MONROE - Area high school basketball coaches contend they may lose some strategy time during breaks and may have to play more players off the bench after the WIAA Board of Control approved extending prep games by four minutes next season.
On a one-year trial basis, the board approved a proposal Thursday to have the basketball game format switched to two 18-minute halves. Previously, high school basketball games used a four 8-minute quarter format. All varsity games will be 36 minutes next year instead of 32. Junior varsity games will follow a two 16-minute half format.
"I think the intent behind the changes makes sense if the goal is to have more opportunities to play kids," Black Hawk girls basketball coach Mike Flanagan said.
Proponents of making a switch to halves have cited a need to improve the flow of the game due to choppy stoppages, teams holding the ball at the end of each quarter and lower scoring games.
"There are a lot of concerns about scoring being down and some believe it's been less interesting than it used to be," Flanagan said. "You are always trying to balance the spectator part and the winning and losing of coaching. It's a move to make the game more tempo oriented. Some coaches don't care if they hold the ball and slow the game down. They are doing what they think they need to do to win. It may force us to go deeper into our bench. They are hoping a coach plays that seventh and eighth man more."
Monroe boys basketball coach Pat Murphy agreed with Flanagan on the intent of the change to two halves.
"I think the thing the WIAA is trying to get across is they want more flow to the game and less stoppages," Murphy said. "With all the limited contact, I don't look at it (flow of the game) as much of a problem as the public vs. private."
Despite the WIAA's ruling, it's not consistent with women's college basketball. Women's college basketball games are switching from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters next season.
"It's interesting the college game is going in a different direction," Flanagan said. "It will be interesting to see what coaches think after one year."
Monroe girls basketball coach Sam Mathiason will miss the short breaks at the end of each quarter.
"I look at that quarter break as a timeout to make those changes, adjustments, monitor fouls and player's minutes," Mathiason said. "I wonder if at the 9-minute mark there will be a timeout."
Murphy said he heard there may be an official timeout at the 10-minute mark.
"At the end of the quarter every team likes to have momentum going into the break," Murphy said. With two halves there will be less breaks to get that momentum.
"For us it might mean we have to play a few more guys. I'm not sure because we have never done it before."
Overtime periods have been 4 minutes. Mathiason questions if overtime will be extended to 4 minutes, 30 seconds with a longer game.
"There are still some questions there to be looked into and answered," he said.
Another change that was approved is seeding an entire sectional up to 16 teams in a half sectional as a full sectional bracket. Starting next season all sectionals will be seeded in half-brackets. Flanagan supports the change.
"When they just seed the regionals it's like playing a conference tournament," Flanagan said. "I think if you want to get the two best teams in the sectional final seeding half-sectionals is the best way to do it."
On a one-year trial basis, the board approved a proposal Thursday to have the basketball game format switched to two 18-minute halves. Previously, high school basketball games used a four 8-minute quarter format. All varsity games will be 36 minutes next year instead of 32. Junior varsity games will follow a two 16-minute half format.
"I think the intent behind the changes makes sense if the goal is to have more opportunities to play kids," Black Hawk girls basketball coach Mike Flanagan said.
Proponents of making a switch to halves have cited a need to improve the flow of the game due to choppy stoppages, teams holding the ball at the end of each quarter and lower scoring games.
"There are a lot of concerns about scoring being down and some believe it's been less interesting than it used to be," Flanagan said. "You are always trying to balance the spectator part and the winning and losing of coaching. It's a move to make the game more tempo oriented. Some coaches don't care if they hold the ball and slow the game down. They are doing what they think they need to do to win. It may force us to go deeper into our bench. They are hoping a coach plays that seventh and eighth man more."
Monroe boys basketball coach Pat Murphy agreed with Flanagan on the intent of the change to two halves.
"I think the thing the WIAA is trying to get across is they want more flow to the game and less stoppages," Murphy said. "With all the limited contact, I don't look at it (flow of the game) as much of a problem as the public vs. private."
Despite the WIAA's ruling, it's not consistent with women's college basketball. Women's college basketball games are switching from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters next season.
"It's interesting the college game is going in a different direction," Flanagan said. "It will be interesting to see what coaches think after one year."
Monroe girls basketball coach Sam Mathiason will miss the short breaks at the end of each quarter.
"I look at that quarter break as a timeout to make those changes, adjustments, monitor fouls and player's minutes," Mathiason said. "I wonder if at the 9-minute mark there will be a timeout."
Murphy said he heard there may be an official timeout at the 10-minute mark.
"At the end of the quarter every team likes to have momentum going into the break," Murphy said. With two halves there will be less breaks to get that momentum.
"For us it might mean we have to play a few more guys. I'm not sure because we have never done it before."
Overtime periods have been 4 minutes. Mathiason questions if overtime will be extended to 4 minutes, 30 seconds with a longer game.
"There are still some questions there to be looked into and answered," he said.
Another change that was approved is seeding an entire sectional up to 16 teams in a half sectional as a full sectional bracket. Starting next season all sectionals will be seeded in half-brackets. Flanagan supports the change.
"When they just seed the regionals it's like playing a conference tournament," Flanagan said. "I think if you want to get the two best teams in the sectional final seeding half-sectionals is the best way to do it."
