Random Thoughts: strictly shot clock

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

This week’s installment of Random Thoughts centers completely around a high school shot clock, which is a step closer to reality in Ohio.

Not official, but it may be coming

High school shot clock fans – rejoice. It appears it may be on the horizon in Ohio.

During the OHSAA boys basketball state tournament, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association shared a shot clock proposal to the OHSAA, sort of. OHSAA Director of Media Relations Tim Stried said it wasn’t a formal proposal, but rather information about a proposal.

An initial report from a different media outlet stated if eventually approved, a 35 second shot clock would possibly be used starting with the 2028-2029 season. OHSBCA Executive Director Joe Balogh has not yet returned a request for comment.

If you’ve read this column before, you know I’m not exactly in favor of a shot clock at the high school level but I’ve also stated it was just a matter of time.

Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve heard the argument “it’ll make the game better” but no one has explained exactly how it will do that. I’ve heard people complain about teams with a slim lead draining time off the clock late in a game, saying a shot clock will end that. Of course that’s true, but it’s also taking away a strategy.

I will concede that much of the time the average possession seems to last less than 35 seconds, so it may not be a huge factor. However, what’s wrong with a team that can’t find a good shot reseting the offense? How is it better to force up a bad shot before the shot clock expires?

It’s my opinion that in some cases, it’s going to widen the gap between better teams and teams that are struggling. I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before and I’m sure I’ll be wrong again.

Regardless, I’ll be shocked if the proposal, if and when it’s formally submitted, isn’t approved by the OHSAA.

College

Another argument I hear from shot clock proponents is “it’ll help get kids ready for the collegiate level.” What? Something like three percent of all high school basketball players go on to play college ball, and that’s Division I-III and NAIA. 97 percent don’t. Sorry, but that’s not a valid reason.

Solution?

Two questions that are commonly asked about a shot clock are who’s going to pay for it (answer: each school) and who’s going to run it? Both are legit questions. As I said, the schools will pay but I’m guessing many will have donors or sponsors that will help cover the cost. A quick Google search shows these things generally cost between $1,000-$5,000.

As for who’s going to run them – a friend of mine offered a suggestion and I’ll admit, it’s not a bad one at all. His suggestion was to have one of the junior varsity officials stick around and do it. Of course, that person will have to be paid, but it does sound like it could be a viable solution.

Other states

If I’m being brutally honest here, I might as well point out that I had no idea that so many state athletic associations require the use of a shot clock. This past season, 32 states had shot clocks. Three others, Illinois, Kentucky and Pennsylvania will implement it by the 2028-2029 season or before. Again, I’m going on the assumption that Ohio will use it starting in 2028-2029.

According to the NFHS, while most of the 32 states utilize it altogether, some states use it only during regular-season games while others have made its use optional for member schools. If OHSAA is going to mandate it, then it should be all-inclusive, at least at the varsity level. What I mean is all games, regular season and tournament, and all schools have to use it. It doesn’t make sense to (at least to me) to allow some schools to do it and others not, or to use it during the regular season and not the tournament.

I do wonder this – of the many states that have adopted the shot clock, has it really improved the quality of games and if so, how? Of course, there won’t and shouldn’t be a unanimous answer, but it would be interesting to hear the response from both sides.

If you have any thoughts or comments on a shot clock at the high school level, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com. A separate story about the shot clock is expected to appear on the Sports page later this week.