A long anticipated change to high school basketball will be on full display beginning Monday, December 28 at Savannah Country Day School. A 30-second shot clock will be in play for the games played at SCDS’ Demere Gymnasium beginning Monday and concluding Wednesday.
The institution of a shot-clock — a change approved in a 53-10 vote by the GHSA’s Executive Committee in June — is in its “phase-in” period where it’ll be gradually implemented for the next three years. All GHSA games will have a mandatory shot-clock beginning with the 2022-23 season. Next year allows for some regions to use the shot-clock, and this year, it is optional and only for use in special holiday tournaments, such as the SCDS Basketball Showcase.
Country Day (4-3) hosts the tournament and begins with a 5 pm tip on Monday versus Bethesda Academy (3-3). Calvary (2-4) plays Monday against South Effingham at 3 pm while Benedictine and Country Day square off Tuesday (Dec. 29) at 5:30 pm. (A full schedule of the showcase and information on tickets can be found at www.savcds.org).
These will serve as the first official GHSA games played in Savannah, by Savannah high school teams.
Demetrius Smith, Savannah Country Day’s second-year head coach, was on last week’s Karl DeMasi Sports Report (Wednesday, Dec. 23) talking about his decision to host a tournament with a shot-clock and why he believes in its worth moving forward with local HS hoops.
“I love (the shot-clock). The old-school Dean Smith 4-Corners is kind of out the window now,” said Smith on the show, which can be found on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. “That’s how we should be teaching our kids.
“Play within the 30-second shot-clock. Play against really good defenses. You can’t just dribble all around. You’ve got three or four dribbles, then you’ve got to pass or shoot.”
Follow Travis Jaudon on Twitter @JaudonSports and contact him at travisLjaudon@gmail.com.
Optim Orthopedics is the supporter of Savannah Country Day School Athletes and Dr. Thomas Alexander is the schools orthopedic physician. Optim Orthopedics gets you back into the game!
Picture - Savannah Country Day Athletics
