Eliminating shot clock: Solving a problem or creating another?
Published: May 3, 2008
Five years after shot clocks, 35 seconds for boys, 30 for girls, were mandated at all Far East basketball tournaments by DODDS-Pacific's Far East Activities Council, they've been removed starting with next February's Class AA and Class A tournaments.
Therationale for eliminating the shot clock is three-fold: 1) saving the cost of paying a shot-clock operator, 2) DODDS is now an affiliate member with National Federation of State High School Associations, which recommends but does not mandate a shot clock; in fact, only seven state federations use one, and 3) DODDS-Europe does not use a shot clock.
Supporters of banning the clock point suggest that smaller-school teamsthat don't have skilled point guards and ballhandlers will benefit most from the change. Supporters alsosuggests that having a shot clock encourages teams toplay run-and-gun offenses, which only benefit more athletic, deep teams.
Opponents say teams that are outmatched by powerhouses such as Kadena and Seoul American might find it to their advantage to play a North Carolina old-school-style four-corner stall to keep the ball out of opponents' hands, keep the score low and keep their chances of staying in games alive.
Either way, there are pluses and minuses to having and not having shot clocks.
What does SportsBlog Nation think? Should they have kept the clock or is doing away with the clock the way to go?
