Shot clock allowed by state adoption for high school basketball in 2022-23
May 14—INDIANAPOLIS — Beginning with the 2022-23 season, a 35-second shot clock will be permitted in high school basketball games by state association adoption, the National Federation of State High School Associations basketball rules committee announced on Wednesday.
A proposal for a national rule mandating a shot clock was not approved.
A shot clock was among the topics discussed at the committee's annual meeting from April 20-22, held virtually this year. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Rule 2-14 states that each state association may adopt a shot clock beginning in the 2022-23 season — according to guidelines outlined in the Basketball Rules Book — to encourage standardization among states. Guidelines include displaying two timepieces that are connected to a horn that is distinctive from the game-clock horn, and using an alternative timing device, such as a stopwatch at the scorer's table, for a shot clock malfunction.
Also on Thursday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association released a statement regarding the shot clock implementation:
"The OHSAA is aware of the recent NFHS basketball national rule change that permits a shot clock by state association adoption and will continue discussions on this option with the Board of Directors and the leadership of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association. Factors such as cost, game operations and officiating all have to be considered, but we look forward to getting feedback from the Board and coaches."
The guidelines also allow for corrections to the shot clock only during the shot-clock period in which an error occurred and the officials have definite information relative to the mistake or malfunction.
"We provided the committee with a lot of information regarding the shot clock, including responses to a 46-question survey sent to states currently using a shot clock," said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee.
Also among the notable rule changes discussed was officiating signals being modified to use the same hand signal for a player control foul and a team control foul. Officials should use "Signal 36," which is a hand placed at the back of the head, for both types of fouls. Previously, a team control foul was communicated with a punch of the hand.
"It is redundant to have different signals to communicate that a foul will be charged to a member of the team in control of the ball," Wynns said. "Officials don't understand the need to differentiate between a player control foul and a team control foul, and many game participants, table personnel and fans don't know the difference."
A complete listing of the basketball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at nfhs.org.
According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, a total of 540,769 boys participated in basketball in 18,617 schools, and 399,067 girls participated in the sport in 18,210 schools across the country. It is the third-most popular sport for boys and girls.