PIAA board recommends adding shot clock to high school basketball – Scranton Times-Tribune

High school basketball coaches could have to speed things up in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Directors voted 22-9 on Wednesday to implement a 35-second shot clock for the 2028-29 season, overriding an earlier recommendation by the basketball steering committee to hold off on making the change.

The move to a shot clock passed a first reading only and still have to pass two more votes to be adopted.

There are 31 states and Washington, D.C., that will use shot clock for the 2026-27 season, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“I thought the board did a great job evaluating not only the survey we put out but also looking at the steering committee recommendation and each member’s vote and gathering some as to what they voted in favor of or against,” PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi said. “Once the board vetted the answers and had a discussion, this was the direction they wanted to go. The board felt if it gave this some time so people could plan, it could be beneficial.

“They sent a message that the process works. The steering committee has value to offer a recommendation, and the board has its input on what it thinks is the best direction to go, and they work together.”

Earlier this year, the PIAA distributed a survey to member schools and PIAA basketball officials for their input. The implementation of adding a shot clock was supported. However, the steering committee voted, 6-5, with an abstention and an absent member to not recommend adding the shot clock at this time.

Some concerns are the cost and the training of clock operators and game officials. Should the proposal pass three readings, it would be mandatory for all participating schools to use it in varsity and junior varsity games.

The PIAA would follow the NFHS Rule 2-14 that a state association using a 35-second clock must have it visible at each end of the court, recessed and mounted on the backboard supports behind each backboard, and must have an alternate timing device or procedure available when a visible shot clock malfunctions. Other guidelines include that LED lights located around the shot clock can be used but shall only be activated for a violation, and nothing should be attached to the mounting mechanisms that affects the visibility of the clock.

All of the operational procedures are outlined in the NFHS handbook.

“There is a whole section where schools and officials can read the guidelines,” Lombardi said. “I am really happy that the recommendation is not for the upcoming two-year cycle but rather the next, starting in 2028-29, to give schools time to enter it into their budgets and give people time to train and get ready, and for players and coaches to adjust as well.”

After the steering committee’s decision earlier not to recommend the shot clock, local basketball coaches thought the issue was off the table.

The announcement that the board recommended the implementation was well received.

“I was very happy to hear that,” said Scranton coach Tony Battaglia, whose teams have played nonleague games in New York, where the shot clock is mandatory. “The games with a shot clock have such a better flow. We had a 6-8 point lead in one of the games, and we had to continue to play basketball and look for good shots rather than hold the ball. It will keep teams playing.”

Holy Cross boys basketball coach Al Callejas Jr., whose team reached the PIAA Class 2A semifinals last season, played Abraham Lincoln in Brooklyn, New York, in November, a game in which the Crusaders won, 84-81.

“I love the shot clock,” Callejas Jr. said. “Just going by my experience, when we played with a 35-second clock, it was great. It increases the pace of play, and players have to make quicker decisions. It will help with player development. You are making faster decisions, benefiting kids going on to play at the next level. I think it is all positive.

“It changes the way you can play. It creates one style. You know that teams have to shoot within that time frame. It will also help teams that are trailing, because they know that they are going to get possessions within the time of the shot clock.”