NFHS approves use of shot clock
Connecticut will soon have the option of adopting a shot clock for high school basketball.
The National Federation of State High School Associations at its April meeting approved a 35-second shot clock for use beginning in the 2022-23 season.
A proposal for a national rule mandating a shot clock was not approved.
“We provided the committee with a lot of information regarding the shot clock, including responses to a 46-question survey sent to states currently using a shot clock,” Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the basketball rules committee, said in a statement Wednesday.
Citing Rule 2-14, each state may adopt a shot clock at the start of the 2022-23 season to “encourage standardization among states. Guidelines include
displaying two timepieces that are connected to a horn that is distinctive from the game-clock horn, and using an alternative timing device, such as a stopwatch at the scorer’s table, for a shot clock malfunction.”
The shot clock is currently used in only eight states — California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington — and varies between 30-35 seconds.
CIAC schools currently do not use a shot clock while the state’s prep schools use a 35-second clock.
Gregg Simon, the associate executive director of the CIAC, said rumors pertaining to this possibility becoming reality led him to “ask permission from the CIAC basketball committee to survey the membership again.” The last survey was conducted in 2018.
This survey was done in April. Simon said 58 percent of the state athletic directors were in favor of a shot clock, while 42 percent were not.
Simon said the last survey done of the boys and girls basketball coaches had an overwhelming response to bring a shot clock into the high school game.
The next step, Simon said, is for the basketball committee to review the survey. If approved, it goes back to the CIAC membership.
“I don’t want to speculate. This will be decided by the membership. If they want it to happen, it will happen. The stumbling block of the NFHS not allowing it is out of the way at this point,” Simon said.
Simon did note the “financial responsibility” schools would have to take on adding a shot clock — someone to operate it. Normally, it’s a 20-game home season, both varsity boys and girls combined, plus the freshman and JV levels.
“Schools have to make decisions if this is something they want to take on,” Simon said. “If it (support for shot clock) was overwhelming, this would have already happened. When only 60 percent of the membership wants something, then you have to find out what is best for basketball in the state of Connecticut.”