WIAA Board of Control votes down proposal to add shot clocks to high school basketball

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Civic Media) – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control decided against advancing a proposal to add shot clocks to high school basketball on Wednesday.

The vote was 6-4 against adding shot clocks, according to the WIAA.

A proposal to implement the shot clock in 2026-27, with an option to utilize it in 2025-26 in non-conference by mutual agreement, was voted down by the Board of Control. Had it been approved, it would have advanced to a membership vote at the 2025 Annual Meeting. (Vote: 4-6)

— WIAA (@wiaawi) June 19, 2024

The proposal would have allowed the use of a shot clock in non-conference games with mutual agreement in 2025-26 and full implementation in 2026-27.

The WIAA previously attempted to implement the shot clock in 2017, but it was quickly rescinded after schools, particularly smaller and rural schools, argued against the move due to costs and staffing.

A vote in favor of the proposal would have moved it along to the WIAA Annual Meeting next spring, where schools could directly vote on the measure.

A social media post by the WIAA was quickly filled up with comments questioning the decision by the Board of Control, with current or former high school basketball coaches chipping in on the conversation.

😭😭 https://t.co/JI39zbV0al

— Sean Crider (@SeanCriderBB) June 19, 2024

Thoughts. I have several but will wait for people to jump in….. https://t.co/Gys5IbLRxV

— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) June 19, 2024

Another opportunity gone to make basketball in Wisconsin better. We have a chance to be progressive and continue to decline it. Soon it will be 49 states with a shot clock and one without. @SeanCriderBB https://t.co/AkMU5yBoqw

— Matt Bredesen (@MattBredesen) June 19, 2024

Janesville Parker boys basketball coach Matt Bredeson posted that the WIAA “[has] a chance to be progressive and continue to decline it.”

“Another opportunity gone to make basketball in Wisconsin better,” Bredeson wrote. “Soon it will be 49 states with a shot clock and one without.”

As of January 2024, 27 states had full or partial shot clock implementation, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The NFHS adopted a 35-second shot clock for boys and girls basketball in 2021, which has since been added by Wisconsin border states Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.

In Illinois, the full shot clock implementation will be in 2026-27, the same target as the proposal that the WIAA Board of Control voted down Wednesday.

The only border state without a shot clock is Michigan, which has experimented with it in limited holiday events.

The Board of Control unanimously approved several winter sports measures, including playoff tournament seeding criteria in basketball, conference realignment procedures, a new requirement for spectators ejected from high school sporting events, and a pre-event meeting with sports medical professionals.

Wrestling saw the largest changes, including the addition of a state team girls wrestling event beginning in 2026-27 and team champion awards starting this upcoming school year. The boys tournament also saw some tweaks to the timing and structure of the three-day individual tournament.

For more information, you can visit the WIAA website.