Basketball season is over, which in recent times has meant debates about a shot clock being added to the high school game in Pennsylvania follow.

Karns City athletic director Josh Williams said the topic was discussed at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Conference two weeks ago. While Williams himself said he has no opinion on the topic yet, the administrators weighed the pros and cons.

Disadvantages of installing a shot clock include the requirement of an extra volunteer to run it and possible in-game malfunctions, not to mention the thousands of dollars it would cost each school to set them up.

Most coaches will tell you, there would hypothetically be more possessions and, in turn, more buckets. It would make defenses better. The tempo of the game would improve.

Mars boys coach Rob Carmody vouches for this. After the high school season would come to a close, he coached his sons, Robby and Michael, on a Select team in Italy for three years. That team played with a 24-second timer.

“From a fan’s perspective, it makes the game a little more enjoyable (with) a little more flow to it,” Carmody said. “From a coaching and player perspective, there’s a lot of different strategic things that go into it that I really think would be great additions to Pennsylvania high school basketball.”

The concept isn’t entirely foreign.

Carmody calls to mind a clash with The Park School in a 2016 tournament Mars played in Elmira, New York. As of last August, New York was one of 10 states to either employ a shot clock in high school hoops or plan on using one by the 2022-23 campaign.

“They started two six-foot-nine kids, two guards that were high-division college basketball prospects and the shot clock gave us a chance to do some things to them,” he said. “They couldn’t wait to pick the shot they wanted.”

The Planets fell behind by 19 points in the third period and came back to take the lead in the fourth before eventually losing, mainly because they didn’t have to rush to foul and the opponents ended up taking ill-advised shots as the shot clock expired.

“Had there not been a shot clock, they’d have kicked our rear ends,” Carmody said.

Butler boys coach Matt Clement brought his group to a 2010 Christmas tournament in San Diego. California also uses a shot clock.

“The funny part is, you do all this talking about it and the games that I’ve played with them, they usually don’t come up,” Clement said. “You really don’t even recognize it’s (there).”

Mark Maier, the Golden Tornado’s coach on the girls side, is in favor, arguing that there would technically be more instances of one of the sport’s most exciting plays.

“I always liken it to this,” Maier said. “Everybody loves a buzzer-beater. End of the quarter, end of the half, end of the game ... If you play good ‘D’ and you force a team to take some time, there’s almost a buzzer-beater every possession.”

Karns City boys coach Zach Kepple, on the other hand, feels the game is fine the way it is.

“Part of the game, especially at the high school level is being able to control the basketball,” Kepple said. “Some teams, their whole thing is to be patient on offense and look for really good opportunities. For those teams, obviously (a shot clock) would change their whole program and what they look to do.”

While Kepple considers offensive strategy, Maier provides an opposing opinion from the defense’s standpoint.

“You don’t have to play defense for two minutes at a time,” Maier said. “You have 35 seconds to really lock them in. I don’t see a downside for the purity of the game … You’re making everybody shoot and compete the entire game.”

Knoch boys coach Alan Bauman, another supporter, sees it as a way to give the defense a say throughout a game.

“I think it levels out the game and it allows you to be more creative defensively, using different scenarios and timing,” said Bauman, who served on Geneva College’s coaching staff for three seasons before taking the Knights’ lead job. “For us, when I was (there), we would play man for the first 20 seconds and we’d go into a zone for the final 10.”

A shot clock could also alter the way offenses are coached in the late going.

As it stands currently, teams that are leading by more than two or three possessions can trust the ball in the hands of their best dribbler and hold the higher ground. Defenses are deployed accordingly.

“Because we don’t have a shot clock, my mindset is (that) we have to trap, we’ve got to do something that we’re not used to to get the other team out of their element,” Maier said. “If that doesn’t work and they’re burning the clock, then you’ve got to foul. I think that’s pretty universal.”

In the fourth quarter, the team trailing would be encouraged by the fact that its possessions won’t be limited. Mini-games that resemble “Monkey in the Middle” will be condensed.

“It would definitely change end-of-the-game game plans for some (offenses),” Moniteau girls coach Dee Arblaster said. “Your shot selections better be good at the end.”

Clement feels as if the style the game has already evolved into welcomes the update.

“I personally don’t think it would be too much for the kids,” Clement said. “A lot of people are playing fast. I’m looking at (Section 1-6A) and there’s not a lot of slowing down.”

The minority of teams would have to conform. Mars girls coach Dana Petruska explained that some crews use the lack of a shot clock to their advantage.

“There’s some coaches that have always played a ‘slow down’ game, just so they can control the tempo,” said Petruska, who’s coached for over 36 years, but never with a shot clock. “Sometimes, for a team that wants to run all the time, that throws them off.”

Each of the six coaches interviewed that support implementing a shot clock think that 35 seconds would do the trick. Kepple is opposed to applying it, but if it comes down to it, he believes it should be introduced in a sample size.

“I think it’s something where you would have to have a small portion of basketball,” Kepple said. “Maybe play some part of the season with the shot clock, some without, just so people get an idea about it.”