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Resolution of shot clock discussions expected at Friday's WIAA Board of Control meeting

11/29/2017, 8:00am CST
By Travis Wilson

After months of at times tense discussions and debate, resolution of implementation of a shot clock in varsity high school basketball in the state of Wisconsin is expected at Friday's Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control meeting in Stevens Point.

The Board voted 6-4 at its June meeting to implement a 35-second shot clock for varsity games only beginning in the 2019-2020 season. It came as a surprise to many, especially the state's athletic directors and school administrators, who felt their voices and concerns were not heard on the issue.

At the Board of Control's August meeting, it voted not to revisit the decision. However, a survey of Athletic Directors showed that nearly 75% opposed the implementation of a shot clock due to concerns about the initial installation costs, ongoing costs of paying someone to run it, finding capable people to operate the shot clock, and whether it was a good decision for the game of basketball.

After initial reports indicated 80% coach support for the shot clock, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association conducted a full survey of head coaches in the state that showed just 53.9% of the 722 respondents supported a shot clock. The figure was 56.3% in support amongst the 389 boys coaches, and 51.1% for the 333 girls basketball coaches.

At the WIAA Board of Control meeting in October, the group voted to revisit the implementation of a shot clock at its December meeting. The Board could vote to leave the proposal in place for implementation in 2019-20, it could repeal the shot clock altogether, it could modify the proposal, or even change the date the shot clock goes into effect.

Stay tuned to WisSports.net all week for news and reaction on the shot clock discussion, and be sure to follow WSN General Manager Travis Wilson on Twitter @travisWSN, as he will be in attendance at Friday's meeting and providing live updates.

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