BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) What's Your View? Shot Clock

A short time back on BOTC, there was a discussion about stall tactics being employed without a shot clock being in place. The best example of a sport that changed with the introduction of a shot clock is NCAA-level college basketball.

Does the sport now need a shot clock? At what levels is there sufficient possession to warrant a clock? How long should a default possession be?

I like the shot clock idea for college level lacrosse. At the same time I can only imagine the additional cost for a club tournament to start a shot clock system, as far as an extra time keeper needing to be paid, I think having a ref keep time for that would distract him too much from the rest of the game.....just my 2 cents.

I like the shot clock at the college level as well. I also agree trying to implement the clock at the HS level would be very difficult.

Feedback from this Fall's Headstrong D1 tournament experiment was positive but the challenge of how much time should be put on the clock became another issue. I think the NCAA will do it within 2-3 years.

I also like the idea of a 2 point shot at the college level.

I think a shot clock in the mens game is unneeded , but the womans game it is without question needed. It is way to easy for a team to play keep away and run 5 min off the clock at the end of a game because the fear of not getting checked into oblivion does not exist . I am the father of a goalie and I tell my daughter to hold the ball for as long as possible because there is no time restraint on clears eater, so she can hold the ball for 5 min also. I think if a boys ref can count to 30, then a girls ref should be able to count to 45, so how about 45 sec to clear the ball over the opposing restraining line. as for a shot clock maybe we can again use the boys model . when it becomes apparent that a team is stalling the ref calls stall and they have another 45 sec to shoot

That is an interesting idea of a two point shot. Don't know if it would every fly and what would be considered two points? Out side the 8m for girls?boys? Maybe a regular shot should be worth two points and a free position only worth one like basketball. Lacrosse isn't high scoring and the ability for a ref to give away free position shots on sketchy calls has always bothered me. Maybe your on to something there, perhaps a little more of a basketball type shotclock and scoring system would do lacrosse well.

From the MLL website - Maybe college should go to 90 seconds.

MLL uses a 60-second shot clock in order to keep the game fast and exciting for fans and players. The shot clock is reset after a goal is scored, a shot hits the post, is saved by the goalie or there is a change of possession. If the clock runs out, possession is granted to the other team. Teams have 20 seconds to clear the ball across the midfield line.

Because of the shot clock, there is no restraining box to “keep it in” such as in college lacrosse.

MLL also has a 2-point arc on the field that adds another unique aspect to the game. Players must have both feet behind the line before shooting the ball in order for a 2-point goal to be scored.

Reopening this thread from November 2011 as the New [lacrosse] Times has "gotten on board" with the idea of bringing the shot clock into collegiate men's lacrosse. See the details and quotes from the article listed below.

NYT Article : Shot Clock Seen as Jump Starting Sport

Jon Brand (New [lacrosse] Times web site) has published an article addressing the issue of adding a shot clock to men's collegiate lacrosse. Two brief sections are quoted below, but the full article at the link above is well worth reading.

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A high-flying sport had been grounded, reduced to a plodding affair by controlling coaches and stagnant rules. Fans were bored, especially late in games, as winning teams played keep-away for minutes on end.

That was college basketball in the 1970s. But to fans of men's college lacrosse, it sounds much like their beloved pastime today.

Lacrosse is often called the fastest sport on two feet, but it has slowed considerably in recent years. That has sparked debate over a measure to speed up the game that men's college basketball initiated nearly three decades ago: a shot clock.

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The clock trials will be reviewed when the NCAA men's lacrosse rules committee meets in August, said Don Zimmerman, the committee's secretary-rules editor. In college lacrosse, rules are modified every two seasons, and 2013 is a rule-changing year.

"This is a hot topic," said Zimmerman, who is also the coach of Maryland-Baltimore County, which participated in the fall experiments. "I don't think the shot clock is the cure, but it's something that will be looked at."

***

A shot clock is not necessary. Change the sticks back to the pre-offset heads and rediscover the take-away checks and not having everybody who started playing lacrosse 3 weeks ago being able to shoot in the 90's.... The sport has grown tremendously because of the stick technology - it has made the sport easier to learn; but at some point it has taken a little of the soul of the sport away.

Should we go to short shorts and 1 handed set-shots in basketball also...NO... Let Lax evolve like all sports. Shot clock, only subbing on the fly, etc will create interesting strategies and freshen up the sport.

You missed the point, and your analogy compares attire to equipment.... You can still use all of the latest technologies, metals and plastics - but reset the head size and the speed of the game will return. No more running through double and triple teams, take-away checks return, possession changes more frequently speeding up the game.... You can also make the restaining box smaller on all 3 sides by 2 or 3 yards, that will cut down on stalling.

Want to fix the stall issue in the game, simply revert the stick dimensions back to what they were in the 80's. If the ball were to come out more often defensive double teams would be more successful. That would create more loose balls and more transition. Its a lot tougher to stall when a simple double team creates a loose ball. I also agree with a second inner box that would be the keep it in box. It should be about 3 to 5 yards in perimeter smaller than the main box. These two changes will create a ton more transition and speed up the game at the same time as making it hugely more difficult to stall.