Aficionados of the shot clock will need to bide their time for yet another season before the shot clock is implemented in the Lone Star State.
This decision comes following the UIL Legislative Council meeting, which elected to further study the use of the shot clock for member schools.
With the move, Texas is now the biggest state in the country without a shot clock, with Florida and Oklahoma adopting the game-warping tool this year for the following season.
Notable surveys were completed by the TABC and by superintendents on the topic, with more studying needing to be done, according to the UIL.
During the meeting, a member of the committee noted the financial burden of the shot clock, despite passing the amendment requiring 4A & 3A schools to play a best-two-of-three series, unless both schools agree to play a single game series.
“We surveyed superintendents and basketball coaches to transform the sport a little bit, one committee member said. ”I don’t see anything wrong with early implementation on this, an alignment or two away. This is a 6A/5A thing. We can prepare our finances for that. I like to see us give full consideration of this because I do think it will expand and modernize the game, just as the forward pass did 100 years ago.”
Outside of the athletic realm, the standing committee on policy passed the proposal allowing UIL staff the authority to amend UIL documents, rules and policies to comply with actions taken by Texas Legislature.
This move will allow the UIL to immediately adjust to state legislature bills that are passed, including the newly passed SB 2929, which allows referees or other officials of the extracurricular athletic activity to eject a spectator from the activity or competition.
Other key items further studied includes adding a mileage cap for playoff game travel, allowing pyrotechnics overseen by a professional and expanding the exception from the full-time employee requirement
Other key items that were on the agenda but elected to not take any action included giving home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs to the district champion in all sports, a proposal to require schools to participate in both volleyball and basketball, a proposal to require the use of instant replay in all sports during the playoffs, conducting steroid testing, a proposal eliminating the requirement that shirt tails need to be tucked in, the proposal to limit the number of scratches to two and a proposal to create a split conference for all sports.
