Shot Clock In High School Basketball

The final seconds of the clock began to tick away. The Idaho Girls Basketball State Championship was disappearing faster than it came. A screeching buzz signaled the end of the game. of the final buzzer sounded. That was it. Borah and Boise had reached the pinnacle of high school basketball, but their seasons, contrary to a movie-like moment, now ended in a very dreary, anticlimactic fashion. The orange glowing lights on the display hanging in the center of the gym indicated the meager final score: seventeen to seven (Lycklama). After a full thirty-two minutes of play, the two teams from this factual recount managed only twenty-four combined points (Lycklama). This extreme instance in history reveals a prominent issue regarding the rules of Idaho high school basketball. The lack of a shot clock in high school causes problems that would otherwise be solved

However, the evidence supports the contrary. Lincoln Bagley, a member of the Rigby High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball team, endorses the shot clock and states, “It would give the game a faster pace, which would force players to sharpen their skills, become more aware, and become more adept at creating their shot.” The lower amount of time would give athletes a sense of urgency. They would be looking to score unceasingly during their possession. Newly created ways to put points on the board would become part the players, or they would develop better and faster techniques in their current methods. A higher standard would be expected from high school athletes, and they would rise to the occasion. In fact, they already do. Every year, thousands of fresh-out-of-high-school boys move up to college level basketball, which has a shot clock. No evident disruptions in the newcomers’ games are seen. Better basketball is played in college (for more factors than just the shot clock of