COLUMN | Put them on the clock and speed it up

Texas and Arkansas high school should start using a shot clock for basketball.

California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington use a 30 or 35-second shot clock for high school games.

A 40-second shot clock would be a good start until the athletes in Texas and Arkansas get used to the concept. Colleges use a 30-second clock, while the NBA gives players 24 seconds to shoot. Standout athletes who will play at the next level would benefit from having experience in playing more urgently. They may as well get used to it as soon as possible.

The price of installing and running a shot clock is minimal. A lot of schools in Texas and Arkansas already have a way of keeping a shot clock.

I like the idea of rewarding a defense if it is able to keep the offense from getting a shot off in an allotted time. Why give the offense several chances to run the same play over or to run different plays over and over? Is this good basketball? No.

I have covered many games and can tell you that the time near the end of the game when a team is up by 10 points is not very interesting. The other team is forced to foul in order to stop the clock.

With no fouling, the team that is winning, with the possession, can easily run the rest of the time out. I think there should be more dramatic competition in the last few minutes instead of a game of fouling and charity shots.

A shot clock could lead to better attendance. With the athletes timed, the pace of basketball would increase. This new pace would be more interesting to watch in place of teams stalling out in wait of finding that perfect shot.

New Strategies and new game situations would open up to coaches and players with the advent of the clock. Having more knowledge is never a bad thing. Players and coaches would expand their basketball IQs playing under the gun.

Sports must go forward and progress. Progression is a positive thing, and people should not be afraid of change.

I have covered many games that have a first quarter score of 8-6 or even 7-4.

How about more offense? Most sports fans would agree that offense is usually the most exciting part of any sporting event.

Developing players more offensively is a good practice. I can't recall any players that are scouted out of high school just for their defense.

This is because offense is the money category. If a player can pour in the points, he is considered a standout.

The defense might be average, but consistent, big offensive production will overshadow it.

Some people will say that using a shot clock will make the game sloppy.

I say that teams should run the play right the first time.

Coaches and players will adjust to the shot clock, which will lead to more fierce, enjoyable competition.

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