The 2023-2024 high school basketball season has challenged athletes to adjust their gameplay according to the updated Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference rules. CIAC changed its guidelines to match those of a college level.
A 35-second shot clock has been used for CIAC boys and girls varsity basketball beginning with the 2023-24 season. In addition, athletes are only allowed 5 fouls for each quarter before the team enters double bonus shooting. This change forced the athletes to play a higher level of ball and adapt to the college guidelines at the age of development.
The choice to introduce the 35-second shot clock will prepare high school athletes for college basketball if they wish to continue their careers past high school. The shot clock forces players to create an opportunity to shoot the ball at a rapid pace, creating quicker ball movement and a lively game.
As both teams reach the middle of their seasons, they are less intimidated by the shot clock due to the increasing experience they receive each day. Since the shot clock has only been added to the varsity level, junior varsity, and freshman teams can only prepare for gameplay with the shot clock by observing the varsity team.
“I thought it was an easy adjustment since the new shot clock didn’t really have much change to how we played as a team and the new fouling rules gave us an advantage during some games when the other team was in foul trouble,” explained sophomore, girls basketball varsity player, Erin Martin.
If the shot clock runs out before the offensive team can shoot, the ball is awarded to the defensive team. An inbounds will occur on the sideline, nearest to the spot where the play was suspended. Both boys and girls varsity teams have adjusted well to the new rule, the shot clock is not a glaring issue.
However, the updated foul rules have been a more difficult adjustment.
“We tend to foul early in the game allowing the other team to shoot in double bonus frequently,” varsity coach, Keith Raczkowski, told The Prowl.
Both teams have been forced to adapt to the new fouling protocol, this adjustment will be less difficult at the high school level. The Athlete Development Model explains the age optimal for developing sport-specific skills. The primary age of development is “Typically Between Ages 15-18 for Girls and 16-19 for Boys,” confirms Strength Coach, Kristen Gostomski. High school athletes will benefit from having this adjustment in a developmental stage as it will be easier for them to adapt.
However, this rule change provides challenges for student-athletes and coaches, since they are forced to enhance their team’s shooting ability. “Early in the season we reserved the last 10 seconds of the shot clock being strictly for offense, to try to get a good shot off before the end of the clock,” commented Coach Raczkowski.
As the South Windsor High School varsity basketball teams continue their seasons, being mindful of the shot clock has become like second nature. However, coaches will continue working tirelessly to improve the athletes shooting technique, to prevail at the free throw line.
Coach Raczkowski stressed the importance of foul shooting, “If you are a good foul shooting team the new rule is very helpful, if you are a bad foul shooting team this will likely hinder your ability,” said Raczkowski.
As the 2023-2024 season progresses, Varsity basketball takes the CIAC rule changes in stride with the help of their dedicated coaches.
