Shot clock for high school basketball is voted down

Everyone from some coaches, to players, to fans seem to have an opinion about whether or not high school basketball needs a shot clock. It's always a good subject to debate.

But the organization that makes the rules for high school basketball in the country has shot down the shot clock idea.

The National Federationof State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee voted down a shot clock proposal at a recent meeting.

The National Federation said one of the reasons for voting down the shot clock is cost. All high schools would have to install shot clocks in gyms. I'm not sure of the exact cost of a shot clock. Looking at some on the internet, it seems to be at least a couple thousand dollars on the low end. I read some stories where shot clocks might cost $5,000.

In the days of high school athletic budgets being cut, that's a pretty hefty sum. However, it is a one-time fee. But don't forget, schools will have to pay someone to run the shot clock every game.

A news release from the National Federation said:

"Although a shot clock has been employed at the college level for many years, results of the questionnaire that is sent to coaches, officials and state association administrators across the country did not indicate a strong desire to use the clock at the high school level.

“In addition to the fact that there is some concern about the costs associated with the use of a shot clock, the committee also expressed a belief that the game is typically played with an up-tempo style even without a shot clock,” said Kent Summers, director of performing arts and sports at the NFHS. “In addition, the committee believes that coaches should have the option of a slower-paced game if they believe it makes their team more competitive in specific situations. This could be especially true for smaller schools with limited budgets, which comprise a significant number of the 18,000 basketball-playing schools. Since the NFHS writes rules for all sizes of schools and teams, it has to consider what is best for the masses.”

I'm not totally for, or totally against, a shot clock in high school. If you made me choose, I guess I would lean towards having one. I'd say maybe a 40-second shot clock. What do you think?

Lastly, in its release, the National Federation points out "Basketball is the second-most popular sport for girls and third-most popular for boys at the high school level, according to the 2010-11 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS, with 438,933 girls and 545,844 boys participating nationwide. The sport ranks first in school sponsorship of girls and boys teams with 17,767 schools sponsoring the sport for girls and 18,150 sponsoring the sport for boys."