The never-ending debate of the shot clock being added to high school basketball has returned after the KHSAA decided to not adopt the rule, with local coaches chiming in that it wouldn’t be a horrible idea if it came to fruition in the future.
The KHSAA Board of Control Meeting on Wednesday is where the decision was made, after reviewing survey results from schools throughout the Commonwealth.
“Any consideration of the shot clock should be reviewed by its member schools in each state association and allow those states to decide which route to take on this rule,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “This is certainly not the end of shot clock discussion, but at least for 2022-23, the Board agreed the support simply was not there. It is a much bigger issue than just a few blowout games or situations.”
Owensboro Catholic girls basketball Head Coach Michael Robertson is indifferent about the addition of a shot clock, stating that there are plenty of pros and cons.
“I don’t care either way,” Robertson said. “I think it would make coaches have to coach, because your players have to execute. If you have 30 seconds per say, you’ve gotta execute the play. You can’t sit out there and dribble go oh well let’s set this up again. You’ve gotta go… I think it’s coming. It’s just a matter of when. ”
Topics Robertson specifically highlighted included coaches having to be more strategic and the margin of error being smaller for players, as well as costs and blowouts happening because teams have to shoot.
The E-gals Head Coach Natalie Payne is in favor of it on the other hand, with a little bit of an adjustment from a typical college-level shot clock.
“I think it’s a great idea, at 45-50 seconds,” Payne said. “I understand the financial impact it would have, but we find ways to build fieldhouses when we need them, so we could find a way.”
Payne believes that the addition wouldn’t have a large impact on the game itself, minus those who don’t want to get out and run.
“Really, I feel like it would have little effect, except for the stallers,” Payne said. “We certainly don’t hold it that long, and our kids don’t want to. So while I am for it, I’m really just against those that stall. College basketball changed their rules because of stalling, we should too.”
Trinity (Whitesville) boys basketball Head Coach Nathan West agrees, even stating that it would be more entertaining for spectators to watch as well as coaches having to be more strategic.
“From a fan’s perspective, the games should be faster paced and more exciting, as should the endings of games—no more stall offenses,” West said. “From a coaching perspective, a shot clock provides another element for coaches to think about in terms of strategy, like should we zone or press more to ‘kill time’ in a possession, when should we attempt a two-for-one, what should we flow into after the initial play breaks down? Those questions are exciting to me.”
Having played basketball collegiately, West said that the adjustment to having a shot clock is not as difficult as one might think for athletes.
“Finally, as a player, I think a shot clock makes the game easier,” West said. “I was a small-college player who played with a 35-second shot clock, and I had no problems adjusting to it. If something broke down and the clock was winding down, my team and I had to figure out how to make a play. A shot clock gives the players even more ownership for their in-game decisions.
When it comes to the decision itself outside of the game, Daviess County boys basketball Head Coach Neil Hayden has been on boards discussing the shot clock in the past and said that the biggest hitch in it happening tends to be finances.
“I’ve sat on some advisory board meetings and the negative thought to it is it adds an expense to the school,” Hayden said. “The initial upfront cost to get everything installed and then you’re potentially paying another worker every game so there’s a budget factor to it with games and I know that can be harder for some smaller schools.”
Hayden said the cost could be anywhere from a couple thousand to more depending on the type of shot clock that is installed, but West feels that it wouldn’t be as difficult to get financed.
“I know those against a shot clock say that installation costs may be too high for some schools, but I have a hard time believing that,” West said. “If a school wants something bad enough, they will find a way to fundraise for it. Likewise, those against a shot clock say finding volunteers is too difficult. Again, I think that is just an excuse. There are always plenty of parents, alumni, etc. associated with any program. I am sure these people would be willing to learn how to operate a shot clock to help their school.”
In order for the shot clock to become an addition in the Commonwealth, Hayden says that some smaller schools who are worried about the finances or being able to compete at a pace more suited for bigger schools will have to come around.
“In our state, with 120 counties and a lot of those being small counties, you’re going to have those rural schools show some favor,” Hayden said. “At least in the advisory boards that I’ve been on in the past, that’s the hold up.”
