Columnist Spencer Patterson: Countdown to adding a shot clock begins

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 9:37 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers high school sports for the Sun. His prep column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@vegas.com

As McQueen guard Chris Carr stood near midcourt holding the ball on his hip last Wednesday, the grumblings could be heard throughout Reno's Lawlor Events Center.

"Are they ever going to shoot the ball?" screamed one Las Vegas Wildcats fan.

As it turned out, the answer to that question, essentially, was no. The Lancers ran their stall for more than six minutes. And the resulting 34-30 McQueen victory had fans from north and south discussing the possibility of adding a shot clock to the Nevada prep hoops scene.

It's not as novel a concept as it sounds. California went to a shot clock two seasons ago, and by all accounts, the results have been positive. No longer can an outmanned team build a four-point lead and spread the court, eating up minutes and limiting its opponents' possessions.

Now I'm not saying I blame any coaches who may have employed the stall to this point (see three of the four northern coaches in last week's 4A state boys tournament). They simply utilized a tool within the rules that they felt gave their team its best chance to win.

But clearly, a 34-30 game is not what basketball is all about in the year 2000. Wildcats fans who made the long trip up to Reno shouldn't have had to see their club get just six possessions in an eight-minute quarter.

"The game's not meant to be played like that," Durango coach Al LaRocque said. "The game's for the kids."

California's 35-second shot clock still gives coaches a chance to work the clock (see Princeton's famed system), but forces teams to give up the ball after a reasonable amount of time.

Of course, a shot clock in Nevada would not be without its drawbacks.

Going to the clock would force the state to vacate its membership in the National Federation of State High School Associations' basketball rules committee, as California did two years ago. That would mean Nevada could no longer affect rules changes on a national basis.

Cost would also be a significant concern. Installing shot clocks in every gym would cost the state about $80,000 -- $30,000 in Clark County alone. And that doesn't include the money the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association would need to pay someone to run the clock at every prep game.

But despite the obstacles, we might see a set of red numbers ticking down above each basket sooner than later here in Nevada, at least if the state's top-ranking high school official has anything to say about it.

"I think we'll see a shot clock here eventually," NIAA Executive Director Jerry Hughes said. "I'm certainly in favor of one."

* BURNS JOINS STATE CHAMPS: Justin Burns, younger brother of Durango graduate Jason Burns (now at Georgetown) and son of former UNLV basketball player Michael "Spiderman" Burns, has enrolled at Bishop Gorman.

Burns played his freshman season for Durango before transferring to a school in Mississippi for his sophomore year. This past year, he enrolled at Georgetown Prep in Washington, D.C., where he played his junior season.

Now, the 6-7 Burns joins a Gorman team that will return eight of its top nine players, including four of five starters. Athletic eligibility for his senior season remains a question mark, however.

Because Burns last played in town for a public school, NIAA rules mandate that he must sit out 180 days -- or an entire season -- when transferring to a private school.

"It appears on the surface that he is not eligible," Clark County director of athletics Larry McKay said. "He went out of town, but that doesn't change the fact that he went from public to private."

Gorman coach Jeff Wagonseller said Burns and the school will appeal the situation.

"Our interpretation is that he played for a public school as a freshman and then left the state for two years," Wagonseller said.

* ANOTHER VAN MEETREN SIGNING: Bishop Gorman senior Jamie Van Meetren, the Sunset Region girls volleyball MVP, has signed a letter of intent for a full scholarship at Gonzaga University.

Last fall, the 6-1 Van Meetren led the Gaels in kills from her outside hitter position, helping her club to a state berth for the third straight season.

"She's played club volleyball for the last four or five years, and she did the things in the off-season to make herself better," said Ed Van Meetren, her uncle and Gorman coach. "She's a quality kid."

Jamie Van Meetren's older brother, Jason, is a sophomore on Stanford's baseball team.

Van Meetren becomes the second area player to sign with a Division I college this year, joining Bonanza's Jen Olowinski (San Jose State). Green Valley's Malia Koelliker is reportedly deciding among several offers.

* KUDOS: Palo Verde midfielder Brian Freeman and Cimarron-Memorial midfielder Mariel Chandler have been named the Gatorade Circle of Champions 1999-2000 boys and girls soccer state players of the year...

Ten area boys basketball players have been nominated for this year's McDonalds All-America game: Boulder City's Lee Hafen, Chaparral's Mario Hagan, Cimarron's Josh Englehart, Durango's Jamaal Brimmer, Eldorado's Kevin Fane and Darryl Givens, Las Vegas' Tremmell Darden, Silverado's Kevin Short, Valley's Chris Green and Western's Modesto Fowler.