Is it time for Ohio high school basketball to add a shot clock? Coaches, players weigh in

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Is it time for Ohio high school basketball to add a shot clock? Coaches, players weigh in

The Harvest Prep boys basketball team and cheerleaders stand for the national anthem before a Division III state semifinal last season at University of Dayton Arena. Above the backboard, the shot clock used for college games has been turned off because Ohio doesn't use it for high school contests.

Dave Purpura and Frank DiRenna, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Wed, Jan 24, 2024 ·

7 min read

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If or when Ohio becomes the 28th state to introduce the shot clock to high school basketball , and there is no indication that is coming any time soon, it might be the biggest change since the 3-point line was instituted 37 years ago.

A survey of central Ohio coaches and players, and even a former high school player now in college, revealed widespread support for adding the shot clock, mostly because it would speed up the game, add excitement and even prepare athletes who might play in college.

"It makes teams have to be more strategic on what they want to do on both sides of the basketball," Hilliard Bradley girls coach Andrew Whitt said. "The days of running time off the clock need to be over."

Still, others do not think any changes are necessary, and some expressed concern about the cost of purchasing shot clocks, let alone training and paying someone to work them.

Daktronics, a leading supplier of scoreboards, timing and video equipment, lists shot clocks costing between $3,500 and $5,100 on its website.

"A shorter shot clock would remove much of the strategy," Shekinah Christian boys coach Keith Lambert said. "I believe there would be less ball movement and more pick-and-roll or isolation sets because those are the type of actions that can get up a quick shot. Team offenses like motion, flex, Princeton, etc., would likely disappear as they have in the NBA and the styles would look similar from team to team.

"To me, part of the beauty of high school basketball is that teams have different offensive and defensive schemes, which leads to interesting matchups and potential upsets."

The National Federation of State High School Associations voted to allow shot clocks in high school in 2021, and its guidelines recommend they be set at 35 seconds. The college shot clock is 30 seconds; the NBA is 24.

No formal discussions, let alone a vote, have taken place with the Ohio High School Athletic Association , director of communications Tim Stried told The Dispatch.

Here is a sampling of opinions from central Ohio coaches and players:

Pickerington Central point guard Rylee Bess is one of several central Ohio players or coaches who would welcome the addition of a shot clock to high school basketball.

Rylee Bess, Pickerington Central junior point guard

"We actually got the chance to play with the shot clock last year (at a tournament in Florida) and I really enjoyed it. We didn't have to sit on defense for two minutes or so. … I didn't worry too much about it because we always got into something and always got a good shot."

Upper Arlington boys basketball coach Joe Bills said some of the "chess moves" of high school basketball could "get lost with a shot clock."

Joe Bills, Upper Arlington boys coach

"I think it's a positive addition, but not urgently necessary. Not having a shot clock can make the game more of a chess match between teams where a talent gap exists, assuming one team will try to slow the game down. If you're the team that wants to play faster, what are you going to do to keep the other team from holding it? Some of those chess moves get lost with a shot clock."

Olentangy Orange boys basketball coach Anthony Calo would like to see Ohio add a shot clock because it would increase the number of possessions for his team.

Anthony Calo, Olentangy Orange boys coach

"Smaller schools are thinking, 'The only way that we can stay in games is if we have really long possessions.' I understand that, but as a team that has athletes and skilled players, I want as many possessions as possible. That's what the future is going to hold."

Westerville South boys basketball coach Ed Calo cites strategy as one reason he would welcome the addition of a shot clock to high school basketball in Ohio.

Ed Calo, Westerville South boys coach

"I like the idea of adding more strategy to the game, which it will do. It will change the game quite a bit. We've been pretty consistent with how we approach the game offensively and defensively. We have made some adjustments. Not so much defensively, although we would certainly make some considerations to try to milk the shot clock defensively. Wind it down by running some different things. It would be pretty interesting."

Brock Cunningham, Olentangy Berlin girls coach

"Any student-athletes moving on to the next level as a collegiate basketball player would benefit from the exposure and learning to play with the shot clock. … I do think there are some logistics to bringing in the shot clock, from installation to having someone to run it, but like all things, with time, it would get easier and, ultimately, benefit the game."

Ohio State's Madison Greene, a Pickerington Central graduate, said she supports Ohio high school basketball adding a shot clock. — Dec 22, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Madison Greene (0) works around Belmont Bruins guard Kate Hollifield (24) in the second half of their NCAA Womens Division I Basketball game against the Belmont Bruins at Value City Arena.

Madison Greene, Ohio State women's basketball/Pickerington Central graduate

"I think it'll definitely just make the game faster. I remember in high school, we used to play against teams, they'd just hold the ball and just make the game last forever. I think it's a good idea to implement that and to see how it works."

Hartley boys basketball coach Andreas James, who played at Independence and Tiffin University, said he would be open to the addition of a shot clock to high school basketball but added “I’m not sure it’s something we need.”

Andreas James, Hartley boys coach

"I feel like it might be a thing we all want, but I'm not sure it's something we need. If it happened, I'd be open to it and welcome it. I'd welcome the challenge. You can speed the game up a little bit, but those possessions matter."

Jordan Johnson, Wellington girls coach

"Coaches will have to start letting go of traditional ways and find ways to put their top players in better scoring positions. And (it will) make coaches have to coach how to be basketball players and not just robots who can run a set for one minute. Defensively you should be rewarded for stifling a team offense and making them panic, not allowing them to reset over and over and over again."

Sa'Mahn Johnson, Reynoldsburg junior guard

"With our offense, we get up pretty quick. We get it and go. The shot clock would be pretty cool for us. … It's not a bad adjustment. Either way, we're still getting up shots, getting up points and doing what we need to do."

Corey Kreinbrink, Dublin Coffman girls coach

"While it certainly could create more shot attempts throughout a game, it won't help teams who already struggle to score or shoot to score more or make more shots. You would likely, eventually, see more teams playing zone, which could actually slow the game down more. Personally, I like the shot clock for the end of game, end of quarter situations and feel there are more positives than negatives with it, but I don't believe it's a 'fix all' for low-scoring games."

Reynoldsburg boys coach Andy Moore said the addition of a shot clock would help players "develop their basketball IQ."

Andy Moore, Reynoldsburg boys coach

"It will benefit (players) to be able to make quicker decisions under pressure situations, not have all day to slow things down and get reorganized. I think it will help them develop their basketball IQ as well. I also like the idea of the shot clock because it will speed up the pace of the game. It will not allow teams to hold the basketball and take away from the natural flow of the game."

Brett Norris, Hilliard Bradley boys coach

"It's 2024, and the shot clock was brought into the college game in 1985. Any change in football, we're still not waiting to change high school football. But for basketball in Ohio, amazingly we still haven't done anything. It's ridiculous."

Greg Nossaman, Olentangy Liberty boys coach

"We talk that the next level is college, but about 2% of the kids go on and play college basketball. That's a very small percentage. ... One is the cost to get (a shot clock) in. Two is getting somebody to operate the thing and know what they're doing. Paying someone else to do it and making sure they know the rules on top of that … that's something else to worry about."

Grove City boys basketball coach Eric Saxton said a shot clock would prevent teams from holding the ball "for long periods of time" at the end of quarters.

Eric Saxton, Grove City boys coach

"I don't feel there are a lot of possessions that go over 45 seconds already, so to me this would only change the game as teams would not be able to hold the ball for long periods of time at end of quarters or in the last three minutes of the game. The shot clock acts as a sixth defender at times."

Brock Yutzy, Shekinah Christian girls coach

"A shot clock is an expensive addition for the game that really isn't going to change the way teams at our level (Division IV) play. And the fact that it adds to the already limited supply of help that smaller-level schools already pull from, I just see headaches being created for officials that already have to deal with a lot of poor clock (and scorer's) table help."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Should Ohio high school basketball add a shot clock?

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