Shot clock remains on PIAA back burner, for now
The shot clock isn’t coming to Pennsylvania high school basketball any time soon.
Earlier this month the PIAA’s basketball steering committee rejected a proposal to implement a 35-second clock for the 2024-25 season, voting it down by a 9-5 margin.
The PIAA Board of Directors reviewed the steering committee report but did not act on it during Wednesday’s meeting. There was no motion and no vote on the issue.
The National Federation of State High School Associations opened the door for a shot clock last year; by next season 13 states will implementing some form of it, including neighboring Maryland and New York.
At this point Pennsylvania administrators remain divided on the issue. A PIAA survey indicated a nearly 50/50 split. District 3 athletic directors opposed the implementation by a roughly 51/49 margin, according to Dave Bitting, the District 3 basketball chairman who sits on the PIAA basketball steering committee.
Issues against the shot clock are two-fold, Bitting said: Cost and finding a competent person to run the clock.
Do we really need a shot clock in high school basketball?
Bitting said it could cost $10,000 or more for a school to purchase and install the necessary equipment. Also, a person would have to paid to operate the clock for all home games, girls and boys. That would cost roughly $1,000 per season per school.
Glenn Anderson, president of the Pennsylvania Basketball Coaches Association and a member of the steering committee, said a survey showed 77 percent of coaches are in favor of implementing a shot clock.
Bitting, who coached basketball at the high school and college levels, believes eventually Pennsylvania will adopt a shot clock, mostly likely when the NFHS fully adopts it. The PIAA generally follows the lead of the national organization.