Unplug the idea of a high school shot clock
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Even the best marketing campaigns have a trickle down effect.
As the NCAA attempts to make the case that it is home to more than 460,000 student-athletes and that most of them “will be going pro in something other than sports,” this naturally cascades down into the high school ranks, where only a small percentage of athletes will know the feeling of earning a Division I or II scholarship.
For those student-athletes who compete under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association banner, most of them will be going to college for something other than sports.
From the mountains to the coast, they span urban and rural areas alike. Some schools have access to more financial resources than others. That’s unavoidable.
But if the basketball scouting services and those who only train their eyes on a small percentage of players had their way, schools like Mattamuskeet and Jones Senior would be forced to carry the water, one 35-second violation at a time, for those matchups that populate mixtapes and get clicks all over social media.
“Kinston vs. Farmville Central! Beasts of the East! Sponsored by Nantahala.”
“Millbrook vs. Leesville Road! Rumble in the Capital City! Brought to you by North Duplin.”
Hey, there’s a revenue producer in uncertain times!
The idea of a shot clock in high school basketball made its way back into the conversation Monday after the National Federation of State High School Associations, of which the NCHSAA is a member, voted down a pair of proposals related to the adoption of a shot clock. One would have mandated the use of a shot clock across the country, while the second defeated measure would have left it up to the discretion of each individual state.
Despite this, eight states — California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington utilize the timer. But the penalty of running afoul of the NFHS on the matter results in those state associations being ineligible to serve on the national rules committee.
Those of you who have made it this far might get the impression that I hold some sort of grudge against high-level basketball in the prep ranks and the entities that devote laser-like attention to it. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
But it doesn’t make sense, on any level, to force athletic programs that are already struggling to keep the lights on into what is essentially an unfunded mandate that benefits a small minority of high school players — with an emphasis on “high school.”
Just because a game isn’t played in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte or at one of the traditional Eastern powers — doesn’t mean it lacks existence.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, balancing a high school athletic budget was a challenge. Now, declining ticket sales are almost a certainty. Football, the financial engine behind most programs, stands to suffer with social distancing guidelines having the potential to limit attendance. Yet in this climate, proponents of a basketball shot clock would still gleefully drop a four-figure bill for purchase, installation and upkeep into the laps of cash-strapped athletic departments for their own gain and entertainment.
Selfish much?
Stepping away from cash considerations for a moment, passionate arguments in favor of a shot clock are often supplemented with video of teams holding the basketball for entire swaths of a quarter to the displeasure of a crowd. Of course, that’s designed to shorten the game and give an underdog a chance to hang around. Coaches of formidable rosters have every reason to hate the stalling approach.
But here’s a dirty little secret from someone with a grand total of seven intramural basketball games as a head coach to his credit.
Do you have the talent advantage against a team that desires to just sit on possession? Then go out and meet the ball, press the opponent into oblivion, and beat them by 40. The clock runs continuously, and we all get to go home a little earlier on a quad night.
Whether via volunteer or a paid staff member, a trained shot clock operator would have to be present at each contest. Having the wherewithal to determine if a shot hit the rim underneath the traffic jams that constitute the paint in high school hoops would require a constant state of readiness. Officials would need to be trained on the mechanics and administration of the clock. What if one or both clocks malfunction and there is limited technical support available on site?
There’s a place for high school players to experiment with shot clocks, and it’s in summer leagues or AAU events — locales where more, not fewer, of the participants have the motivation to get acclimated to the setting.
The next thing you know, officials and game personnel will be tasked with more than just managing the ins and outs of a high school shot clock. One day, they’ll have to untangle the web of conflicting accounts at the scorer’s table and a scoreboard that remains tardy in putting points on the board.
Hey, wait a minute!
By Jimmy Lewis jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
Even the best marketing campaigns have a trickle down effect.
As the NCAA attempts to make the case that it is home to more than 460,000 student-athletes and that most of them “will be going pro in something other than sports,” this naturally cascades down into the high school ranks, where only a small percentage of athletes will know the feeling of earning a Division I or II scholarship.
For those student-athletes who compete under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association banner, most of them will be going to college for something other than sports.
From the mountains to the coast, they span urban and rural areas alike. Some schools have access to more financial resources than others. That’s unavoidable.
But if the basketball scouting services and those who only train their eyes on a small percentage of players had their way, schools like Mattamuskeet and Jones Senior would be forced to carry the water, one 35-second violation at a time, for those matchups that populate mixtapes and get clicks all over social media.
“Kinston vs. Farmville Central! Beasts of the East! Sponsored by Nantahala.”
“Millbrook vs. Leesville Road! Rumble in the Capital City! Brought to you by North Duplin.”
Hey, there’s a revenue producer in uncertain times!
The idea of a shot clock in high school basketball made its way back into the conversation Monday after the National Federation of State High School Associations, of which the NCHSAA is a member, voted down a pair of proposals related to the adoption of a shot clock. One would have mandated the use of a shot clock across the country, while the second defeated measure would have left it up to the discretion of each individual state.
Despite this, eight states — California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington utilize the timer. But the penalty of running afoul of the NFHS on the matter results in those state associations being ineligible to serve on the national rules committee.
Those of you who have made it this far might get the impression that I hold some sort of grudge against high-level basketball in the prep ranks and the entities that devote laser-like attention to it. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
But it doesn’t make sense, on any level, to force athletic programs that are already struggling to keep the lights on into what is essentially an unfunded mandate that benefits a small minority of high school players — with an emphasis on “high school.”
Just because a game isn’t played in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte or at one of the traditional Eastern powers — doesn’t mean it lacks existence.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, balancing a high school athletic budget was a challenge. Now, declining ticket sales are almost a certainty. Football, the financial engine behind most programs, stands to suffer with social distancing guidelines having the potential to limit attendance. Yet in this climate, proponents of a basketball shot clock would still gleefully drop a four-figure bill for purchase, installation and upkeep into the laps of cash-strapped athletic departments for their own gain and entertainment.
Selfish much?
Stepping away from cash considerations for a moment, passionate arguments in favor of a shot clock are often supplemented with video of teams holding the basketball for entire swaths of a quarter to the displeasure of a crowd. Of course, that’s designed to shorten the game and give an underdog a chance to hang around. Coaches of formidable rosters have every reason to hate the stalling approach.
But here’s a dirty little secret from someone with a grand total of seven intramural basketball games as a head coach to his credit.
Do you have the talent advantage against a team that desires to just sit on possession? Then go out and meet the ball, press the opponent into oblivion, and beat them by 40. The clock runs continuously, and we all get to go home a little earlier on a quad night.
Whether via volunteer or a paid staff member, a trained shot clock operator would have to be present at each contest. Having the wherewithal to determine if a shot hit the rim underneath the traffic jams that constitute the paint in high school hoops would require a constant state of readiness. Officials would need to be trained on the mechanics and administration of the clock. What if one or both clocks malfunction and there is limited technical support available on site?
There’s a place for high school players to experiment with shot clocks, and it’s in summer leagues or AAU events — locales where more, not fewer, of the participants have the motivation to get acclimated to the setting.
The next thing you know, officials and game personnel will be tasked with more than just managing the ins and outs of a high school shot clock. One day, they’ll have to untangle the web of conflicting accounts at the scorer’s table and a scoreboard that remains tardy in putting points on the board.
Hey, wait a minute!
