Tom Critchley paused to collect his thoughts, more than a decade's worth of dashed basketball dreams running through his mind, before shaking his head, sighing and beginning his concession speech.
On a day when the Minnesota State High School League board of directors approved an additional class of competition in the soccer, volleyball and cross-country state tournaments, Critchley and the basketball leadership's two proposals failed in their efforts to change the sport.
A plan to implement a shot clock, designed in part to improve the game's pace, stalled when the board voted it down 13-5, with one member abstaining. Earlier in the league's board meeting, a proposed Sweet 16 state tournament format didn't get that far. No board member made a motion to bring the proposal to a vote.
Critchley, executive director of the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association, said the board "dishonored the advisory committee process by not bringing it to a vote," said "This is something we've been working on for minimally 12 years."
League associate director Bob Madison, who oversees basketball, said he heard from various regions that opposed a reconfiguration of the final 16 teams because "if they lose the regional section final rivalry, they lose a geographic rival and potentially, the gate receipts."
The 35-second shot clock proposal, which also failed last June, was voted down by 11 of the 16 region committees. In addition, the league's activities directors advisory committee voted 14-2 against.
"The activities directors are what's slowing it down," Critchley said. "When they vote on something in a region committee meeting, members will ask, 'How did the activities directors vote?' That's the same thing here. We'll have to make a stronger effort in engaging the activities directors on the advisory committee."
Concerns about the shot clock plan included costs and personnel. Nodding to the unanimous approval from outstate Regions 6A and 8A, Critchley said, "The smallest schools can find people to work."
