The PIAA recently took a major step towards implementing a shot clock to high school basketball following last month’s board meeting.

The PIAA board voted 22-9 to adopt a 35-second shot clock for the 2028-29 season. The motion was approved on a first-reading basis, but still needs to be approved two more times to make it official.

With the groundwork laid, it seems like the eventual path will lead to a shot clock coming to PIAA basketball, which is something Freedom head coach Joe Stellato would welcome with open arms.

“Absolutely, I’m all for the shot clock,” he said. “It’s great for players who are moving on to the next level. It teaches them how to play the college game under time pressure, which is such a crucial skill. It really changes the dynamic in so many ways with defensive strategies, offensive execution and especially those end-of-game situations. I love it. Definitely a long time coming.”

The NFHS, which writes the rule book for the PIAA, allowed the states the option to implement a shot clock back during the 2022-23 season. A recent PIAA survey found that 55-percent of basketball schools in the state favored a shot clock, which helped spur last month’s vote.

Bethlehem Catholic head coach Scott McClary also hopes the shot clock finds a home in the Golden Hawks gym.

“I think it is long overdue as almost 90-percent of basketball played around the world uses a shot clock so I like being in line with that,” McClary said. “I also like adding more possessions to the game for the players. I hear a lot of people say that adding the clock takes away the “strategy options” that a coach has. Well, I think it adds to it. Now there are way more moments on both offense and defense that you have to have your team prepared for. There are more opportunities as a coach to separate yourself from your opponent, so I like that.”

The one downside to adding a shot clock to junior varsity and varsity games will be the added expense of the devices themselves and a shot clock operator.

The PIAA hopes by having a three-year buffer, it gives districts and schools enough time to budget for implementation.

“The only negative is the cost and who is going to run the clock,” Stellato said. “We already don’t have enough officials. So, hopefully the operator does not have to be an official.”

The next PIAA board meeting is scheduled for September.