PIAA board votes yes to shot clock tentatively starting 2028-29

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has maybe had a change of heart.

The governing body of the state decided to go against the very judgement of its own steering committee on Wednesday morning. Shot clocks are tentatively coming to Pennsylvania high school basketball. The process will take multiple votes in order to pass in order to make it officially official.

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Altoona Mirror’s Michael Boytim, the PIAA voted 22-9 in favor of implementing shot clocks for junior varsity and varsity basketball, potentially starting with the 2028-29 season.

On a first reading basis, the PIAA board just went against the basketball steering committee’s suggestion of no shot clock in PA by a 22-9 vote to accept implementation of a shot clock for JV and varsity basketball for the 28-29 school year. Details in tomorrow’s @AltoonaMirrorPA

— Michael Boytim (@BoytimMichael) July 16, 2025

Back in early June, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Board of Directors voted to implement the shot clock in both boys and girls basketball. Florida became the 31st state to approve use of a 35-second shot clock and will start with the 2026-27 season.

The PIAA’s decision to go against what the steering committee had suggested falls more in line with what the majority around the state had wanted to begin with.

According to SportsRadio 96.7’s Bob Greenburg posted on X in mid-June, a survey showed that 55 percent of schools responded in favor along with 59 percent of officials. Around 30 percent of schools didn’t respond to the PIAA survey asking if they were for or against having shot clocks implemented.

“If you went through and you dissected every possession of our games over the last couple of years, I like to think that we do a nice job of running our offense,” Manheim Central boys coach Charlie Fisher said in a LancasterOnline.com report when the PIAA Steering Committee suggested no to shot clocks. “We’re not going to that 35-second mark very often. I think that would be consistent amongst everybody. So I don’t think it would ruin high school basketball at all.”

PIAA associate executive director Pat Gebhart said in a previous report that depending on the make/model of the mounted clock, costs could vary anywhere from $5,000-$20,000 per school. Now with the PIAA’s approval, if the voting process goes in favor for the shot clock, the state will have to begin the long process of outfitting every member school throughout with a shot clock.