Utah high school basketball will introduce a shot clock into the upcoming season

At the start of this year, the UHSAA board of trustees voted unanimously to introduce a 35-second shot clock into both boys’ and girls’ high school basketball in the 2022-23 season. It will be included in all classifications but only required at the varsity level, with the host schools and regions deciding to use it at the sub-varsity levels. With the recent change in policy from the NFHS, Utah has become the 11th state to adopt the shot clock into high school basketball.
This change will most likely not affect the majority of the game, as the average time of possession across high school basketball is 29 seconds, 6 seconds shorter than what the shot clock will allow. However, the big change will come at the end of close games. Oftentimes a team that is ahead will hold the ball for minutes at a time during the fourth quarter in order to preserve a lead. This would make it hard for teams that were down going into the fourth quarter to make a comeback because they would have to send players to the free-throw line in order to get the ball back. With this new change, the fourth quarter will now be more exciting and faster-paced.
This decision has been met so far by almost entirely positive reactions from coaches, fans, and players. When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming change, Junior Timpanogos forward Bron Roberts told me that, “(This change) will be terrific because the fellas (on the other team) can’t hold the ball for 32 minutes and there won’t be a 5-second call anymore.” This opinion shows the excitement that next year’s players have for this upcoming change. It will be exciting to see this new change implemented into these basketball games. The new strategies that coaches will have to implement into the end of games, mixed with the faster pace and excitement for more fourth-quarter comebacks will make for a spectacular season next year.