Shot clock thoughts

Some schools will have an easier time to physically install it and some teams will have a tougher time than others to mentally install it to their play.

It is a shot clock of 35 seconds.

There will be a shot clock for both boys and girls basketball teams starting in the 2022-23 season.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union made the announcement Tuesday following joint meetings and unanimous approval.

It was a long time coming and maybe sooner than expected, but teams will go the entire upcoming winter without the clock before it is added to gyms across the state.

The National Federation for High School, which governs United States high school associations, has allowed state associations to add the shot clock for their basketball seasons.

The game is always changing.

There’s more 3-point shots now. Zone or man defenses are always evolving and now offenses will certainly look different.

On average there are 55 shots in a game for teams a shot clock averages out to 55. There is no average though because of fouls, turnovers and rebounds.

Engineering obstacles may be a problem for some schools as well as cost.

It brings a new aspect to coaching and how the game will be managed at the end of the quarter or half. It will take away the stalling game.

The biggest change may not be on the court but the sidelines with additional people at the scorer’s table, the referees adapting, new people running the clock and learning new rules. There are so many referees in the stands that they are bound to help officiate.

Following are local conference coaches comments on the change.

Fairfield boys coach Mick Flattery — The 35-second shot clock is an exciting addition to the high school game, cannot forget we need to be proactive in making our game better for the kids.

It will require money to buy the shot clock, finding and educating people to run them and then pay them.

I’m a big believer in FIBA International rules and this is one of them.

Teams will not be able to just hold the ball and stall, so much better for player and fan entertainment.

This allows players who are good enough to get ready for college and its shot clock.

Definitely strategies are involved such as two-for-one on offense late in a quarter; playing more full court defenses so offense has less time to run sets.

There will be additional costs for the clocks and workers.

WACO boys coach Paul Kissell — Not sure on placement. I haven't seen any recommendations yet. WACO just bought new backboards this summer. Could have got the LED lights around inside but didn't.

I am a big fan of high school basketball and like most people, not a big fan of change. The decision has been made, so we will move forward.

Kids will enjoy the clock. It will be more like what they see when watching college and NBA games. Kids already want to play fast and already do play with speed without the clock so the pace of the game will be maintained.

Late shot clock situations will need to be coached up which is a new situation for players. End of quarter and game strategies will become a little different but composure and execution will still be rewarded down the stretch.

I think the biggest adjustment will be for officials who will have one more thing to monitor, but I'm sure the crowd will help them.

Mid-Prairie boys coach Daren Lambert — I think it is great for the game of basketball. It will definitely bring a new aspect to the game.

As a coach, the things that instantly come to mind are how end of quarters and end of game situations may change. In the past teams may have held the ball the last minute to take the last shot. The shot clock will change those situations.

From a program perspective and personal coaching perspective, our style of play is to push the ball and play fast. I am not envisioning changing the game from our offensive style of play; however, I can envision teams trying to cause the opposite on the defensive side of the ball.

We may see more zone styles of defenses trying to force teams to take a rushed shot and playing to the end of the shot clock.

My final thought: 35 seconds is a fairly long time for a possession. But I do think 35 seconds is the correct time for high school basketball. Anything shorter may be too quick and anything longer wouldn't be effective.

Washington girls coach Shannon Rugg — I am excited for it and really looking forward to it. I think it will be a great addition to the game.

It is not going to hurt our shooting percentage at all. I think it will make the game better.

We lost a couple players to graduation that would have been ideal for this rule, but the great thing about high school is we are always getting new players every year.

Highland girls coach Jody Fink — I am not in favor of it personally, but we will play as if it has been around forever.

I think it is adding more problems, such as cost and implementation of the shot clock and someone to run it. The benches are already crowded at most places.

For the most part, this will never be an issue as most teams aren't holding onto the ball that long. If someone wants to stall, it takes two teams to allow it to happen.

As for those that say we need to teach kids about it for colleges, the kids are resilient and will be able to adjust as they have for decades already.

I would say less than 3 percent of all kids in the nation go on to play in college. It is very small in numbers.

We are going to have to find an area near both scoreboards to put the shot clock and run wiring to use them. Placement shouldn't be too large of a problem, more of the financial aspect for schools. It will be worse for some than others.

Fort Madison boys coach Ryan Wilson — I don’t think it impacts anything with us. We want to play fast and get up and down the court and press. It’s what we do in Fort Madison. Obviously, I think it will change the end of quarters, halves and games.

Fort Madison girls coach Tony Sargent — We haven’t been holding the ball that long anyway. It won’t be terrible, but it definitely changes things. I’m old school and late in the game when you’re sitting on a five-point lead and you would normally hold the ball, this takes that away.

But I don’t have a preference. I’m for it and there’s really nothing there for me to be against it. It just changes some things. Things I do in practice will have to be different.

We haven’t been holding the ball that long anyway. It won’t be terrible, but it definitely changes things. I’m old school and late in the game when you’re sitting on a five-point lead and you would normally hold the ball, this takes that away.

But I don’t have a preference. I’m for it, and there’s really nothing there for me to be against it. It just changes some things. Things I do in practice will have to be different.

Central Lee girls coach Jay Baldwin — What happens with a foul, an offensive rebound? I think they should make it as simple as possible. Maybe give another 35 seconds for an offensive rebound.

To me it adds a little bit of strategy and could speed up the game. Going back to the state tournament, you had teams that would take four or five shots with the lead in the second half. Honestly, it got hard to watch. I thought they would have made the change by now.

Now you get good defense for 30 or 35 seconds and the girls can’t get rewarded for that. Maybe you play solid defense for 30 or 40 seconds and then give up a bucket, maybe even after a minute, and there’s no reward for playing that solid defense.