Big-Name Coaches Nonplussed by Shorter Shot Clock

John Calipari bluntly downplayed the effect a shorter shot clock might have on college basketball.

In this March 6, 2015, file photo, Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith points to his defense in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor in Waco, Texas. AP Photo/Jerry Larson, File

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.—John Calipari bluntly downplayed the effect a shorter shot clock might have on college basketball.

“Thirty seconds is not going to have an impact on the game,” the Kentucky coach said.

Roy Williams echoed that sentiment, if a bit less forcefully, and John Beilein figures the adjustment should be easy enough.

At a golf event Monday that included some of the game’s most successful coaches, the reaction to a reduced shot clock was tame. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee has recommended shortening the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds, a change that still has to be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Committee.

No big deal, says Williams.

The NCAA is trying to speed up the game and boost scoring, and the 30-second shot clock was tried out.