with Gary Laubach

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Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach has served as the voice of the Leopards on television since 1996, handling play-by-play duties for theLafayette Sports Network. The Sports Director at RCN-TV 4, Laubach has been a television sports broadcaster for more than 35 years and has called over 4,000 contests. The Behind the Mic column offers a broadcaster's perspective on Lafayette Athletics.

February 16, 2007

JUST GIVE ME 5 SECONDS!

No, I am not asking for you to give me 5 seconds of your attention. I can't get my wife to do that. I am asking for the NCAA to give women's basketball five more seconds on the shot clock.

In 1954, the NBA decided to go to a "shot clock" to increase interest in the pro game by forcing teams to shoot more and foul less. The NBA certainly needed the rule. There were reports of fans walking out of games. The final straw may very well have come on November 22, 1950, when the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons beat the Minneapolis Lakers 19-18. Murray Mendenhall, the Pistons coach, decided to hold the ball until the end of the game in an attempt to score the winning points. The result was a fan base that threatened never to return to another game.

The debate for a shot clock ended when Danny Biasone, the owner of the Syracuse Nationals franchise, convinced the league it was time to keep a team from holding the ball, waiting to be fouled, or time to run out. It was time to make both teams play at a faster pace. The number "24" was used, not because of the hours in a day, but because of a mathematical formula using 2,880 seconds in a 48 minute game and dividing that number by the average number of shots taken (120) in a game. Do the math!! The "24 second clock" was invented (run by an official using a stopwatch on the sideline and yelling "Time!").

The NCAA instituted the 30-second shot clock in women's college basketball in 1971. The men were not restricted by a shot clock until 1986, when they were allotted 45 seconds to take an initial shot. That time was changed to 35 seconds in1993. The intent of the rule was simple - create more offense, avoid inactivity, and guarantee the fans more action. I, also, believe it intensified the defensive efforts, because it eliminated passive offenses.

It is time to unify the "shot clock" for both men and women. My announcing partner, John Leone, is an advocate of the motion offense, which requires crisp passes, subtle screens, appropriate back-cuts, and constant movement. It is an offense, when run effectively, that is beautiful to watch and filled with exceptional execution by all five players. Both Fran O'Hanlon and Tammy Smith are "motion" advocates. But, "motion" takes time! For Tammy's team, everything must be done just a little quicker. Why?

It seems illogical that the women would have less time to create an offensive set than the men. Giving the women 5 more seconds would allow them to utilize their skills to the utmost. It would put a premium on passing, cutting, team play, and coaching. Teams, which are not as big as the opponent, nor physically as strong as the opponent, would be able to be more deliberate and use the attributes and skills they have to compete. It should cause a decline in sloppy basketball and isolated basketball. It would reward more individual skills. It would make women's basketball a better game.

AND... It's just five seconds!