After its introduction to the game of basketball 67 years ago, the shot clock is finally coming to high school hoops in the state of Iowa.

Both the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) announced in a joint state Tuesday morning that they'll be welcoming the shot clock to all varsity games in Iowa, beginning with the 2022-23 season. The statement reads:

The IHSAA and IGHSAU will use the NFHS allowance for state adoption to introduce a 35-second shot clock for varsity basketball, required of participating member schools starting in the 2022-23 season. Use of the shot clock in sub-varsity competition will be allowed but not required. With a date set for statewide implementation, experimental exceptions will not be granted during the 2021-22 regular season.

To encourage standardization among states, 35 seconds was the timing provided by NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) approval. Further shot clock information and rule implementation will be provided by IHSAA and IGHSAU as it becomes available ahead of the 2022-23 season.

I've watched and covered a lot of high school basketball games over the years and very seldom does one team "take the air out of the ball" these days. That simply means they get a lead and, when they have the ball, they pass it around for long periods of time. It shortens the game, if you will, and helps them hang onto the lead.

The game at the high school level already moves pretty quickly, but this will assure it, while also preparing players for the college game, where a shot clock has been in effect for decades.

The first shot clock was introduced in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the fall of 1954. It started in the NCAA in 1985 and was 45-seconds at the time. The shot clock was lowered to 35-seconds for the 1993 season and then lopped down to 30 seconds six years ago.

Back in May of this year, the Toledo Blade reported that only eight states had shot clocks for high school basketball games. That number will undoubtedly accelerate quickly.

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