Utah high school basketball adopting shot clocks

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MIDVALE – On Thursday, the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) voted to add a 35-second shot clock for both boys and girls basketball games, joining a growing list of states that are implementing a countdown timer for high school hoops. The shot clocks can begin to be used as early as the 2022-23 school season.

Upon the recommendation of a steering committee, the UHSAA Board-of-Trustees voted to add shot clocks for varsity high school basketball games for all classifications. Schools and regions can decide whether or not to use the shot clocks in subvarsity games (i.e. freshman, sophomore, junior varsity).

“This has been a topic the entire time I’ve been here,” Assistant Director of UHSAA Jon Oglesby said during an interview on 106.9 The FAN. “I’ve been here five years and I know the discussion predates me.”

The rules regarding the length of the clock, the placement of the clock, and other logistical matters will follow guidelines already established by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee. That committee voted in the spring of 2021 to make shot clock usage available for state associations around the country beginning next season. So far, over a dozen states have voted to implement the clocks already, including California, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington, Montana and the District of Columbia (which actually uses a 30-second shot clock for public and charter schools). And Oglesby expects many other states around the country to adopt shot clocks soon.

“Cost was a big question from day one,” Oglesby said when asked about who pays for the equipment and training for new shot clocks. “School board members and superintendents from around the state were on the steering committee and they felt strongly that it was time to make this change. They had very little concern about the cost of adding these statewide.”

Each school in Utah that sanctions high school basketball will now need to include shot clocks that appear above the basketball backboard on each end and connect to a horn that is distinctive from the game clock horn. Schools will also need to provide an alternative timing device, such as a stopwatch, at the scorer’s table for a shot clock malfunction. Training for referees and clock operators will be provided by UHSAA.

More information on the NFHS shot clock parameters can be found at: https://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/shot-clock-guidelines-2021/.

AUDIO – Jon Oglesby joins the Full Court Press on 106.9 The FAN to discuss the UHSAA decision to implement shot clocks into high school basketball:

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