Shot clock could change the game

April vote to decide if boys’ basketball will be affected

Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005

The shot clock could soon be coming to a boys’ high school basketball game near you.

The National Federation of State High School Associations is set to vote in April on a proposal to add time limits for offensive possessions. A 30-second shot clock is used for girls’ games in Maryland.

National Federation Assistant Director Mary Struckhoff said a new proposal for a shot clock in the boys’ game comes up for vote every year. Struckhoff said such a measure could pass this year.

‘‘It’s a difficult issue. Some are for it, some are against it,” said Struckhoff, also the NFHS basketball rules editor. ‘‘It’s been a lot of emotion on both sides.”

The NFHS adopts new rules and rule changes in several ways.

A rule could be implemented or changed nationally. In this case, every level of a particular sport under NFHS jurisdiction would have to follow the new standards.

The NFHS could vote to leave it up to the states, which Struckhoff said is the most likely possibility for a boys’ basketball shot clock.

Prince George’s County Athletic Supervisor Earl Hawkins stands against a shot clock for boys’ basketball.

Hawkins, who played and coached basketball in the county and on the college level, said a shot clock in boys’ basketball could do more harm than help.

‘‘I don’t think its something that should happen,” Hawkins said. ‘‘It’s hard enough for coaches to teach fundamentals of the game without having to worry about the shot clock. Additionally, I don’t think it’s needed in the girls’ game anymore. Now the girls’ game is mirroring the boys’ game and it’s a very exciting game to watch.”

Logistics

Any basketball proposal up for vote by the NFHS must ascend through several levels.

First, the 11-member NFHS Basketball Committee votes on the proposal.

If the proposal passes, it would then be voted upon by the NFHS rules review committee, which is composed of the rules editors for all of the different NFHS-sanctioned sports.

Finally, the bill would be up for vote by the NFHS’s Board of Directors.

If the NFHS leaves the new rule up to an individual state vote, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association would have to decide whether to adopt it.

According to the NFHS, only seven states — California, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Washington — use a shot clock. Only Washington and Maryland mandate a shot clock for girls’ games, but not for boys.

MPSSAA Executive Director Ned Sparks has listened to both sides of the shot clock argument in the state.

‘‘My own personal issue is that it certainly hasn’t affected the girls’ game,” Sparks said. ‘‘It’s not a real factor in the game. Whether or not our coaches and basketball people would care for it is debatable. It’s pretty much split in the group. Some people think it’s the wave of the future. Some people say it would hurt the game. I don’t see it being that.”

If the MPSSAA votes on a new rule or change, the measure would have to pass the nine-member MPSSAA Basketball Committee. A special meeting of the basketball committee would then take place before ratification of the rule.

All of these procedures would take place following the conclusion of the season.

‘‘My gut feeling is that it would be a close vote,” Sparks said.

Usefulness

Conversations with several county coaches paint a blurry picture of how the new rule would be accepted.

There are a number of arguments that could be obstacles for the new rule.

‘‘The piece that administrators tend to think about is the cost,” Struckhoff said.

Largo Athletic Director and boys’ basketball coach Lewis Howard questions the feasibility.

‘‘I don’t think that it’s really needed,” Howard said. ‘‘At the level that we play at, we pretty much get up and down. Even the teams that do run a ball-control type of offense can score. I think it would slow the game down more than anything. You have that limitation on offense and that’s where it would slow it down.”

Friendly coach Brian Walker said the shot clock has a place on the prep level.

‘‘I like the shot clock because it makes you have to earn your possession and you also have to cherish it,” Walker said. ‘‘[Stalling] is really taking away from the game in my opinion. The shot clock forces the kids to play a lot smarter. I think it would be better for our kids. I’m sure we’re behind [in terms of development] a lot of places in the country like New York and other places.”

The Patriots are in Binghamton, N.Y. for a holiday tournament this week and play with a shot clock. Friendly played in the same tournament last year, and Walker said it took a little more than a game for the team to get adjusted.

When asked if he thinks the shot clock would affect his development, Eleanor Roosevelt senior guard Patrick Prewitt — who hopes to play in college — had trouble deciding.

‘‘Not having a shot clock at this level does not matter much,” Prewitt said. ‘‘I don’t see a reason for it in this county, we already run up-tempo types of games. But I do think other players are probably getting a leg up in terms of college preparation with a shot clock, because it’s probably a little different playing with one.”

Hawkins said prep players should be concerned with learning the game.

‘‘I think the high school game is about teaching basketball and should not have anything to do with keeping up with the NCAA and NBA game,” Hawkins said. ‘‘It’s hard enough for coaches to teach fundamentals of the game without having to worry about the shot clock. We will be taking this to the coaches and AD’s. We’ll run this by the coaches and get their feelings on this.”

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.