Kentucky High School basketball is catching up with the times.
At Wednesday’s KHSAA Board of Control meeting, the board passed a vote to implement a shot clock starting in the 2027-28 boys and girls varsity basketball season by a 13-5 vote.
By the start of the 2026-27 season, 31 states will have implemented a shot clock in high school basketball.
The shot clock in Kentucky will be 35 seconds. The board voted against implementing the shot clock for the 2026-27 season.
“We felt it was important to leave that timeframe,” KHSAA Board of Control member and St. Henry Athletic Director Jim Demler said. “Otherwise it would be a rush. Some coaches next school year will want to do some experimentation with it. Schools will need to budget to install it. It’s a big change that will change the game a little bit and change the way the coaches go about their game planning.”
In a survey released in August, nearly 60% of KHSAA member schools voted in favor to not adopt a shot clock. The survey is typically conducted every two years for KHSAA member schools.
“It’s better than what people will think,” Simon Kenton boys basketball coach Trent Steiner said. “We were set to play in a showcase last year and we had a manager keep a shot clock for us in practice on each possession. You can get a good shot in 35 seconds.”
Now the question begs…how does the installation and operation of them work? For schools that struggle to even find a scoreboard operator and statkeeper, will they now have to find someone dedicated just to a shot clock? Or will the KHSAA add an additional official to each varsity game to operate the shot clock?
“With now 32 out of 50 doing it, we felt like it was coming,” Demler said. “I don’t want to speculate, but another official at games is possible. It also depends on the equipment, each scoreboard operates differently, will shot clocks work that way too? It will be interesting to see how that goes.”
Demler stated each school will most likely be financially responsible for installation of the shot clock in their gym. Talks at the Board of Control meeting estimated the cost of one and installing it is around five to six thousand dollars.
“We plan on it coming out of our budget and have to find a way to finance that,” Demler said.
The good news is there’s two years to figure that all out.
“It will eliminate a lot of huge upsets unless someone has a bad shooting night,” Steiner said. “The game is supposed to be beautiful and flowing from the words of Bill Walton. It presents a challenge for coaches to get the right shots faster and get the right people the ball at the right time. It certainly creates some challenges fiscally, not necessarily the game itself.”
Other matters discussed at the board meeting:
— The board approved setting up guidelines for every region to propose a super regional format for all tourney sports, if those regions have two-thirds approval among those sports. Allowance of a new tourney format would be a three-year trial. Final rules still to be determined.
— Alan Stein of the Lexington Legends pitched the idea of Legends Field resuming its role as primary home of the state baseball tournament. The current tournament is at University of Kentucky’s Kentucky Proud Park.
— KHSAA Board of Control hearing proposal to go from four to two districts per region.
— Transfer proposals will be voted on Thursday. One proposal states that if a student-athlete plays in less than 20% of games with prior school, they do not have to sit out a year. Another proposal allows a student-athlete freshman year to transfer without having to sit out their sophomore year. Those proposals will be voted on Thursday.