LONE TREE — A shot clock for Colorado high school basketball will have to wait.
The amendment to institute a 35-second shot clock failed in Tuesday’s Legislative Committee meeting by a 43-28 vote at the DSCD Legacy Campus, and a second vote to make the shot clock for varsity only also failed, 47-22.
“I think as a state, we’re in a good place of why the shot clock should exist, in terms of how the game’s played, developing players, developing the game, spectators enjoying the game more,” Chaparral athletic director and basketball committee member Rob Johnson said. “I don’t think there’s too much of an argument on that. But obviously the two big things are the logistics and the cost.”
In a roll-call vote, many representatives from smaller schools and rural districts voted no on the proposal to make CHSAA the 28th state association to utilize a shot clock.
According to the amendment brought forward by the Board of Directors, data “consistently showed that 60% of member schools desired this implementation.” But that wasn’t the case on Tuesday as the shot clock failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
The shot clock proposal will be brought back to the floor in CHSAA’s next Legislative Council meeting in April and voted on again, but the basketball committee clearly has some work to do to revise the amendment to convince the no voters of its fiscal feasibility.
Had it been approved on Tuesday, the shot clock would’ve gone into effect for the 2026-27 season, but that lead time wasn’t enough to convince the majority of the Legislative Council’s 71 voters.
Platte Valley athletic director Travis Stinar, representing the Patriot League, was among those who voted no.
“The financial numbers that have been presented (of $2,500 to $5,000 per school to implement the clock), we don’t feel like those are accurate,” Stinar said. “We have several schools in our league that feel it would cost them significantly more. (Plus) there are concerns about the officials and their ability to implement the shot clock here — if it’s actually going to speed up the game, or if there’s going to be more issues with having to adjust the clock during the game and such.
“(Another concern) is finding a quality person to operate the shot clock with consistency. Many schools right now struggle to even fill their (game operations) staffs. You need someone who’s qualified and you can’t just grab somebody out of the stands and put them on the shot clock. It could potentially (be a designated job), or there’s been another thought that maybe you hire another official to operate the shot clock.”
Stinar added that in addition to the cost of the shot clock unit itself, there are potential electrical costs for schools to consider, too, as the NFHS requires end-of-period lights around the backboard in conjunction with the shot clock.
And while making the shot clock only for varsity games would save on cost from needing to install it in auxiliary gyms, Stinar would be against that possibility because he feels like “if we’re going to put it in, let’s put it in across the board.”
“Why would we be teaching our C level and JV kids a different game?” Stinar said. “If that’s going to be the game that they’re playing at the varsity level, I want them learning how to play with the shot clock the whole time.”
The shot clock was initially approved by the NFHS in April 2021, and has been a hot topic in Colorado basketball circles ever since, especially among coaches who resent stall-ball tactics and those who point to its necessity as part of the modern game. Tuesday’s vote showed the idea is gaining traction in Colorado, but still needs more grassroots support in order to pass.
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