When is it permissible to substitute players in high school basketball?

The correct answer is that substitutions are permissible during stoppages of play or dead ball situations. This is a fundamental rule in high school basketball, as it helps maintain the flow of the game and ensures that substitutions occur at appropriate moments when the game is paused.

Substitutions can happen during situations like fouls, violations, timeouts, or the ball being out of bounds. This allows coaches to make strategic adjustments, rest players, or provide an opportunity for athletes to enter the game without interrupting its momentum excessively.

The other options do not accurately reflect the rules regarding player substitutions. For example, while substitutions can occur before the game starts, this option does not encompass the ongoing nature of player changes during the match itself, which is the main context for the question. Additionally, only allowing substitutions during free throws would severely limit the flexibility of player management during various phases of the game. Finally, permitting substitutions at any time during play could lead to confusion and disrupt the flow, which is why rules have been established to define permissible substitution timing more clearly.