When the IHSAA announced this season that junior varsity basketball games would be lengthened by four minutes, Yorktown boys basketball coach Greg Miller didn’t think it would make much of a difference.
Now, as the season draws nearer to its end, Miller and other local coaches have come to see the change’s impact.
“It seems like they’ve had a fuller season,” Miller said. “I don’t see how this could be a bad thing for any JV kid.”
The change in game time added one minute to each quarter, making them seven minutes each. The idea for the adjustment was brought to the IHSAA Executive Committee from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. The change was officially instated for the 2014-2015 school year on Oct. 17, according to IHSAA documents. It applies to both boys and girls basketball games.
Derick Bright, a member of the IHSAA Executive Committee and Wes-Del’s principal, said the decision to make the modification was made in part to equalize varsity and JV teams. Varsity teams play 8-minute quarters.
Bright said the final decision came down to wanting the players to improve.
“Ultimately the executive committee decided to lengthen the quarters…just giving those kids on the JV a little bit more opportunity to play and continue to grow their skills,” Bright said.
Bright added that since the time change has been in place, he’s gotten ‘a mixed bag’ of reactions. Most coaches and parents are happy the players get to play more, though Bright notes a few people are unhappy a game night is lengthened.
While one extra minute per quarter might not seem like a lot, Central girls coach Lisa Blalock said it can make a significant difference.
“A lot can happen in four minutes,” Blalock said. “And over the course of the season, that adds up to a lot of game minutes.”
Justin Ullom, Monroe Central’s head coach and Delta’s former JV coach, added the lengthening of the game also allows for more players to get some playing time. Before the change, it was difficult to get everyone a fair shot while still developing skills.
“You don’t get to fully see them all jell together or see guys at as many positions as you could with that extra minute in the game,” Ullom said. “It doesn’t sound like a lot but it does help you help the players develop.”
Although coaches agree the extra minute is a positive thing, allowing for more development of the players, the effect might not be as immediate as people think.
Both Blalock and Miller agree the improvement in players with this change likely won’t be apparent immediately, but will gradually begin to show.
Going forward, this change to the game is likely to remain for a while, Bright said. However, he doesn’t expect varsity and JV games to match any time soon. Bright said there’s been no talk of lengthening JV games further and he doesn’t expect to see a push for it in the coming months.