(MORE AFTER THE JUMP)
The NCAA rules committee meets on Aug. 12 with an eye on safety, sportsmanship and enhancing the product on the field. This group is at the crossroads and cross hairs of the sport. Face-offs, play around the crease (the dive / push), stick technology gone wrong and a visible shot clock should be on their agenda.
"No doubt the shot clock will be discussed,” said Denver coach Bill Tierney. "I believe that everything is on the table when it comes to possession times and mandatory clearing times. There doesn’t seem to be a clear mandate on anything other than ‘something needs to be done.’”
Major League Lacrosse MVP and former Johns Hopkins All-American Paul Rabil is an enormous fan of the college game. "Instituting a shot clock at the collegiate level is the next natural progression the game should have with the surge of athletic talent, technical ability and creativity over the past five years,” said Rabil. "It’s a must-have. The pace of the game has slowed down, with coaching tactics playing a primary role. More importantly, and to the detriment of the current rules, referees are given the ambiguous right to put a ‘timer on’ when they feel a team has lacked a plausible play on goal.”
The arbitrary and invisible “timer-on” served its purpose as a bridge between “keep it in” and a visible shot clock. “The invisible nature of the 'timer-on’ made an already confusing game even more confusing,” said Dave Huntley, GM of Team Canada. "A consistent visible clock is a good idea."
"For years I was 100% against the shot clock, but have now taken a totally opposite stance,” said Tierney who won six NCAA titles while at Princeton. "Not because I believe the shot clock will speed up the game, it won’t. But, because we have laid so much on the referees over the years, that this will take a huge burden off their chest. I do believe that the ‘timer-on’ call was a great way to transition from the ‘Keep it in’ call of the past, but it is such a subjective interpretation, that it has created more issues than could have been imagined."
Lehigh’s coach Kevin Cassese enjoyed a stellar career playing in MLL and has found coaching success in the Patriot League. "I am very much in favor of a shot clock,” said Cassese. "My focus is on the addition of a visible clock.”
The clock represents simplicity and clarity. "I have said on air many times I think the college game desperately needs a shot clock — and that it is long overdue,” said Dave Ryan of CBS Sports. "The box is too big — keep away is too easy — allowing long stalling possessions, which are not exciting to watch. The current ‘timer-on’ system places way too much pressure on the officials — and the invisible shot clock made it impossible for players, coaches, fans and the TV audience to understand.”
How will a shot clock be administrated?
"I favor a 20- (or 30-)second clearing count from time of possession to stepping in offensive box, as it is now,” said Tierney. "The refs have a 20-second beeper already and 20 seconds would make you clear faster. Thirty seconds to clear (current rule) would be fine as well. Then, I would have a 60-second shot clock. That leaves plenty of time to sub, work the offense and get a good look. It makes judgment clean and clearly helps the refs adjudicate the other parts of the game without worrying about stalling. I would hate to see a clock start upon possession, which would cause long, drawn-out clears and allow teams to ‘stall’ in their defensive end, a la World Games.”
Lacking a timer-on rule in international play, Canada took an early lead on the U.S. in the 2014 FIL World Championship Game on July 19 and strangled possession in the second half, drawing loud boos from the fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and a torrent of social media vitriol from those watching on ESPNU.
Cassese sees a similar model as Tierney for the NCAA. "I’d be in favor of a 60-second shot clock. I think we keep the 30-second clearing clock as is... Then, once you step it into the offensive box, that triggers the start of the 60-second clock. I like this version better than an all encompassing 75- or 90-second clock because it keeps the time reasonable on a secondary possession (rebound & reset) or restart."
Rabil has vast experience playing under college, MLL and international rules. "Like the MLL, I believe the highest level of collegiate lacrosse can function appropriately within a 60-second shot clock,” said Rabil. "That said, there is one predominant factor to consider when comparing both: the active rosters. The active roster of an MLL team is comprised of 17 ‘runners,’ while collegiate teams have rosters of 45-55 players. What does that matter? Strategic press riding, combo clearing, and extended substitution patterns will continue to be of importance at the collegiate level, and the shot clock starts at your own end. Taking this into account, with a 60-second clock you're looking at 35-40 seconds of operating time on ‘O.’ The polarizing play would be to institute a 90-second clock. I think this is far too much time.”
Lacrosse must learn from pro and college basketball.
In the 1970s, coach Dean Smith of North Carolina used guard George Karl to hold the ball and force teams out of zone defenses. Everything changed in the mid-1980s with the shot clock and 3-point shot. The addition of the 3-point line forever altered basketball strategy. The 3-point line put emphasis on players’ ability to shoot from the outside, which also helped smaller players play larger roles in the game. The Southern Conference began experimenting with a 3-point line in the 1980-81 season, and the ACC and Big Ten followed for the 1982-83 campaign. An arc was officially established for all schools at the start of the 1986-87 season.
Like most changes, this rule wasn’t universally embraced by coaches.
Adding a lacrosse shot clock is likely, but the 2-point line lags far behind in terms of feasibility. It’s important to consider their hand-in-hand relationship. A shot clock for lacrosse without a 2-point arc will lead to packed in zone defenses — protect the paint at all costs. Ball retention and stick evolution gone awry has skewed the intended balance between checker and carrier; checking the ball-carrier has evolved into a futile operation. MLL has long had a 2-point arc which forces defenses to extend on the perimeter and defend the two pointer. There’s a symbiotic relationship between shot clock and 2-pt arc.
“The 2-point arc is like the 3-point arc in basketball. With a shot clock, coaches will tactically play the back-end of possessions by sitting in a zone to force a last-ditch-effort outside shot,” said Rabil. "There's gotta be a repercussion for doing this. Turns out that when you have a shot clock and a 2-point arc, you begin to extend the play of the game beyond the four corners of our traditional ‘box.’ Offensive strategies change, big-time outside shooters find roster spots, and there are no safe leads. Duke's very own Coach K was one of the first to adopt the drive and kick-out offense, and I would suspect that Coach Dino (John Danowski) wouldn't be far behind."
Major League Lacrosse is celebrating its 14th season. "The MLL shot clock has created the most exciting product in the sport of lacrosse and serves our fans very well,” said MLL commissioner Dave Gross. "While we had a 45-second clock for a few years, when we moved the clock to 60 seconds, the game became less hectic and is ideal at our level. The 2-point line has gone hand-in-hand with the shot clock at the professional level. I couldn’t image having one without the other.”
Ryan agrees. "The bottom line is that the MLL — with the shot clock and 2-point line — is the best version of the game on the planet,” said Ryan. "Fast-moving, hard-hitting, high-scoring, with a chance to score 2 points on a long shot. I would bring the 2-point line in — to maybe 13 yards for college. The more goals the better!”
"A shot clock benefits defense," said Dave Cottle who has head coaching experience at Loyola and Maryland and professionally with the Chesapeake Bayhawks. "The 2-point arc helps the offense."
Coaches like Cottle, Tony Seaman, Jim Stagnitta, BJ O'Hara, Bear Davis, Stan Ross and Mike Cerino have valuable opinions having experienced both NCAA and MLL rules. Their expertise is a resource for the rules committee.
What I appreciate most about the MLL 2-point arc is that a three- or four-goal margin late in a game becomes tactical and exciting. The trailing team has hope. Like in basketball, a four-point lead is only a two possession game.
"I personally don’t see a 2-point arc, for no reason other than, college lacrosse coaches are not interested in becoming the MLL,” said Tierney.
What’s likely to change with the addition of a shot clock?
A visible shot clock rewards great coaching, and quality defense as much as it favors efficient offense.
Fans will see more zone defenses late in the shot clock and when the ball is behind the goal as the offense tries to run a big/little pick or two-man game. As a defense, time is on your side.
"Coaches will have to be much more aware of the game situations,” said Tierney. "Coaches who roll the balls out are in trouble with this. There will have to be more situational practices, both offensively and defensively with the shot clock. Roll it into the corner while subbing on defensive middies? Take a shot and hope? Maybe the screen shot will come back into play! Shut-offs, zones, and (maybe) some riding will come back. We will see, but it’s all very exciting.”
Offenses are penalized for deliberate substitutions. That’s good. What we’ve learned from MLL is that successful dodgers from X run the show. The ball finds itself on the end-line late in the shot clock and having a dodger who can beat his man or draw doubles off the end-line has long been a foundation of MLL schemes.
Late in the shot clock you may see outside bombers try to bust the zone from the perimeter. Will screening the goalie become trendy? Screening was an offensive mainstay until the offset head and whippy pockets escalated shot velocity through the roof. Goalies in the 1970s and ’80s were routinely screened by at least one crease attack man during midfield dodges.
“The biggest negative of the shot clock is that it is built to help the defense, not the offense,” said Tierney. "Everyone thinks this will create a ‘faster’ game. It won’t. It will create a sloppier game for a while.”
The clock also lessens the stranglehold that dominant FOGOs have and encourages teams to take chances by pushing transition. Turnovers are less catastrophic because you can earn the ball back in 60 seconds.
“Professional and collegiate teams in most big-time sports have shot clocks and play clocks,” said Rabil. "If an NFL team doesn't snap the ball before their play clock runs out, they're assessed a penalty. It happens often. More prevalent in basketball, teams are forced to take wild shots because of great defensive stands and a shot clock violation. That's awesome stuff!. … So why do we get so bent out of shape with the thought of a team not being able to get a ‘good enough offensive set’ with a shot clock in lacrosse? My first reaction would be either great ride and pressure, or terrific defensive stand. Shot clocks are needed in sports — rewarding athletic and creative play on both sides of the ball.”
Will fans flock to the game because of a shot clock? Do we even care? If you love the game then all that matters is that lacrosse is enhanced to be its absolute best…that includes relentless action, not standing around waiting for subs.
Ryan announces NFL and college football, basketball, pro and college lacrosse for CBS. His perspective has merits. “We are in the era of instant media — stats, facts, figures all coming off of the TV score strip — viewers expect and require a lot of instant and flowing information during a broadcast,” said Ryan. "The shot clock follows suit. It will make the college game more TV friendly with an easy to follow countdown, helping bring in more viewers who may not fully understand the game, but will certainly be able to follow a faster more offensive sport. It gives the game a mini ‘buzzer-beater’ with each possession, the excitement of the offensive team being required to get a shot on cage in a certain time frame.”
Change is always hard. It's needed. And now is the right time. The rules committee is on the clock.
Quint covers lacrosse for the ESPN networks. He can be followed on twitter @QKessenich and welcomes your emails Quint@Insidelacrosse.com.
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