The Illinois High School Association has finalized expectations for the implementation of the 35-second shot clock in varsity boys and girls basketball beginning with the 2026-27 season.
Meeting Monday in Bloomington, the IHSA Board of Directors approved guidelines requiring all schools hosting varsity basketball games to have properly installed and functioning shot clocks mounted on the backboards in their primary gym. Schools unable to provide working shot clocks must move the game to another facility, allow the opponent to host, or potentially forfeit the contest.
The board also approved guidelines for tournaments and shootouts held in multiple gyms, requiring visible wall-mounted shot clocks in auxiliary facilities when traditional backboard-mounted units are not practical.
The shot clock will remain optional for lower-level contests, including freshman, sophomore and junior varsity games.
The IHSA first approved experimental use of the shot clock during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before voting in 2024 to make it mandatory for all varsity contests beginning this coming school year. Illinois joins a growing number of states adopting the rule, with nearly 30 states already requiring shot clocks in high school basketball.
In other action, the board approved winter sports multiplier waivers, adopted several policy updates related to student-athlete eligibility and board governance, approved changes to cooperative team agreements in gymnastics and track and field, and accepted recommendations from numerous sport and activity advisory committees.
One notable change approved by the board will ban urethane bowling balls from IHSA State Series competition beginning with the 2027-28 season.
The next round of IHSA policy discussions will continue later this summer as officials review classification structures, cooperative team regulations, state tournament formats and other issues affecting member schools across Illinois.
