from foul trouble paves the way for your being down 20+ at the half pulling him did more harm than good. That is why you really want solid 2 and 3 deep at each position so you do not worry about fouls.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

We have had players that could manage it without being hesitant: Butter, MP, JB
We have had those who absolutely must be put on the bench: Hicks, Brice,

But the majority of our players fit into the situational category. It depends on where we are playing, (HIS vs. DES), the point in the season, injury/depth, and experience.

This is one of those decisions that separate coaches from difference makers!

Slimy played his; Roy sat his AND the rest is history!