Prep Wednesday : Has the Shot Clock’s Time Finally Arrived in Orange County? : Boys’ Coaches Differ on Specifics, but Few Oppose Idea

Tick, tick, tick ...

The National Basketball Assn. uses one. The National Collegiate Athletic Assn. uses one for men’s and women’s games. The Southern Section uses one for girls’ games.

But for boys’ basketball?

Forget about it, at least for a while.

There is no shot clock for Southern Section boys’ high school basketball and there isn’t likely to be until the National Federation of State High School Athletic Assns. approves its use. And that could be a couple of seasons away, according to Dean Crowley, Southern Section associate commissioner.

Many Orange County coaches would like to see the Southern Section use a shot clock, but aren’t exactly breaking down the gym walls to get them installed and operational.

The Sunset League used a 45-second clock on an experimental basis last season and the coaches seemed to like it.

“We never heard it go off,” said Marina Coach Steve Popovich, whose team rarely had to worry about the clock on offense. “We felt it’s on the way. It’s part of the natural progression like the three-point shot.”

Unlike the three-point field goal, which has boosted scores and revamped offensive game plans, most coaches say a shot clock wouldn’t drastically alter the game.

But at least it would prevent such incidents as Sierra High School’s 6-4 victory over San Clemente in the 1979 2-A playoffs, which will forever live in the four corners hall of shame. It remains a Southern Section record for fewest points in a game.

A clock, whether it’s 24 seconds (as in the NBA), 30 (as in girls’ high school and women’s NCAA play) or 45 (as in NCAA men’s play), would have kept the San Clemente players from playing catch at midcourt for most of the 32-minute game.

“It’s not a lot of fun to watch and it’s not a lot of fun to play it,” Sunny Hills Coach Steve White said.

Sunny Hills went through two games of stallball against Freeway League foe Troy this season. In the second game, Troy’s stalling produced a 15-15 snoozefest at halftime. Sunny Hills wound up winning the game, 50-28.

Ed Graham, Troy’s coach, said he was forced to slow the game down, as San Clemente did in its game against Sierra, because it was overmatched against Sunny Hills’ superior players.

Still, he said he is in favor of a shot clock.

“I’ve always been in favor of it,” Graham said. “The up-tempo game is more exciting for fans and for the players.

“Different types of defenses become more important. With a shot clock, an offense has less time to recognize a defense and adapt to it.”

But such slowdown tactics are rare these days.

The fast break, as practiced by college teams such as Loyola Marymount and Oklahoma, is all the rage now. Dean Smith’s four-corner offense is passe, thanks to the NCAA’s 45-second clock, which keeps the game moving.

And the style has trickled down to the high schools.

“That’s why having a 45-second clock isn’t a big thing now,” White said.

Even ball-control-oriented teams such as Irvine High shoot, by Coach Steve Keith’s estimation, in less than 24 seconds. So a 24- or 30-second clock would be acceptable, but most coaches prefer a 45-second clock.

“Forty-five seconds is a pretty long time to hang onto the ball anyway,” Popovich said. “College teams like Villanova proved you can do it. You can still be very, very selective. But in 24 seconds you can’t.”

Mark Trakh, the Brea-Olinda girls’ coach, said 30 seconds, which is used for girls’ games in the Southern Section, is not always enough time to run the team’s plays through all the various options.

“It’s too quick,” Trakh said. “You want to come down and be more patient. Forty-five seconds allows you to be patient and selective and at the same time keeps you from outright stalling.”

Some coaches, including Keith, would like to see the game uncluttered by clocks of any duration.

It takes some of the strategy out of the game, Keith said. And since teams have embraced the up-tempo style of play, he believes there is no need for a clock.

“I’ll adjust, but I wonder what the need is,” Keith said. “If it’s anything less than 30 or 24 seconds it could be a real problem.”

Rich Skelton is another who dislikes the shot clock.

Of course, Skelton was on the sidelines coaching San Clemente in its 6-4 loss 10 years ago.

Skelton, now the Dana Hills coach, also said he’s not a fan of “race horse” basketball.

“I’m more bored with that than with a team that plays a slow-tempo style,” Skelton said. “I think without the clock you give the underdog a chance. I would do whatever possible to give my team a chance to win.”