B Historian wrote:Flip wrote:B Historian wrote:Also, I never see this talked about, but I think the shot clock has made the parity issues worse in Class B. Sure, the shot clock is fine when teams like Enderlin and Four Winds play, but for the 90% of the rest of these schools it doesn't make sense. It's just logical that a team with less shooters and athletes is going to play worse basketball with the shot clock. I am shocked at the number of games this season with teams scoring in the 20's. The Utopian vision of 80-78 scores in Class B every night has not materialized.
I think the parity issues have got worse in the shot clock era, but I don't think it is due to the shot clock. Teams that are scoring in the 20s wouldn't be scoring in the 30s if they took away the shot clock IMO. How many teams lack shooters and athletes, but have competent ball-handling and passing to hang on to the ball for 35 seconds? I'd say very few.
The shot clock has forced all teams to play the same style. Teams that would be better off slowing it down or trying to run something more patterned on offense are forced to play at a pace they may not be comfortable with. With the shot clock, teams take the first somewhat open shot they can get. This doesn't lead to good basketball and makes the less talented teams even worse compared to the teams they are playing. I watch a lot of HS basketball in another state that doesn't have the shot clock. The games have a much more natural flow to them and coaching/strategy play a larger role when there is no shot clock.
"I don't like the shot clock because bad teams can't sit on the ball and play keep away for entire quarters anymore."
I respect the coaches that took advantage of not having to shoot quick to win games when the rules allowed it, but that isn't basketball. Teams with fewer shooters and athletes are going to play worse basketball. Uhh, ya think? Taking away a shot clock isn't going to make them better. Getting in the gym in the spring, summer and fall might. What the shot clock does is it makes teams play basketball from start to finish. There used to be a time when you'd see a team up by 5-6 points with 3 minutes to go and the team with the lead would force teams to start fouling or they'd run 40, 50, and 60 seconds off the clock. Call it strategy, I call it playing 10-man pig in the middle, not basketball. You can still control the flow of the game, run a continuity offense for 15-20 seconds and then go on the attack. It's all coaching at that point.
I also don't see many shot clock violations, and if teams are jacking up a shot the first time they get one, taking a shot clock away isn't going to change that. Teach your kids to have an attack first mentality and look for lay-ups or rhythm shots. This idea that the shot clock is preventing that is ridiculous. State and Region tournaments have gotten better considerably since the shot clock was implemented.