Nearly 60 percent of high schools in the state of Kentucky are against adopting a shot clock in boys’ and girls’ basketball, but it’s a conversation that isn’t going away any time soon.
Last week, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control met for the first time in the 2025-26 school year. Among the topics of discussion were transfer eligibility, adding new sports, in-game rule changes, and incorporating a shot clock in high school hoops.
While 150 of the 252 participating schools rejected the proposal (unless the National Federation of State High School Associations makes it mandatory across the country) of adopting a shot clock, board president-elect Damon Kelley, who is the athletic director at Paul Laurence Dunbar, has tabled the vote until Sept. 18, according to Jared Peck of the Herald Leader, when the board meets together again. Kelley is in favor of the shot clock and would like to have a larger discussion on the topic.
The majority of states already use the shot clock at some level of high school basketball. Oklahoma was the most recent state to do so, voting back in April in favor of adopting a 35-second shot clock beginning in the 2026-27 season, per the Associated Press. The National Federation of State High School Associations reports that over 30 states (including Washington, D.C.) will use a shot clock in some fashion by the ’26-27 season.
More and more states are making the move to adopt the high school shot clock. Those in favor of the change will argue it helps speed up the game, encourages creative offense, and prevents teams from soaking up long possessions by playing stall ball. Those against it will argue that the cost of purchasing the necessary equipment (and having someone to properly operate it) creates tough obstacles for some schools to overcome.
But with a growing number of states buying into the idea, the argument against it happening in Kentucky becomes tougher to make.
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