Here's my story on today's WIAA Rep Assembly and a list of the amendments and if they passed or failed:

BY DOUG PACEY
The News Tribune

Tick-tock, tick-tock, boys basketball has a shot clock.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Rep Assembly overwhelmingly approved an amended to implement a 35-second shot clock, passing the measure 42-11 on Friday at the Spirit of Washington Events Center in Renton.

Sumner athletic director Tim Thomsen, a voting member of the Rep Assembly and the basketball commission for the SPSL 3A, said coaches from that league were unanimous in their support of a shot clock.

“Our coaches see it as being beneficial to the game,” Thomsen said. “A shot clock is used at the (collegiate) level and this will help prepare those players who are going on. And we already have a shot clock for girls basketball.”

Washington becomes the seventh state to use a shot clock in boys basketball.

The Rep Assembly decided on the 35-second shot clock, instead of 30- and 45-second time limits, because that is what is used at the collegiate level.

Mike Colbrese, executive director of the WIAA, said the shot clock amendment had gained momentum in recent weeks.

“It wasn’t up until a few weeks or so ago that I thought it had a chance,” he said.

The Rep Assembly also took steps to keep football games from getting out of hand. A running clock will be used in all regular season and playoff games with margins of 45 points or more after halftime. A similar amendment for basketball games failed.

An amendment to make girls lacrosse a varsity sport was voted down, 41-11 with one abstention.

Two reclassification amendments – one that would combine the 1B and 2B classifications into a singular Class B and another that would create a private school classification – did not even make it to a vote.

Former Peninsula athletic director Karst Brandsma was given the Gareth Giles Award. Brandsma, who now serves as interim superintendent of Everett Public Schools, also helped oversee the 1A and 2A basketball tournaments at the Tacoma Dome and Star Track at Lincoln Bowl.

No decisions were made regarding the format of the basketball state tournament. The WIAA Executive Board will meet in July to review the formats and draw criteria of the state tournaments in all sports.

Colbrese said the board will look at all options to help schools save on travel costs, limit the time students are out of the classroom and increase the interest in the postseason. The WIAA will also try to solve the “riddle” of the Class 3A basketball state tournament, he said.

The event was the WIAA’s top revenue producer when it was played in the Kingdome. But since relocating to the Tacoma Dome, then KeyArena and Hec Edmundsen Pavilion in Seattle, and finally back to Tacoma, attendance and revenue have dwindled.

Attendance at the 1B and 2B hoops tournaments is lagging, too. Before it was split into two classifications, 28,000 spectators attended the Class B state tournament in Spokane. The same number of fans combined to pass through the turnstiles at the 1B and 2B tournaments this year.

The WIAA relies heavily on the revenue from the basketball state tournaments to support its other activities.

“Basketball is our sacred cow,” Colbrese said. “Is the cow getting a little skinnier? It is getting skinnier.”

Colbrese said no specific changes to the basketball, or any sport’s, state tournament have been discussed. A variety of options will be explored in July. Among the possible considerations are adjusting the draw criteria for state events, reducing the number of qualifiers and changing the location of venues. Colbrese noted that Washington is the only state to have a 16-team, double-elimination basketball state tournament.

“Every once in a while,” he said, “it’s good to take a look at yourself.”

Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271
doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/preps

To see what amendments passed, click below:

=> Read more!

I'm at the WIAA Rep Assembly in Renton and the voters have just passed an amendment to implement a shot clock in boys basketball. The vote passed 42-11. A vote to make the shot clock 35 seconds passed 47-5 and one abstention.

Just a reminder, no decision regarding the format of the basketball state tournament was made. The WIAA Executive Board will meet in July to review the formats and draw criteria of the state tournaments in all sports.

You can view a list of all the amendments being voted on here. Here's what has happened so far at the Rep Assembly.

Amendment No. 1 – Grades 9-11 will be used for enrollment counts – FAIL

Amendment No. 2 – Combine 1B and 2B classifications into Class B. WITHDRAWN

Amendment No. 3 – Private schools with enrollments between 50-300 students will be placed into a “private school” classification. MOTION DIED (no vote)

Amendment No. 4 – WIAA Executive Board may appoint a fact finder to investigate alleged violations. PASSED

Amendment No. 5 – Schools must play a varsity half-season to be counted for team allocations. FAILED

Amendment No. 6 – Delete incorrect interpretation or application in appeal of forfeiture. PASSED

Amendment No. 7 – Coach may coach seniors in one practice and one Washington Basketball Coaches Association-sponsored all-state game. PASSED

Amendment No. 8 – Stunt certification required for dance/drill coaches whose squads stunt. PASSED

Amendment No. 9 – All paid and head coaches must annually complete the online rules clinic. FAILED

Amendment No. 10 – Sub-varsity basketball players may play two sub-varsity games a day, eight times a season. PASSED

Amendment No. 11-A – Adds a shot clock for boys basketall. PASSED

Amendment No. 11-B – Determines time allotment for boys basketball shot clock. PASSED