PIAA moves closer to adding a shot clock to high school basketball for the 2028-29 season
There are procedural hurdles still to clear in September and October, but the number of schools in favor of the change is growing.
Adding a shot clock has been a hot topic for some time in Philadelphia high school basketball, and the PIAA took its first steps in that direction.
On July 16, the board members approved with a 22-9 vote the first reading to adopt a 35-second shot clock for junior varsity and varsity basketball starting in the 2028-29 season. It will need to pass two more readings before becoming official. Those readings are set for Sept. 10 and Oct. 8.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) adopted the usage of a shot clock in the 2022-23 season, but did not make it a mandate.
So why is the PIAA deciding to do it now?
“It’s always been a topic of conversation,” said Lyndsay Barna, a PIAA assistant executive director. “But the big reason we’re finally getting to this point is cost — cost is a big thing for schools and training of officials and school staff.”
Growing number in favor
The basketball steering committee conducted a survey for the first time in 2022 asking officials and schools from each district in the state if they would support a shot clock. They sent the survey out again this year, and while both years leaned in favor of it, the 2025 results had more support from members, said Jennifer Grassel, a PIAA assistant executive director who oversees basketball.
The PIAA has 723 schools that sponsor basketball and 522 responded to the survey. In total, 285 schools said yes to adding a shot clock, while 237 said no. In District 1, 15 schools in 5A and 24 schools in 6A said yes. In District 12, overall, 33 schools said no and 18 said yes.
Also, among the 3,946 officials sent the survey, 758 responded as being in favor of a shot clock and 537 opposed.
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“I just think it’s a part of the game, a part of a progression of basketball,” Grassel said. “If you look at the NFHS, about 31 states are using the shot clock (by the start of the 2026-27 season). I just think it’s a part of basketball as the game progresses. We have great basketball here in Pennsylvania. I just think it’s more tools and we’re ready to move forward to the shot clock.”
But as Barna alluded to, each school will have to pay for the actual clock, which can range from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on if the school wants to secure it on top of the basket or purchase a standalone clock.
Cost is also why the PIAA won’t implement its usage until the 2028-29 season, in hopes of giving the schools enough time to budget and train staff members on how to use it.
Although there are two more readings, Barna said, she feels confident that it will pass due to its strong support during the first reading.
“They think it makes the game better,” Grassel added. “Some will say it’ll increase the speed. … It does help at end-of-game situations, where teams could tend to want to hold the ball; it shifts because now they will have a certain amount of time they’ve got to get that shot up, and they can no longer hold it for two minutes at the end of the game. Those are probably the biggest reasons for changes.”