The rumours have been circling for some time, and now it looks as though a vote date has been scheduled with regards to the possible change for Ontario high schools to adopt FIBA rules.
Needless to say, it's a polarizing issue and I've already heard a few different opinions from area coaches.
Here's a quick glance at a few of the potential rule changes that would come with FIBA, for those of you who may not be familiar:
1. Addition of a shot clock (FIBA rules are 24 seconds, though extended to 30 seconds in most provinces including Quebec)
2. 8 seconds (vs. 10) in the backcourt
3. No "backcourt" during "frontcourt" throw-ins
4. Timeouts - only granted after a field goal against (getting scored upon) or at the next stoppage in play. Requested via the scorer's table.
5. Stoppage of Time - stopped during last 2:00 of 4th quarter after a successful field goal.
At any rate, it appears that in April of this year, OFSAA will be voting on the potential rule change, and we could see one of three options:
A) Rules remain as they are (i.e. FIBA rules not installed)
B) FIBA rules installed with shot-clocks
C) FIBA rules installed without shot-clocks
If FIBA rules are implemented with shot-clocks, the earliest we would see that would be September, 2013 (to allow districts & associations the opportunity to purchase shot-clocks). FIBA rules, if voted in, would still be implemented next season (i.e. starting in September 2012).
My View?
To get my bias out of the way, you're talking to a guy that grew up playing under the current ("federation") high school rules, so I won't sugar-coat that fact.
Personally, I'd probably be in favour of things staying "as they are", but with that being said, I can see the merits of both systems.
Obviously, the benefit of switching to FIBA rules is consistency. Kids would be playing under the same set of rules instead of, say, playing a high school game under one set of rules and then a "club game" under another. Even the referees can sometimes get confused (they're human) --- in one recent game I saw, a ball was thrown into the backcourt on an inbounds play and whistled as a "backcourt violation" before it was overturned.
Meanwhile, CIS (Canadian University) basketball has adopted FIBA rules, so we would be preparing kids for the "next level", per se.
Canada Basketball was a big "driving force" starting a few years back in pushing for this change ---- and it's evident as part of their mission statement ("Leading a unified basketball community...").
Now, the shot clock. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think 24 seconds is a bit quick for the high school level (especially junior boys). At that age, coaches are still developing/implementing core concepts (not to mention the fact that there are a ton of players who don't play "club" basketball).
Of course, the benefit to a shot clock --- any shot clock --- is that you avoid the potential pitfall of a "20-14" game in a championship final or some other "meaningful" contest. Traditionalists would argue, though, that "it's part of the game", and that shot-clocks automatically provide an advantage to more athletic teams by disallowing such "stall" tactics.
The downside to a shot clock? Nothing against our student volunteers, but I shudder to think about the number of times a shot-clock would be reset due to error during a basketball game (especially upon its first introduction).
Of course, an additional volunteer (student or otherwise) would be required to run the shot clock.
And then there's the cost factor --- these things aren't cheap, with $600ish (for a tabletop model) being discussed as among the "cheapest option" by OFSAA officials. Portable and/or wall-mounted units would go for over $1000.
So, you're talking about $50K plus if each CWOSSA school were to end up purchasing one --- or a potential logistical nightmare if only a few were purchased but had to be "transported" around. In this period of economic uncertainty and reigning in budgets, there are certainly better ways to spend that money for students. On the flip side, it is a "one shot deal" and once you have one, you have it until it needs to be repaired/replaced.
Cost and operation are a big reason as to why only 8 states south of the border (California, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, North and South Dakota, Washington and Rhode Island) have implemented a shot clock.
Anyways, I could ramble on, but I'll leave it to you to vote in the poll to the right and see which option CWOSSA players, fans and coaches would you be in favour of. To make things more interesting, I'll add in a "couple other options":
A) No Changes (Rules Same As Currently Played)
B) No Changes to Current Rules, but Add 45-second Shot Clock
C) Switch to FIBA Rules; No Shot Clock
D) Switch to FIBA Rules; 24 or 30 second Shot Clock
E) Switch to FIBA Rules; 30 or 35+ second Shot Clock
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