When the South Dakota High School Activities Association implemented a rule to add a shot clock to Class A basketball, it was uncertain how area schools would adapt.
A few weeks into the 2014-15 season, the consensus around Class A schools in the Mitchell area seems to be that this was a necessary change.
"It just speeds up the game," Bon Homme girls basketball coach Tara Gubbrud said. "You're not going to get those games where teams just stand around and hold the basketball. You don't have to worry about one team just stalling."
The rule also benefits teams that like to play an up-tempo offense, such as the McCook Central/Montrose girls. With the fast pace the Fighting Cougars like to play, MC/M girls head coach Doug Durfee said the rule hasn't taken anything away from his offense.
"It really hasn't affected us, yet," Durfee said. "We haven't had any violations. We're a fast-paced team, so it hasn't affected us."
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While coaches seemed to be pleased with the change, the rule has meant complications for certain schools. Primarily, digging deeper into the school's budget to finance new equipment that would suffice for the rule change.
"We had to purchase brand new scoreboards because our old ones were not compatible with a shot clock," said Parkston athletic director Leslie Rylance, who didn't release the total cost of the scoreboard. "That was an added cost we didn't foresee. Another added cost is getting someone to work the shot clock."
Mount Vernon Athletic Director Eric Denning saw similar costs arise while ordering shot clocks, and the end result cost a pretty penny.
"We found out we would have to install new drivers on our scoreboard," Denning said. "I want to estimate it cost about $6,000 for the shot clocks and to update the drivers."
Despite the expensive cost, Denning, who also coaches the Mount Vernon/Plankinton boys basketball team, thinks this is a big step forward for South Dakota basketball.
"I'm a fan of it. I think it adds another element to the game and cleans up the end of games," he said. "This is the direction that the game is going, so that was a proponent of it."
All four schools said they haven't had any issues thus far with the newly installed shot clocks from a technological standpoint.
But while the reception to the rule change has been mostly positive, some coaches have had to make adjustments in strategy due to the new element of the game.
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"If you're playing a zone (defense), you're not really pressed to foul so quickly at the end of the game," Gubbrud said. "You aren't worried about a team just holding the basketball, I just noticed that."
