GHSA to phase in shot clock for basketball

The GHSA’s Board of Trustees voted to introduce a 30-second shot clock to basketball games during a Board of Trustees meeting on June 23.

The shot clock will be phased in over a three-year period and will make Georgia the 10th state in the nation to adopt the use of the shot clock in high school games.

Starting next season (20202021), the shot clock will be used only in holiday tournaments and showcase games, but not in region or postseason games. In the 2021-2022 season, it will again be used in holiday tournaments and showcase games, while the different regions will decide whether or not to use it in region games. The 20222023 season will see mandated use of the shot clock in all varsity games, including the state tournament.

The Board also added the 4x800 meter relay to the list of track and field events that will be run at meets, starting in the spring of 2021. A motion also passed to introduce the 4x200 meter relay to the event lineup in the spring of 2022.

In other track and cross country news, schools may now enter three athletes in each event at area/region qualifying track meets and individual athletes may now compete in four individual events per meet and may be listed as one of eight participants on relays at meets.

Schools will also be allowed just one team per relay event, though eight individual athletes can be listed to participate.

In addition, a proposal was passed to eliminate area meets in cross country. All classes, 1A-7A, will now be region competitions.

The Board of Trustees also established a second “Dead Week” for the GHSA calendar, beginning in 2021. The additional “dead week” will fall from the Monday through Sunday in which Memorial Day falls each year. Next year, the “dead week” will begin on Memorial Day itself (May 31, 2021) and last until the following Sunday (June 6, 2021).

The usual July 4th “dead week” will also be changing to a Monday through Sunday format (in which July 4th falls).