Shot clock comes to play. Will the underdogs survive?
- Klas Stolpe
- Nov 21
- 10 min read
How great minds survive the 2025-26 basketball world
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Basketballs may not bounce differently during the upcoming Alaska high school season, but the pace of the game could move faster with first-time usage of a 35-second shot clock.
“I have had some coaches tell me it will add another level of excitement to the game,” Alaska School Activities Association Executive Director Billy Strickland said. “It forces coaches that have maybe been in a certain pattern for a long time to kind of have to rethink what they are doing, but 35 seconds is a long time. I don’t think you are going to see a lot of differences in the game until the very end.”
In their Oct. 6-7, 2025 meeting the ASAA board of directors voted unanimously to implement a 35-second shot clock for games between 4A opponents. The clock can also be used against a lower classification if both schools agree in writing at the time the game is scheduled and that written consent is retained by both schools and provided to the game officials prior to the contest.
The official rules implemented by the Alaska School Activities Association.
The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) approved shot clock use in 2021, giving state associations the option for use in 2022-23. At that time, the Alaska Airlines Classic requested from ASAA permission to use it in their annual holiday basketball tournament.
“Almost six years ago the classic wanted to utilize the shot clock so we passed a policy that said for regular season tournaments a school could use a shot clock,” Strickland said. “So they have done it for probably the past three years. And not surprisingly last year we heard a proposal that asked us to adopt a shot clock at just the 4A level.”
The initial proposal passed last year by a 5-3 vote and was adopted in the December 2024 ASAA board meeting. At the time it was supported by Regions 1, 2, 3 and 4 along with the Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB). Regions 5 and 6 and the Alaska Association of School Administrators (AASA) voted in favor of not allowing it.
“Their rationale was based more on the cost of it as opposed to any other particular reason,” Strickland said of the three not in favor.
At the February 2025 ASAA meeting each conference was asked to provide one 4A boys and girls coach to be part of a committee to make recommendations by early April.
Strickland said, “The cons are the initial purchase of buying shot clocks and the ongoing costs of having another worker that may be paid the same as a scoreboard or bookkeeping operator. Technically they are more in the line of an official so the different schools as they are negotiating with their officials will have to come up with what this person is going to get paid. I think that is the downside. The upside is, when you are down six points with two minutes left and the team is obviously kind of stalling the ball, now you don’t just have to go out and foul…I think that is one of the pros.”
Basically the shot clock will be reset on changes of possession, such as missed and made shots or turnovers. Retained possession, such as a rebound, by the offense will reset the clock to 25 seconds. If the defense fouls, say with five seconds remaining on the shot clock, it is reset to 25. The five-second closely guarded rule is still in effect. Officials will use the shot clock for the 10-second backcourt count as well.
“A lot of times officials get to talking about the one in one million play that can occur,” Strickland said. “And you need to have people understanding how to communicate all that, but basically if you have watched NBA or college on TV, we are pretty much following the same basic plan.”
Even if affordable for some institutions, the shot clock will require additional trained personnel, an increased expense in an already understocked profession.
“From the admin part I don’t think in this budget crisis statewide it should have been mandated,” Ketchikan athletic director Kelly Smith said. “It cost my district $21,500 for purchase and installation. Due to having to contract installation out. It will also cost me a fourth official every game. So it didn't make sense to me budget-wise.”
Smith also coaches the Lady Kings basketball team, a multiple state participant (as are the capital city’s girls teams — state champs in 2005 and 2010).
“Strategy-wise, I like the challenge,” Smith said. “I wish they would take away the closely guarded rule. The shot clock will speed the game up, we don’t need that rule on top of it. I also don’t like the back court rule. If a ball is tipped out of bounds or a timeout is called the 10 second count doesn’t reset. I don’t like that.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé put up their new shot clock addition to the George Houston Gymnasium main basketball backboards last week at a significantly lower cost.
“We worked with our existing company that has our scoreboard, NEVCO, and ordered a shot clock that was compatible with our system,” JDHS activities director Julie Herman said. “Then our maintenance department waited until volleyball was over and we just recently installed it…The control device will have two different handheld devices, like for the horn and for the start and stop of the shot clock. So it will take an additional person, so that will be a factor when we are getting ready for training our staff. There is an automatic restart button…We were testing the lighting today and it is pretty neat. It is pretty slick. It lights up red when the shot clock expires…We are pretty excited about it because it brings the game to a faster pace, an exciting pace that we would like our schools to have...I told our coaches it was up and running so they could come in and play with it to be ready to use it for practices. It is going to change the game and change how they coach a little bit at that fast pace, rewarding type of defense.”
The JDHS Crimson Bears boys and girls will unveil their shot clock in the Capital City Classic on Dec. 27-30. The JDHS girls will see a shot clock a week earlier at Wasilla’s Doc Larson Roundball Classic Dec. 18-20.
“I am a big fan of the shot clock for Alaska high school basketball at the 4A level and have been a vocal proponent for its implementation for years,” JDHS boys coach Robert Casperson said. “I believe the shot clock rewards good defense while maintaining an exciting pace of play. It also brings our game more in line with the majority of states down south. It even helps us become more aligned with FIBA (International Basketball Federation or Fédération Internationale de Basketball) rules.”
Southeast Conference 4A rival Ketchikan will get first live-game usage of the shot clock at the Service Cougar Tip Off on Dec. 18-20 and in their own Clarke Cochrane Christmas Classic Dec. 27-29.
“We had our clocks installed on Friday,” Ketchikan boys coach Eric Stockhausen said. “After using it this week, I feel like a kid on Christmas. I am brainstorming different ways we will use this rule and trying to think of how we want to attack different scenarios. I am very excited for the opportunity to learn and grow as a coach and teacher of the game. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of the players and coaches. I believe we will change some of the ways we attack the game — it’s exciting. I am fired up.”
Stockhausen played at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1988-91 with a 45-second shot clock. He also coached at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota (94-95) and Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Texas (95-2000) with a shot clock.
“I am fired up,” he said. “I coached and played college ball with a clock, and we played in the West tourney twice with them, so I feel good (ish) about it…I like the chess part of coaching.”
Both Casperson’s Crimson Bears (2016 state champs) and Stockhausen’s Ketchikan Kings (2019 state champs) have been able to compete against top opponents via speeding the game up or slowing it down.
The slow-down strategy, sometimes referred to as “stalling,” will be removed now — to some extent — for teams that use it to an advantage or to stay competitive.
Many smaller schools use that tactic to stay in games and have been successful developing the fundamentals required to hold on to possession longer when needed. That skill could be diminished as the shot clock will eliminate controlling the ball for long stretches as a tactic. Some programs have won state titles by being more deliberate with their offense.
“Definitely changes your overall strategy,” Petersburg High School boys coach Rick Brock said. “The shot clock idea is to not have a team hold the ball, so it (shot clock) takes out that weapon you have if you are an underdog.”
The Vikings under Brock have 10 regional titles and won state titles in the 3A (2007) and 2A (2017, 2024) divisions. They also won the coveted Region V crossover championship game against 4A JDHS (2008).
Most basketball plays at the high school level are not impacted by the shot clock.
Usually the biggest impact of a shot clock on possession is because the defense is making it difficult for the offense, which is the point of defensive play.
Now defending teams, in theory, will (or should) press more to shorten the shot clock for opponents while teams on offense will need to have more quality plays at the end of the clock. Teams may wonder if they can still control game tempo by running the clock down in each possession, especially if they press and force a quick shot.
“I think there are some strategy adjustments that you will see the underdog make,” ASAA’s Strickland said. “On the flip side, sometimes if you were the underdog the offense could just be so deliberate because they did not have to get into a hurry. If you can make a team use a little bit of time coming up the floor they won’t necessarily just be able to, you know, go out and do the old Dean Smith four corners and just play keep away. But we weren’t seeing many of those legendary 15-14 kinds of games…The board put the policy in. If the board didn’t like it I think it would be a little hard to say ‘no’ once people spent that kind of money getting them all set up, but the board maintains the right to change their mind.”
Many teams historically like to “run and gun” or “huck and chuck,” terms that refer to putting up a quality shot quickly in transition via a fast break or a secondary cut. Just as the three-point line has quickened the game, the shot clock should also speed it up, but fundamental skills will need to keep pace. The “east-to-west” (sideline to sideline) game may become less important as the “north-to-south” (baseline to baseline) game becomes more of a priority under the shot clock.
“It’s another evolution of the game to match how it is played at higher levels,” Region V officials coordinator Keith Perkins said. “We are embracing change and the challenges. With limited schools in the region that are 4A versus 4A, it means purchasing equipment and training for bench officials in the schools that opt in. Along with that it also means training (in-house or together with those chosen by schools to be the shot clock operator) for court officials — where there are currently no shot clock operators nor court officials with no substantial experience with the shot clock and its rules, so learning will be a steep curve.”
ASAA is open to the shot clock on the 3A level next season. Many small schools, such as in the 1A/2A division, still go to a “two-man” game officiating staff because they cannot find enough officials. That understaffing and the shot-clock cost will not have them in initial consideration by ASAA for usage.
“Most of these smaller schools do not have the booster club of larger schools,” Strickland said. “So many of our 1As don’t even play in full-sized gyms. I don’t get to vote on the board, but I would personally oppose it being utilized at that level. They don’t need the extra costs. Generally speaking 1A plays at a pretty frantic pace already... The way the ASAA staff is approaching this is we are not making any recommendations for people to do it, but ultimately we are an organization of member schools and it wouldn’t surprise me if eventually 3A asks for it as well. Some of those schools already have shot clocks in for other reasons.”
Companies Daktonics and NEVCO are the most popular scoreboard/shot clock brands and are priced under $10K.
“MEHS has had the equipment so they are wanting to use it as a 3A school,” Perkins said. He is also the president of the Sitka Referees Association and noted that bench officials are the responsibility of the host school’s athletic director in each community, while local referees are responsible for their own training.
“Something this integrated as a new aspect of the game — it will be important for local officials and schools to get tied at the hip with their court and bench officials for that important working relationship,” Perkins said. “Both court officials and schools need to be together on this addition to the game as it relates to training for that new aspect. Thus it will make more sense that they find a way for ‘whoever’ the schools find to want to be a shot clock operator and the local court officials to be on the same page. So the thought of training together becomes an important commitment by local schools and local referees.”
Usually referee groups assign their officials to work games and local ADs assign bench officials.
“In this one I am thinking they need to coordinate training of the operator together,” Perkins said. “As the referees need to understand the governing rules, as well as being final decision makers in-game on all things — and the bench officials are a part of their officiating team for the game.”
The Juneau Douglas Officials Association is hiring and will train shot clock operators.
“JDOA needs interested parties that want to either officiate high school basketball as on-court or table officials (scorekeepers, timekeepers and shot clock operators),” JDOA scheduler Ron Taug said.
If interested in becoming game/match officials or table timer/operators contact in Juneau:
In Ketchikan:
In Sitka:
To volunteer for JDHS sports activities contact:
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
