Undoubtedly, it is a part of the current game, so I cannot be mad at those who utilize it. It has been proven to win games and that’s what the game is all about, I guess. But it isn’t fun. It is not entertaining. And it isn’t brave.
It’s time to implement a shot clock in Pennsylvania basketball.
Too many times this year I have seen teams build up a large lead in the first half and then coast to victory by killing clock. In a recent game last week, a team snuffed out a win by pounding the air out of the ball for the entire second half, taking more than 90 seconds off the clock on several occasions before finding a shot. Is that really ‘winning basketball?’
Now, obviously, to be in that position in the first place shows a lopsided talent between the two teams, but ball stalling is robbing any semblance of a comeback chance from the down team. It is winning by metaphorical strangulation — avoid the other team scoring by just not giving them the ball in the first place. No matter how hard the losing team tries, they will have no shot in cutting down the deficit, let alone pulling ahead. At its worst, using the aforementioned game as an example, it makes the final two quarters completely irrelevant.
Without being too harsh, the concept almost comes across as cowardly. Shouldn’t coaches trust in their teams to finish out games? If you’re good enough to build up a big lead, you should be good enough to close it out rather than be scared to be upset. Stall ball certainly circumvents the whole ‘play for 32 minutes’ concept.
Going further, I wonder if this type of playstyle is teaching young athletes how to play the sport the wrong way. What happened to winning with discipline, winning with honor and winning respectably? Stall ball isn’t teaching kids how to win, it’s teaching how to not lose.
Of course, there is a time and place where killing clock is appropriate and most likely necessary. If it is a down-to-the-wire game, you certainly want to keep the ball out of the opponents hands. However, a 35-second shot clock, as proposed by the National Federation of High School Associations, would take more than enough time away without settling into a stagnant and borderline boring game.
With the shot clock, a completely new factor is added to the game. Possessions are valued more given the fact that there is only so much time to get a look. With that, the issue of time management becomes present, something that can be forged into a skill on and off the court. Needless to say, the game becomes more fluid and fast-paced, a plus for the fans watching as well as for the athletes. Games with wide margins on the scoreboard can no longer be chalked up to a loss in the middle of the third quarter. Instead, there’s always the possibility of pulling out a comeback.
As of now, 27 states have implemented the shot clock with five — Idaho, Minnesota, North Carolina and my home state of Connecticut — adopting it for this season. Fans, athletes and coaches alike should be pushing the Keystone state to become No. 28.
