The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association boys and girls high school basketball postseasons are underway, as teams from around the state compete for the right to hoist a WIAA gold ball.
As postseason games dwindle into their final minutes around each half, however, fans have come to expect the pace of play to slow as the winning team seeks to limit possessions for the trailing team. Without a shot clock to force the action, a competitive game can devolve into a point guard standing near midcourt with the ball at their hip unless defensive pressure at least forces the offense to play keep-away or make free throws.
Here is what to know about which states use a shot clock, the costs and benefits associated and local efforts to implement its use in Wisconsin.
Which states use a shot clock nationwide?
The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that as of the start of the 2025-26 season, 32 states nationwide have approved the implementation of a shot clock. This notably includes Wisconsin border states Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee first approved use of the shot clock in 2021 for use starting in the 2022-23 season, at which time it reported 10 schools had been using it either experimentally or outside of NFHS rules framework prior to approval. Of the 32 states that have approved its use, the shot clock is optional in Missouri, Kentucky and Florida. The shot clock is for use in the regular season only in Wyoming, Alabama and South Carolina.
What would a shot clock cost schools to implement?
While costs for the physical clocks, receivers and remotes vary, leading providers Daktronics, Fair Play and Nevco quote the cost in the range of $3,000 to $5,000. Certain options can only work with certain brands of scoreboards, so a one-size-fits-all approach for the state is not likely. WIAA basketball coaches advisory committee member and Homestead boys basketball coach Sean Crider shared that their cost estimates for a shot clock operator were $800 to $1,000 a year for 24 varsity home games that a school may host for varsity boys and girls basketball.
Crider said the WBCA has explored fundraising initiatives and grants to potentially offset the upfront and ongoing costs to schools.
“The WBCA has ideas on how to pay for it. They even talked about doing an endowment, they talked to different sponsors to have some type of endowment fund, and have schools that can’t afford it apply to get money to help pay for the cost of installation,” Crider said.
What benefits does a shot clock provide at the high school level?
A WBCA proposal advocating for shot clock implementation highlights several benefits to the game and development of the players who play it as a result. The proposal touts giving control of the game’s pace back to the players, as opposed to following coach directives to stall when ahead or foul to regain possession when behind. It also suggests the shot clock would positively benefit the teaching of decision-making, adaptability and creativity under pressure.
“The shot clock isn’t just about faster basketball – it’s about fairness, growth and preparing athletes for the next level, both on and off the court,” the proposal states.
Crider said the lack of a shot clock puts Wisconsin players behind those from around the world in their development.
“Basketball is played with a shot clock everywhere else in the world, even at the youngest ages in Europe, and I find it troubling that we can’t figure it out here in Wisconsin,” Crider said.
How do coaches and administrators feel about a shot clock?
A WBCA survey conducted in the fall of 2025 by School Perceptions of 919 statewide coaches, athletic directors, superintendents and principals that was shared with the Journal Sentinel indicated that 57% of respondents approved the use of a shot clock. Of the remaining respondents, 30% did not approve and 13% are undecided.
Support for the shot clock is higher in Wisconsin’s upper divisions, as 82% are in favor in Division 1 and 74% in D2. Division 3 (53%) and D4 (51%) still approve, but resistance also climbs to 33% and 37%, respectively. D5 is the lone division that sees more disapproval than approval of a shot clock, with 45% opposed to 39% in favor.
Shot clock support also heavily skews toward coaches, with 73% in favor and 16% opposed. Athletic directors were nearly even at 42% in favor and 41% opposed. Principals were in favor, 48% to 38%. Superintendents had majority disapproval, with 49% opposed and 38% in favor.
Of the coaches and administrators who did not approve of a shot clock or were undecided, 60% indicated they would still not support it even if there was no cost to install the equipment. A 19% clip approved with that caveat, while the remaining 21% were undecided. The survey noted that dropping the cost of installation increases support overall from 57% to 65%.
Of the more than 900 respondents, just 9% indicated their home for varsity basketball already has a shot clock installed. School Perceptions noted that 80% of Wisconsin high schools that have varsity basketball among their extracurricular offerings had a representative respond to the survey.
In a Journal Sentinel preseason survey of area boys and girls basketball coaches, 76 out of 78 respondents said they were in favor of implementing a shot clock. The coverage area primarily consists of D1 and D2 programs, with lighter representation of D3, D4 and D5 programs.
Has the WIAA considered implementation of a shot clock?
In spring 2025, two proposals concerning the shot clock sent to the WIAA advisory council were voted down prior to reaching the WIAA’s board of control. One was for a trial shot clock program starting in the 2025-26 season for agreed upon nonconference games among the competing schools, which the WIAA would use to gather data for its impact on pace of play and possessions. The latter proposal was for advancing a full implementation vote to membership for the 2027-28 season. The rejections represented the latest setbacks in a multi-year initiative by the WBCA to get a shot clock in Wisconsin high school basketball.
A shot clock was seemingly coming to Wisconsin after a WIAA Board of Control vote in June 2017 to implement it for the 2019-20 season, but that vote was later rescinded by a separate Board of Control vote in October 2017. Crider said the sentiment from basketball coaches advisory committee meetings he has gathered is there may be animosity with how that situation played out that lingers to this day.
“There were people upset with how that first go-around went eight years ago. Like they were upset that the WBCA kind of tricked the WIAA, for lack of a better word, they tricked the WIAA into pushing that forward without doing any surveying or asking all the stakeholders,” Crider said. “I also feel like that was eight years ago. You would think people would understand that was a mistake, but you can’t hold that against people forever for how they did it.”
WIAA assistant director LeVar Ridgeway, who oversees boys basketball tournament planning among other responsibilities with the association, issued the following statement in response to a Journal Sentinel inquiry on the potential approval of a shot clock.
“The WIAA staff will continue to collaborate with the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and the WIAA basketball coaches advisory committee regarding any possible rule change recommendations. Should a formal recommendation be brought forward, it would proceed through the established rules committee process and ultimately require approval by the membership.”
Crider said he expects the WIAA basketball coaches advisory committee in late April to send another proposal for at least a pilot program for the shot clock to the WIAA sports advisory committee, which forwarded their proposals last year to the advisory council. Passing the advisory council this year would advance it to the WIAA Board of Control, which could then put a shot clock vote in the hands of member schools for a simple majority vote to implement.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Wisconsin shot clock implementation efforts
Reporting by Zac Bellman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
