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Pacific SportsBlogOkinawa-based sports reporter Dave Ornauer on military-related sports in the Far East. |
Eliminating shot clock: Solving a problem or creating another?
Posted May 3rd, 2008 by Dave OrnauerFive years after shot clocks, 35 seconds for boys, 30 for girls, were mandated at all Far East basketball tournaments by DODDS-Pacific's Far East Activities Council, they've been removed starting with next February's Class AA and Class A tournaments.
The rationale for eliminating the shot clock is three-fold: 1) saving the cost of paying a shot-clock operator, 2) DODDS is now an affiliate member with National Federation of State High School Associations, which recommends but does not mandate a shot clock; in fact, only seven state federations use one, and 3) DODDS-Europe does not use a shot clock.
Supporters of banning the clock point suggest that smaller-school teams that don't have skilled point guards and ballhandlers will benefit most from the change. Supporters also suggests that having a shot clock encourages teams to play run-and-gun offenses, which only benefit more athletic, deep teams.
Opponents say teams that are outmatched by powerhouses such as Kadena and Seoul American might find it to their advantage to play a North Carolina old-school-style four-corner stall to keep the ball out of opponents' hands, keep the score low and keep their chances of staying in games alive.
Either way, there are pluses and minuses to having and not having shot clocks.
What does SportsBlog Nation think? Should they have kept the clock or is doing away with the clock the way to go?
my only conflict is with the
my only conflict is with the reasoning DODDS-Europe used to have great athletics (technicalities) but now they are quite pathetic to say the least so i wouldnt use them as a reason for you to just say you want to save money
KAIAC Requiring Shot Clock Use
KAIAC (Korea's governing athletic/activites body) is finally forcing all schools to comply with their shot clock requirements for the 2008-2009 season. Shot clock during the regular season, none at Far East; I am interested to see what the implications of that will be.
FEAC Changes
There have been a lot of changes made in the past year to FEAC policies, and it's good to know that at-least one of them they got right! Kudo's for the new punishments for violating the code of conduct. It's just a shame that FEAC and Hobbs can't use the same common sense for the rest of the policies.
Changing the wrestling format was assanine, and most coaches are not happy with it. Unfortunately it's going to stay the same for next year as well. The true double elimination is mostly used in rec-sports because winning isn't that big a deal for 35year old Al Bundy's out playing slow pitch softball. Varsity HS wrestling is a different story (at least it used to be). But hey, let's give all the kids a second chance and everyone should get a cupcake and juice box after each match. We're dumbing down athletics and that won't help a kid when he goes back to the States! If you lose, you don't deserve to be a champion. Period
The shot clock rule is a guideline that the NFHS recommends...that means they think it's a good thing! I can understand budget problems, but there's no way you can tell me a school can't find volunteers to run the shot clock. Let's think outside the box for a moment.
All the DODDS Japan counselors just met at their training lab to work on scheduling for next year. That made no sense, as they could have all done it from their own schools. This was a huge waste of money during this budget crunch. Transportation and per diem money could have gone to the shot clock operators, or to sports or any other programs at the schools. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for this. At the same time, coaches can't take their teams on long hauls on Thursday afternoons anymore because DODDS doesn't want to spend money on one more day's per diem (even though it would get the kids in earlier and they could get a good night's rest). Let's save that money for wasteful conferences like scheduling or the upcoming principal's conference.
Budget is a great excuse for "selective cutting"!
Let's start seeing some reporting on these issues. The only way DODDS makes changes is if they are shamed in the paper.