Just a matter of time before Indiana HS hoops includes shot clock?
Does Indiana high school basketball need a shot clock and is it just a matter of time before it is approved in this state?
With this week’s news out of Illinois that its high school athletic association is going to implement a 35-second shot clock beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the shot clock debate in Indiana high school basketball is sure to intensify.
Slowly but surely states are starting to make the use of a shot clock part of its rules.
In 2021 the National Federation of State High School Associations announced that it would permit a 35-second shot clock in high school basketball starting with the 2022-23 season. It was not a mandate, meaning states could decide when and if they would implement it.
At the time, Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Paul Neidig told the Indianapolis Star, “We have the best coaches and players in the country. We have a tournament that every school in Indiana gets to play in. The object of the game is to put your team in the best possible position to win. Possession control is certainly a strategy utilized by many coaches in Indiana. I do not see a reason to take a strategy used to win from our coaches. But the debate will certainly be the center of conversation for a while.”
States that decide to use the shot clock will have to follow NFHS rules, which includes “two timepieces that are connected to a horn that is distinctive from the game-clock horn, and using an alternative time device, such as a stopwatch at the scorer’s table, for a shot clock malfunction.”
There are some Indiana high school basketball traditionalists who are very opposed to ever seeing a shot clock used in the Hoosier State.
On the other hand, change is a name of the game and inevitable, right? Those who want to see the shot clock in Indiana high school hoops believe it will happen as the game morphs into resembling college and pro games. Plus, they point out that traditionalists believed the class system would never be adopted, but of course eventually the single-class system became a thing of the past.
Supporters of the shot clock claim it will eliminate stalling, which in their eyes will make the game more entertaining, forcing teams to be more creative with their offensive strategies, plus it will aid players get to the next level.
Those against say a faster paced game will hinder fundamentals leading to sloppier play.
With Illinois adopting the shot clock, at least 28 state associations will now utilize a shot clock in some capacity.
Like it or not, it appears sooner or later the shot clock will be a part of Indiana high school basketball so prepare yourselves.
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