The Idaho High School Athletic Association has rejected the latest appeal to implement a shot clock for boys' and girls' basketball competition, despite the vast majority of coaches favoring such a rule change.
At an IHSAA board of directors meeting Wednesday, letters from high school conferences in the state pleading for a shot clock were briefly read, but no board member called for a vote on the matter.
"It's unfortunate. But unfortunately, it's not super surprising to me," Vallivue boys' basketball coach Ryan Lundgren said, as reported by the Idaho Statesman. "I had a feeling a lot of them wouldn’t really seriously consider it even though it's a real need for our game."
According to the Statesman, a survey conducted last season showed 84 percent of Idaho’s coaches, boys' and girls', supported adding a 35-second shot clock to the high school game. That included unanimous support in the 5A classification, as well as 44 of the 46 coaches (96 percent) that responded at the 4A level. Meanwhile, athletic directors voted 72 percent in favor of a shot clock.
"The statistics are overwhelming in favor of the shot clock, both from the coaches and the administrators, from 5A to 1A," Lundgren added. "It's time to step up and take the steps necessary to implement this."
IHSAA board members Beth Holt and Bob Ranells said they wanted to see support from the state’s principals and superintendents, who would pay for the shot clocks and the staff to run them, before moving forward with a drastic rule change. Sales representatives from Nevco and Daktronics, two leading scoreboard manufacturers, told the Statesman in 2015 that adding a pair of shot clocks to existing scoreboards would cost $1,500 to $3,000. Wireless capability would add another $1,000. Paying $20 for someone to run the clock would add up to $400 a year for 10 boys' and 10 girls' home games.
A shot clock also would put Idaho out of compliance with rules set by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
