High school basketball: Utah to become 11th state to adopt shot clock

Utah is the latest state to approve a 35-second shot clock, in this case for the 2022-23 school year. On Thursday, the UHSAA Board of Trustees announced it voted unanimously to use the clock in both boys and girls basketball in all classifications, making it the 11th to do so.

It will technically be the 10th state to implement the rule, as Minnesota, which approved the change in December, won't begin the shot clock until 2023-24.

Those two join California, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington.

The door was swung wide open for other states to join in May when the rules committee of the National Federation of High Schools recommended the shot clock use. The topic has been a long-standing topic of conversation.

Surprise is the general response of most sports fans when noted that so few states implement a shot clock. It was adopted in the NBA in 1954 and in college in the mid-80s, though shortened from 45 to 35 seconds in 1993.

The Desert News reached 25 Utah coaches on the change, with 21 in favor of the move, three neutral and one not in favor.

Uintah (Vernal) girls coach John Elison, in part, said: "I really don't think it is worth the money and manpower to implement. The average girls team possession is well below 35 seconds so I don't see it changing much for what we are putting into it. ... The one positive twist is that it rewards great defensive teams."

The vast majority of coaches said the shot clock is a major plus and long overdue.

"We think it is something that players, fans and most coaches wanted to see for several years," Layton boys coach Kelby Miller told the Desert News.

Said Wasatch (Heber City) boys coach James Ballstaedt: "I believe it helps kids become better decision-makers in the game, not to mention a more exciting game for the spectators and players. ... This is a great thing for our sport."