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The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association has provided results of a recent survey the organization conducted regarding support for a shot clock in high school basketball in Wisconsin, sending the information to all boys basketball coaches, girls basketball coaches, Athletic Directors, and District Administrators.

The survey, conducted in mid-December, asked schools to respond whether they supported a 35-second shot clock be adopted, or if they opposed it.

The WBCA sent the information to the head boys basketball coach, head girls basketball coach, Athletic Director, and District Administrator at every school. The Association encouraged all four key stakeholders to discuss the issue and coaches to provide input with their administration.

While all four received the survey, each school was asked to provide just one response, which represented the opinion of the District Administrator. It is the school administrators who ultimately make decisions on such matters via the WIAA's Advisory Council and Board of Control, as well as at the WIAA Annual Meeting.

The results of the survey have been shared with all coaches, Athletic Directors, and District Administrators.

A total of 339 schools responded to the survey, certainly enough to provide a viable perspective on how the schools feel on the issue.

Results of the survey show that just 45.7% of respondents (155) supported the implementation of a shot clock in Wisconsin high school basketball, while 54.3% (184) do not support the use of a shot clock.

The results were further broken down by division, with larger schools showing significantly more support for the shot clock, while smaller schools largely opposed it.

WBCA Shot Clock Survey Results by Division:

D1
58 Schools
Yes: 49 (84.5%)
No: 9 (15.5%)

D2
56 Schools
Yes: 35 (62.5%)
No: 21 (37.5%)

D3
73 Schools
Yes: 30 (41.1%)
No: 43 (58.9%)

D4
72 Schools
Yes: 24 (33.3%)
No: 48 (66.7%)

D5
80 Schools
Yes: 17 (21.2%)
No: 63 (78.8%)

Some states that have implemented the shot clock have seen more support and ultimately success in getting it passed with a two-year ramp-up to implementation to allow schools time to budget, retrofit scoreboards, and train staff.

IF the shot clock was to be implemented, 180 schools surveyed favored the two-year ramp up (53.1%), while 159 schools surveyed DID NOT favor the two-year ramp up (46.9%).

The use of a shot clock has been approved by the NFHS by state adoption, and more states are adding it each year, including those around Wisconsin in Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. For more information on the NFHS rules and guidelines around use of a shot clock, please click here.

The WBCA indicated they continue to support the addition of a shot clock in Wisconsin, and will continue to work with the WIAA on concerns expressed by schools and administrators. At this year's WIAA Basketball Coaches Advisory Committee meeting, the group proposed the allowance of a shot clock for any non-conference games, though that plan was rejected by the Advisory Council before it even got to the Board of Control. The WBCA indicates they will encourage the Coaches Advisory Committee to review and consider advancing a plan to allow experimental use of a shot clock in multi-team tournaments/events.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.