DUANE SHERRILL – Contributor
The TSSAA Board of Control met on Monday, August 14 at the TSSAA office building in Hermitage and shot down the shot clock idea for high school basketball.
The results of the survey taken by schools that utilized the shot clock at summer camp in basketball were provided to the Board during the meeting. The Board voted to not implement a shot clock in basketball and that it would not entertain further discussion on the subject for at least the next three years.
After a lengthy discussion regarding the feasibility of the implementation of a shot clock earlier this year, the Board voted to permit the Tennessee Basketball Coaches’ Association to use a shot clock on an experimental level during their 2023 summer camps. While the move was preliminary, the ultimate goal was to begin using shot clocks in all TSSAA games at some point. A shot clock dictates how much time a team can keep control of the ball. In the professional leagues the clock is 24 seconds; however, for most high schools which use shot clocks around the country, the accepted length is 35 seconds for boys and 30 seconds for girls.
In other board news:
The Board accepted Pleasant View School, Monroe County Virtual School, and Perry County Virtual School as members for the 2023-24 school year.
Athletic directors of Middle Region Division II-AA schools submitted a proposal to the Board due to the late addition of the Webb School of Bell Buckle girls’ basketball to the region, requesting to add one additional game above the 24 games that they are allowed to play in regular season girls’ basketball. The Board voted to approve an additional game for teams in the Middle Region for one year.
A second proposal submitted by Division II-AA athletic directors was to expand from an 11-team postseason for girls’ basketball to a 12-team bracket. Currently 60% of the teams in East and West qualify (3 out of 5), and only 4 out of 8 from Middle. With the addition of a Middle Region team, the request was made to bring 6 out of 9 in Middle to give each region 60% qualifying. The Board approved the adoption of a 12-team bracket and to allow the state office staff to publish an updated bracket based on feedback from the schools.
In other business, the Board reviewed and approved the financial reports for the sports of baseball, softball, soccer, track & field, and tennis and reviewed the audited financial statements from 2022-23. The proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year was approved as well.
