A normal basket is worth two points, a shot from behind the three point line is worth three, and a free throw is worth one. Fouls are contact that gives an unfair advantage, and enough of them send the other team to the free throw line. Most whistles you hear are violations, not fouls, and almost none of them are worth arguing about.
Written by Cameron James, founder and head coach at Liddicoat Basketball. Over a decade coaching junior basketball in Melbourne, including at Big V level, and rep teams from Under 12s through to Under 18s.
Last updated September 2026.
Every shot made from inside the arc on the floor is worth two points. Every shot made with both feet behind that arc is worth three. A free throw, taken unguarded from the line after certain fouls, is worth one.
Where the arc sits depends on the age group. Basketball Victoria's National Junior Classic playing conditions put Under 12 and Under 14 on the junior three point line at 6.25 metres and Under 16 and Under 18 on the extended line at 6.75 metres. On a stadium floor there are often two arcs painted, which is why they look confusing. Those are the rules for Basketball Victoria's junior tournaments rather than for your Saturday game. Your association writes its own by laws for domestic basketball and they're often different, so check yours for the rules that actually govern your child.
It's the feet that decide, not the ball. A player who takes off from behind the line and lands inside it has still shot a three, because the shot is judged from where they left the floor.
A foul is illegal contact that puts an opponent at a disadvantage. Pushing, holding, hitting the shooting arm and running through a stationary defender are all fouls. They're recorded against the individual player and against the team.
If a player is fouled while shooting and misses, they shoot free throws. If they're fouled while shooting and the ball goes in, the basket counts and they shoot one extra. Once a team has committed five fouls in a quarter, every further foul sends the other team to the line whether they were shooting or not.
A player who collects five fouls has fouled out and takes no further part in the game. At junior level this is common and it's not a disgrace. It usually means a child is guarding somebody quicker than them and is trying hard.
Travelling is moving the feet illegally while holding the ball, and at junior level it's the most called whistle in the building. Double dribble is dribbling, stopping, then dribbling again, or using two hands on the dribble. Both result in the ball going to the other team.
Out of bounds is what it sounds like, with the ball awarded to the team that didn't touch it last. A backcourt violation happens when a team brings the ball past halfway and then takes it back again.
None of these are fouls. They're violations. The difference matters, because violations just hand over the ball and aren't recorded against a player at all.
Above Under 12, a team has a limited time to attempt a shot once it gets the ball, and a visible shot clock counts it down. Those Junior Classic conditions apply that from Under 14, with a modified version at Under 14 where the clock doesn't start until the ball reaches the attacking half.
At Under 12 there's no shot clock at all. That's deliberate. Ten and eleven year olds need time to look up, make a decision and execute it, and a countdown at that age produces panic shots rather than better basketball.
If you hear a referee counting out loud, that's usually a substitute for a broken or missing shot clock, or one of the other counts, such as the eight seconds a team has to get the ball past halfway, or the three seconds a player can stand in the key.
Junior basketball isn't a shrunken version of the professional game, and several things are modified on purpose. The free throw line is advanced by one metre for Under 12 under those Junior Classic conditions, so small players can reach with a proper shooting action.
Many Victorian junior competitions also restrict zone defence at the youngest ages, requiring players to guard an opponent rather than an area. These rules are set locally, so the detail differs between associations. If you hear parents talking about a no zone rule, that's what they mean.
Basketball Victoria's guidance to officials is to interpret rules to match the skill level and needs of the participants, and to avoid overcalling technical violations. A junior game is meant to be refereed differently from a senior one.
If you want to actually follow the game rather than the score, watch what your child does when they don't have the ball. Are they moving, are they between their opponent and the ring, do they get back when possession changes.
Those three things are the whole of junior defence and most of junior basketball. Points come and go with who is tallest that year. Effort off the ball is the part that compounds.
The scoreboard at Under 10 tells you almost nothing about who is developing. I've coached kids who lost every game in a season and were unrecognisable by the next one.
Two from inside the arc, three from behind it and one for a free throw. In Victorian junior competition the arc is at 6.25 metres for Under 12 and Under 14 and 6.75 metres for Under 16 and Under 18, so many stadium floors have two lines painted.
A foul is illegal contact and is recorded against the player and the team, and can lead to free throws. A violation, like travelling or double dribble, simply hands the ball to the other team and isn't recorded against anyone.
Five. A player who commits five fouls takes no further part in the game. At junior level this happens often and usually reflects effort and a speed mismatch rather than poor behaviour.
Because they're Under 12. Those Junior Classic conditions apply the shot clock from Under 14 and leave Under 12 without one, so young players have time to look up and make a decision rather than rushing a shot.
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Facts on this page were compiled from the official sources below and written up in our own words. Dates, fees and venues change every season, so confirm anything you are relying on with the association directly.
This page was last updated September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Tryout windows, grading, key dates and what each level actually costs. Written for Victorian basketball parents, sent when something matters, not every week.