OHSBCA submits shot clock proposal to OHSAA

The West Branch Lady Warriors and the Shelby Whippets played in the 2nd annual Shot Clock Shootout this past basketball season at the Canton Memorial Field House. (Photo: Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com)

OHIO - As reported by Jake Furr from the Mansfield News Journal, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association had a meeting with the OHSAA members and put forward a proposal to introduce a shot clock in high school basketball in Ohio. 

The submitted proposal recommends a 35-second shot clock for varsity boys and girls basketball, with only full implementation in regular season and postseason games beginning with the 2028-2029 season. 

"From my standpoint, I was initially against the shot clock,"  said Joe Balogh, Executive Director of the OHBSCA. "However, one of the issues with basketball in general is how different the game is played at different levels."

As stated in the proposal, schools would be allowed to use a shot clock in 2027 and 2028, but participation would be optional to help schools prepare for full adoption the following season.

The Phased approach will allow schools, officials, and programs to prepare accordingly while aligning Ohio with NFHS guidelines and the growing national movement toward the use of a shot clock in high school basketball, according to the proposal. 

The OHSAA and OHSBCA currently allow a shot clock in special, permitted in-season, multi-team events like the Classic in the Country, Flying to the Hoop, and the OHSBCA Shot Clock Challenge, but events have to be approved by both organizations first. 

"As I sat and watched games where a team held the ball for the entire overtime of a regional tournament game, and it ended up in double overtime. It's just not what you want to see." Balogh said. 

Anything sub-varsity level requires both participating schools to mutually agree on the use of the shot clock. The proposal also lays out shot clock costs depending on the model and already existing equipment; costs range from $4,300 to $17,000, depending on models, installation costs, existing equipment, and any additional costs that may need to be considered. 

Additionally, 32 states operate with a shot clock at the high school level, while 19 do not. 

The proposal was submitted during the boys' state basketball tournament on March 19, and the OHSAA is expected to send out a survey to athletic directors and school administrators in April to see how they feel about a shot clock coming to high school.