Starting with this 2023-24 basketball season varsity Connecticut high school boys and girls basketball teams have had to adjust to numerous rule changes. The most impactful being the addition of the 35 second shot clock, as well as the loss of 1 and 1 foul shooting.
In September of 2022, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) voted that the shot clock be adopted into high school basketball. After over two years of vetting and voting, the shot clock is now mandatory in all varsity games.
The implementation of the 35 second shot clock, which started out as quite the controversy, has turned into a strategic weapon, wielded by many coaches.
“The 35 second shot clock makes the game have a better flow. Prior to this year, a team could hold the ball for extended periods of time and really slow a game down,” NHS Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Matt Murphy said.
Unlike college basketball, the high school basketball shot clock runs for 35 seconds rather than 30. It has been argued whether or not this addition would have any impact on the already fast paced game of high school basketball.
“I think that the shot clock has changed how some aspects of the game are played, but overall, I do not feel that it has made a major impact except for teams that try and stall,” NHS Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach Jeremy O’Connell said.
While the shot clock brings a fast-paced, intense game, it also brings some technical difficulties. In fact, in late January a girls basketball game between Danbury and Bridgeport Central was ruled to not count due to a clock malfunction.
“Everybody needs to be patient this year. This is new to all of us. We will do the best we can like we always do. People will make mistakes,” International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) state basketball rules interpreter Charley Harbach said.
This rule change has proven difficult for athletes, coaches, officials and clock operators to get used to. However, once realizing all of its advantages, it has proven to lead to success.
“The 35 second shot clock was definitely an adjustment at first, but we've been able to use it to our advantage on offense and defense to be successful so far this season,” NHS Girls Basketball senior Bridget McCleary said.
Along with the addition of a shot clock, the CIAC has taken away the 1 and 1 bonus situation, the shooting penalty for foul accumulation per half.
“I truly feel that the 2 foul shots after 5 fouls each quarter has had more of an impact,” O’Connell said.
With this rule change comes more drastic modifications to how the game is strategized and played.
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