Proposal for shot clock in high school hoops advances, per report, with May vote on tap

Big news to come out of Robbinsville Wednesday, as a proposal to join the 32 other states – including the District of Columbia – that currently utilize a shot clock in basketball advanced through the NJSIAA’s executive committee – after a Janaury presentation by its advisory committee – with a vote by the full membership coming in May.

The news was first reported Wednesday afternoon by Darren Cooper with NorthJersey.com.

If the May vote says yes, varsity girls’ and boys’ basketball games would begin playing with a 35-second shot clock in the 2027-28 season, two years away. Use of the shot-clock for freshman and jayvee games would be optional.

A similar proposal would institute an 80-second shot clock in lacrosse.

Cooper reports that the proposal can be discussed and tweaked as necessary in March, when sectional meetings of state athletic directors take place.

The NFHS – the National Federation of State High School Associations, which makes rules in high school sports across the country – adopted the shot clock in basketball in 2021, with the implementation of the 35-second clock coming in 2022-23.

Since then, 31 states and the D.C. have adopted it. (See a map and story on the NFHS site here.) Of those, three states are optional (Missouri, Kentucky and Florida) while three others use it in the regular season only (Wyoming, Alabama and South Carolina).

Most of the Western States use it, everything West and North of Colorado, including Hawaii and Alaska.

In the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, only Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine have not adopted the shot clock in any way.

While some have worried about the cost and extra personnel required to run the clock, proponents believe it will make for better basketball, eliminating “holding” the ball late in games, and better prepare student-athletes for college, where a shot clock is used at all levels.

Two additional proposals will go before the executive committee in May, per Cooper. One would make flag football an official spring sport; it’s been running in “pilot” status for several years now. Another would allow “tri-op” teams (three schools, in addition to the “two-school co-op”) in girls’ wrestling.