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High School Basketball Continues Without
Shot Clock
ohsaa.org
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 8, 2012) — Participation and fan interest in high
school basketball remain strong throughout the nation, and the National
Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules
Committee voted to retain one aspect of the sport that makes it unique
from other levels of play.
At its April 16-18 meeting in Indianapolis, the committee considered a
proposal to add a shot clock to the high school rules but agreed that
the sport played by about one million boys and girls in approximately
18,000 high schools is functioning well without it.
Although a shot clock has been employed at the college level for many
years, results of the questionnaire that is sent to coaches, officials
and state association administrators across the country did not
indicate a strong desire to use the clock at the high school level.
“In addition to the fact that there is some concern about the costs
associated with the use of a shot clock, the committee also expressed a
belief that the game is typically played with an up-tempo style even
without a shot clock,” said Kent Summers, director of performing arts
and sports at the NFHS. “In addition, the committee believes that
coaches should have the option of a slower-paced game if they believe
it makes their team more competitive in specific situations. This could
be especially true for smaller schools with limited budgets, which
comprise a significant number of the 18,000 basketball-playing schools.
Since the NFHS writes rules for all sizes of schools and teams, it has
to consider what is best for the masses.”
The committee did approve one rule change and two major editorial
changes, which subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of
Directors.
Rule 2-12 will now require the official scorer to wear a
black-and-white vertically striped garment. Previously, this was a
recommendation for schools.
“The players, coaches and officials need to be able to quickly and
easily identify the official scorer, and making this a requirement
should assist in that regard,” Summers said.
One of the editorial revisions approved by the committee concerns
changes made last year in a team-control foul. The following language
will be added to Rule 4-19-7: “ . . .
including a member of the throw-in team from the start of the throw-in
until player control is obtained inbounds.”
The committee noted that the team-control rule change last season
introduced an unnecessary level of complexity to a number of rules.
This additional language will allow all rules affected by the
team-control definition change last season to revert to previous
verbiage.
The other editorial change is Rule 2-2-4, which expands the timeframe
for state associations to intercede in the event of unusual incidents
from after a game, to before and during a contest.
In addition, the Basketball Rules Committee approved four points of
emphasis for the 2012-13 season: 1) closely guarded situations, 2)
contact above the shoulders, 3) intentional fouls and 4) guidelines to
enforce illegal contact. Points of emphasis are specific rules that
need more attention by players, coaches and officials.
Basketball is the second-most popular sport for girls and third-most
popular for boys at the high school level, according to the 2010-11
High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS, with
438,933 girls and 545,844 boys participating nationwide. The sport
ranks first in school sponsorship of girls and boys teams with 17,767
schools sponsoring the sport for girls and 18,150 sponsoring the sport
for boys.
About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership
organization for high school sports and performing arts activities.
Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based
interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help
students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future
by building awareness and support, improving the participation
experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for
competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and
activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and
girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state
associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than
19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity
programs, including more than 7.6 million in high school sports. As the
recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the
NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers
online publications and services for high school coaches and officials;
sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials,
speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the
national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a
national information resource of interscholastic athletics and
activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at
www.nfhs.org.
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