This season, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference began using a 35-second shot clock for boys' basketball. Girls' basketball games in the private school league use a 30-second shot clock.

"I love it," said DeMatha High coach Mike Jones said. "[The WCAC] is supposed to be one of the best conferences in the country, and if we pride ourselves on preparing players for the next level, having a shot clock in high school certainly helps us in that process."

Eight states currently mandate the use of the shot clock in high school games. It's used for girls' games in Washington and for both boys' and girls' games in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Dakota, South Dakota and California. For more than a decade, girls' public school games in Maryland have used a 30-second shot clock.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the national governing body of high school sports, votes each year on whether to institute the shot clock in every state. NFHS Assistant Director and basketball liaison Mary Struckhoff said more and more high school administrators have opened up to the idea of using a shot clock.

"It's always up for debate," Struckhoff said. "I've been here going on 12 years and it's been discussed every year. I think it's safe to say its gaining momentum."

Jones contends that the shot clock forces players to do more thinking, which helps in player development. He also said the shot clock is helpful because with the clock counting down, players know they have to exert their energy on defense for finite spans of time.

But Prince George's County Schools Director of Athletics Earl Hawkins is an opponent of the shot clock at the high school level.

"I still don't like it, absolutely not," said Hawkins, who played and coached basketball at both the high school and college levels before taking his current post in 2002. "I think the game should be about teaching and giving coaches the ability to use different strategies to win a game. The shot clock favors teams that have big men that can rebound. Teams without big players would be at a disadvantage. I just don't think it's right for that age group."

Hawkins says teams with smaller lineups would be forced to rush possessions to take shots to beat the clock. If their hurried attempts fail, he said, smaller teams would have little chance at grabbing enough rebounds to stay competitive against opponents with bigger lineups.

Gwynn Park High boys' coach Mike Glick used to agree with Hawkins' stance.

"I don't change my opinions on a lot of things, but I definitely think we need to go to a nation-wide shot clock," Glick said. "At every other level they play basketball there's a shot clock. Not using a shot clock is archaic. I think that the style of the game has changed. I think a coach with an inferior team can still find a way to keep itself in the game with a shot clock in use."

It's not uncommon to hear complaints in the stands when a team decides to use stall tactics, holding the ball for long stretches instead of taking a shot and risking a loss of possession. Even Glick, who coached at St. Vincent Pallotti when the Laurel school was in the WCAC in the 1990s, said he tried to stall in a championship game against DeMatha in 1998.

WCAC players don't seem to have much of a problem with the shot clock.

"It's not that big of an adjustment," said Bishop McNamara senior guard Marcus Thornton. "I think it actually helps defensively so teams can't hold the ball for too long."

"The adjustment hasn't been that big of a deal," echoed DeMatha junior guard James Robinson. "We've been practicing with it through the whole offseason. It affects the game differently, but I know for DeMatha we've found the right coaching strategy and formula to succeed with the shot clock."

Forestville High boys' coach Irvin Hay said he doesn't think the skill level among county public schools players is conducive for using a shot clock.

"You have to look at the level of play in your league," Hay said. "When you can recruit and get the athletes you want, it might be OK. But we're trying to develop our kids. Kids think that as soon as you get the ball in your hand, you have to shoot it. A shot clock would put pressure on some of the kids."

But opponents of a shot clock shouldn't fret too much, as there is no definite timeline for implementation, according to Struckhoff.

"It's a touchy situation right now," she said. "Because of the economic climate we're in, it doesn't bode too well for making it a national rule. With schools cutting programs and spending, we would be hard-pressed to require a rule change to require new equipment and personnel and to operate. The states that have it like it. Kids and fans like it because it adds excitement. I think the interest is increasing rather than waning."