North Carolina Basketball Coaches Push for 30-Second Shot Clock After Tournament Trial

Phenom Hoops tested a 30-second shot clock during seven games at the Carmel Tip-Off Classic in Matthews this past weekend. Over 30 states use shot clocks for high school basketball. North Carolina isn't one of them.

Rick Lewis runs Phenom Hoops and has operated the recruiting service for 16 years. He plans to use the clock at his next two events. The Phenom National Tip-Off at Davidson Day happens Nov. 14-15. The George Lynch Invitational follows on Nov. 21-22.

Brandon Clifford coaches at Caldwell Academy. He posted on his X account Saturday morning after his team played Friday. He hadn't made a post in almost a month.

"Our game (Friday) showed why the shot clock should be in NC high school basketball IMMEDIATELY," Clifford wrote. "Great pace and flow."

Joe Badgett coaches at Queen's Grant, where his squad played Forsyth Country Day on Saturday. He listed several benefits from using the clock.

"It brings more structure to the game, and it helps prepare kids for college," said Badgett per the Charlotte Observer. "Kids going to college need to know how to play with a clock just like they do in Europe, all the way down to 5- and 6-year-olds."

Some out-of-state teams have turned down invitations to play in North Carolina events because of the lack of a shot clock, Badgett said. He said some of the state's top talent is leaving for the same reason.

"We're getting way behind, and it's why our best kids are leaving," Badgett said. "It's easy to recruit them away, because it's a totally different ballgame."

The NC High School Athletic Association and the N.C. Independent Schools have discussed the potential to add shot clocks. The N.C. Basketball Coaches Association has submitted a proposal to the NCHSAA to adopt a shot clock at least three times in the past three years.

Opponents of the proposal point to cost as a major factor. Lewis said Phenom Hoops bought four clocks, plus tripods to place them on, from Amazon for $1,500 and paid someone $15 per game to operate them.

"Everybody talks about the cost," Lewis said. "But it was really easy. You don't have to have an official to do it. And all these games we had, and we only had one shot clock violation."

Badgett thinks the cost argument shouldn't prevent schools from adopting the clock. Schools complain about paying a fourth official to run the clock, but no official gets paid to keep the score clock.

"North Carolina is behind because our state association won't make decisions, so what happens is you've got schools complaining about the shot clock because they don't want to spend money, and one complaint is you've got to pay a fourth official to run it," Badgett said. "What official keeps the score clock? You're not paying an official to do that. So people come up with excuses instead of the state saying, 'We're going to do it,' and if we need to supplement (schools to offset costs), we'll get it done."