Poll: 70% of coaches prefer a shot clock in high school basketball

Last month, Coach and Athletic Director asked coaches whether a shot clock should be used in high school basketball. Maryland recently voted to adopt a 35-second shot clock for high school boys basketball, and the issue has been debated for years in a number of other states.

In our survey, 69.5% of coaches said high school basketball should use a shot clock. Here are the results of the survey, along with some comments from readers.

• I am surprised, and concerned, that all states have not implemented it already. In fact, I feel that the NFHS should move to a 30-second clock as was done at the NCAA level this year. With my experience coaching women with the 30 clock, I found it is very realistic.

• School competition should allow great opportunities to have strategy help determine outcomes over physical attributes and talent.

• The game is supposed to be for the kids. No kid wants to play in that infamous Wisconsin stall game last year. A 30-second clock would allow teams to play fast or controlled, but would force teams to play.

• Absolutely. My league has been using it for about 16 seasons (and actually reduced it from 35 seconds to 30 this season). Total no-brainer. Can’t imagine playing without it. Whenever I see a game on television without it and watch a team down by 7 with 3 mins left forced to foul because the team in the lead has decided to take the air out of the ball, I just shake my head. That is not how the game is supposed to be played, at least in my mind. It’s “attack and defend the goal,” not stand and play “keep away.”

• How do we prepare these student-athletes for the next level if we don’t give them all the tools to do so. They play with shot clock in college they should play with shot clock in high school.

• It would be another expense that HS budgets would not be able to meet. More importantly, who would run the shot clock effectively? Most HS games can’t get enough quality people on the score’s table to begin with. The average age of officials is 55 and there is no new people coming into the profession. This would be one more thing to for them to keep track of. Plus, HS teams turn the ball over much more than college or pro teams.

• I’ve seen teams with a lead come out at the beginning of the 4th and attempt to run the clock for the entire final quarter.


2 thoughts on “Poll: 70% of coaches prefer a shot clock in high school basketball”

  1. I think the less athletic team would have a better chance with a shot clock. As it stands now the more athletic team can play keep away and the other team must compromise their defense by over extending. Creating easy baskets.

  2. I am an athletic director. We find ways to purchase required things for every sport, including play clocks for football. Basketball no different. Shot Clock is good for athletes, spectators and coaches will adapt. Doing things “the way we used to do it” not an excuse. (and I am an old guy!)

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