Time runs out again on shot clock

To the dismay of many in North Idaho — but not everybody — a shot clock won’t be coming to high school basketball in Idaho soon.

At least as soon as next season.

At a meeting last week, the Idaho High School Activities Association board of control considered input from the 5A and 4A Inland Empire League, and the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conference asking the board to consider a shot clock.

The board took no immediate action.

The cost of purchasing shot clocks, and paying someone to run them during games, was one issue, especially to the smaller schools.

Also, by adding a shot clock — something only eight other states use — Idaho would lose its vote on matters voted on by the National Federation of State High School Associations, because it would be out of compliance with NFHS rules.

POST FALLS also submitted a proposal for a shot clock several years ago.

“Not sure how interested the IHSAA really is (in a shot clock),” said Mike McLean, in his 12th season as Post Falls boys coach. “I realize that very few possessions last longer than 35 seconds, but coaching strategies change because of the shot clock. For example, a ball goes out of bounds with 10 seconds or fewer on the shot clock, a coach can switch to a zone, or triangle-and-2 or box-and-1 and force the other team into a mistake. A zone team can switch into man and defend a team much differently for a short period of time to force a mistake or bad shot.”

Washington has used a shot clock in girls basketball since 1974, and added one in boys basketball in 2009.

“If you watch a shot clock game, you will see that there are many different scenarios that can happen with a shot clock,” said McLean, whose teams play often in Washington. “End of game is what most people think of when discussing the shot clock, but the reality is that a shot clock causes teams/players to execute at a high level all throughout the game. Obviously I am very much in favor of the shot clock.”

BEFORE TAKING over as girls coach at Lake City in 2017, James Anderson coached in Lake City’s boys program for several years.

Like other coaches, he doesn’t understand the importance of keeping a vote over choosing something that might improve the game.

This year, Anderson has an athletic team that uses defense to create offense.

“I think we would play defensively a little bit different if we had a shot clock, because you get rewarded for forcing long possessions,” Anderson said. “Whereas here, we’re going to put a little more pressure on them, and try and cause turnovers. The one thing the shot clock’s done is, teams are playing more conservative defense, and trying to getting teams to the end of the shot clock, instead of pressuring out and stealing.

“Our strength is pressure and steals, but ... if we force long possessions, and we could get down and defend, and we could force them into bad shots at the end of the shot clock, like in a fourth-quarter situation, where you don’t want to gamble as much.

“I would think the high school game would be pushing for a shot clock everywhere, to prepare kids for the next level.”

ONE PREVAILING thought is, teams shoot fairly quickly anymore so a shot clock isn’t needed. In the old days, teams would work the ball for minutes at a time before taking a “good” shot.

Marc Allert, Post Falls girls basketball coach and formerly a longtime boys basketball assistant with the Trojans, said more than just the end of each quarter or half would be affected by adding a shot clock.

“The game is affected throughout, due to fact you know the clock is running — you must get into your sets quicker, teams may press more to make you take more time off the clock, defenses can be more or less aggressive since they know they only have to play for a short time,” he said. “Obviously offenses cannot be as deliberate. So although it is true that most possessions will end in a shot — or turnover — before a violation, the entire game is affected.”

McLean is frustrated that Idaho is slow to act while other states move forward with a shot clock. Also, he suggested sponsors could be found to cover costs involved with adding a shot clock, for schools that can’t afford them on their own.

“I am always in favor of making changes that makes the game better — three officials, a shot clock ...” McLean said. “I would really like to see our state be in the forefront with the block/charge arc under the basket. That would be great for the players/coaches/officials/fans.”

AT 2A St. Maries, athletic director Todd Gilkey said the initial cost (anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000) of shot clocks would be an impact. At Lumberjack home events, the support staff is all volunteer — they receive passes to home games for volunteering.

“Finding a couple of people to operate them would be the biggest issue I would face,” Gilkey said. “We have great support. Yes, I could make it work if we got the shot clocks.”

RON MILLER now handles athletic director duties at Lakeside, in Idaho’s smallest classification of 1A Division II. Before that, he coached the Lakeside girls basketball team for years — actually coached Plummer’s girls before Plummer merged with Worley to form Lakeside.

“Small schools are already being challenged to pay for the third official,” Miller said. “In the North Star League only two schools are breaking even on official pay vs. gate. One more person to pay, plus the initial cost of the clock, would be one more cost that small schools don’t need right now.

“The other aspect is, at the small school there is often a large discrepancy in talent, and it seems to me that the loss of the ability to control tempo, to reduce the shot opportunities, would only benefit those schools with talent. It might be only a few years later the talent is reversed, but to take away the tool from the coach reduces an already limited tool bag that the small school coach has to work with when trying to scheme ways to be competitive. I haven’t seen a true stall in years, so I don’t see the need for a shot clock with its added costs at this time.”

LAKE CITY boys basketball coach and athletic director Jim Winger was playing in high school just before Idaho added the 3-point line in the early 1980s.

As a longtime boys basketball coach since, at his alma mater, Coeur d’Alene, and currently at Lake City, he’s seen how quickly — or not so quickly — change comes in athletics in Idaho.

“I’ve never really been adamant about having it,” Winger said of a shot clock. “I think, if a team wants to hold the ball, you should figure out how to defend it. But, over time, I see the validity of it. I see what it does to the game. I certainly wouldn’t be against it, but I am now much more for it than I was. I just think Idaho is so, ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’

“Look how long and hard it took us to get three-man officials in basketball, and to me, that is a slam dunk — as rough and as crazy as a high school basketball game is today,” he said. “That it took us a DECADE to get three-man mechanics. I think one day we’re going to see it, but at the snail’s pace this state operates on, I just think it’s going to be a while.

“I think it would be good for us, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.