TOPEKA — Shot clocks are coming to high school basketball in Kansas on a permanent basis after getting approval from the KSHSAA Executive Board at its meeting on Thursday.
Starting in the 2025-26 season, shot clocks will be mandated in Classes 6A, 5A and 4A. Classes 3A and 2A will be required to use a shot clock in 2026-27 while Class 1A will start in 2027-28.
“It’s a good thing for basketball in Kansas,” Chanute boys basketball head coach Devon Crabtree said. “It moves the game forward to where it needs to be. Having the shot clock rewards better coaches and better players. And it gives the fans a more enjoyable product to watch.”
KSHSAA allowed schools to use a shot clock on a trial basis last season. Most schools in Class 4A and above, including every school in the SEK League, used the shot clock during the regular season.
“The trial went really well,” Labette County girls basketball head coach Brianna Volmer said. “Our first game of the year was the only regular season game we had without the shot clock. Basketball is basketball for everyone and we’re taking away the guessing game.”
Volmer added that the league opting to participate in the trial put it ahead of the curve.
“Across the board, the SEK administrators listened to what their coaches wanted, and we wanted a shot clock,” Volmer said. “We knew it’d be coming in the near future and we wanted to be ahead of the game.”
Adding the shot clock to postseason play eliminates variance. Chanute’s boys, one of the top seeds in Class 4A East, lost its first round substate game to Wamego in a game that was played at a snail’s pace.
“That game would’ve clearly been different had we had a shot clock — that doesn’t mean we would’ve won,” Crabtree said. “With our league having gone forward with it this year, we’re going to be ahead of the game. There’s only a few teams around the state that’ll see a huge difference with strategy. But it’s going to be a good thing with everybody.”
KSHSAA gathered data throughout the season-long trial period. 71.5% of schools indicated a desire for a shot clock in the next four years, with over half of schools opposed citing costs as the lead factor.
In Classes 4A-6A, 89% of schools wanted to make the shot clock permanent this coming winter.
“I’m excited for it. We’ve wanted it since the start of last season,” Volmer said. “It helps our game and how we like to play. But honestly, we didn’t see it affect a whole lot. It just makes basketball better to watch.”
According to MaxPreps in last June, 21 states used a shot clock in 2023-24. Alabama and South Carolina joined Kansas in trial runs in 2024-25.
Oklahoma will allow use of a shot clock in its four biggest classifications in 2026-27.
Smaller schools in Kansas were largely more averse to the shot clock given installation costs.
Cherryvale was one of just 18 Class 3A schools that used the shot clock in the trial.
“I’m excited that it’s coming and I wish it was coming next year,” Cherryvale boys coach Scott John said. “It’s a step in the right direction. Our selling point to our administration was that we wanted to be ahead of the game. Myself and (girls coach) Kelsey (Overacker) made two phone calls to businesses and we had shot clocks paid for.”
Volmer said one of the biggest problems was finding qualified operators for the shot clock.
“It was tough finding people who know basketball — the book can be taught, but the shot clock is more of a variable,” Volmer said. “We brought back some alumni to do it. It was a task, I’m not going to lie. But we didn’t have any huge problems. Once we got past the first few games, we didn’t see a huge number of delays.”
Other news from KSHSAA
— KSHSAA is extending the state volleyball tournament from two days to three days for all classes except 1A-II.
“This decision is really centered around what is best for the student- athlete,” said KSHSAA Assistant Executive Director Sarah Smith in a press release. “The traditional two-day format put students in a situation where we were competing well into the night, sometimes at midnight. This allows for teams to be well rested before their most important match of the year.”
— The state basketball tournaments will consolidate to four sites as part of KSHSAA’s efforts to combine championship venues. The first round will be played at a select group of neutral sites, with the semifinals and finals being played at one of four sites.
