shot clock: Definition from Answers.com

A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as Snooker and professional lacrosse.

In basketball, the shot clock is a timer designed to increase the pace (and subsequently, the score^[1]) in games. The offensive team must attempt a field goal before the shot clock expires, and the ball must then either touch the rim or enter the basket, or the offensive team will be assessed a violation resulting in loss of possession.

History

Coach Howard Hobson, who coached at the University of Oregon and later Yale University, is credited with the idea. It first came to use in 1954 in Syracuse, New York, where Danny Biasone, the owner of the National Basketball Association's Syracuse Nationals, experimented using a 24-second version during a scrimmage game. Biasone came up with 24 seconds by dividing 2,880 (the number of seconds in a game) by 120 (the average number of shots in a game at that time). He then convinced the NBA to adopt it. His team went on to win the 1955 championship.

Some say that this invention "saved the sport of basketball" as it had begun to lose fans before its inception. This was largely due to the stalling tactics used by teams once they were leading in a game (killing the clock). Without the shot clock, teams could pass the ball nearly endlessly without penalization. Very low-scoring games were common and this also resulted in boring games.

When the shot clock first came into play, it made many players so nervous that the clock hardly came into play, as players were taking fewer than 20 seconds to shoot.

Operation

In the NBA (since 1954), WNBA (since 2006), and FIBA (since 2000; 30-second from 1956 through 2000), the shot clock counts down 24 seconds, thus often being called the "24-second clock." Failure to attempt a shot that hits the rim within this time results in loss of possession. A buzzer goes off when the shot clock reaches zero.

Men's college basketball uses a 35-second clock (since 1993; 45-second from 1985 through 1993) in the United States, and a 30-second clock in Canada. Women's college basketball in the United States and Canada, as well as high schools in some states, use a 30-second clock.

Organization	Duration
CIS Men	30 seconds
CIS Women	30 seconds
FIBA	24 seconds
NBA	24 seconds
WNBA	24 seconds
NCAA Men	35 seconds
NCAA Women	30 seconds
High School	35/30 (some states only)

Other sports

Sport	Organization	Duration
Lacrosse	MLL	60 seconds
NLL	30 seconds
Ringette	N/A	30 seconds

See also

• Play clock, used in American and Canadian football

Notes

1. ^ For example, the Boston Celtics scored an average of 79.7 points per game from 1946–47 to 1953–54; from 1954–55 to 1961–62, after the introduction of the shot clock, they scored an average of 113.1 points per game. See databaseBasketball.com entry.

External links

• 24 Seconds to Shoot snopes.com