Last week, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association made a pair of major announcements that have caught the attention of sports fans across the Commonwealth.
Last Wednesday, Sept. 17, the KHSAA announced that the Board of Control had voted, 13-5, to adopt a shot clock for boys and girls varsity basketball starting with the 2027-28 season. This vote took place at the board’s second regularly scheduled meeting of the current academic year.
“Thirty-two state associations throughout the country currently use a shot clock in some manner, and Kentucky will implement the use of a 35-second shot clock in two years,” stated a release sent out by the KHSAA.
The release also went on to say that the Louisville Invitational Tournament, as well as “several other events,” have experimented with using a 35-second shot clock in games, and that representatives have reported there being no problems with doing so.
KHSAA Board of Control members were said to believe that implementing a shot clock in high school basketball will help to “advance the game.” By waiting for the 2027-28 season, the hope is that it will “allow for budgeting for the equipment and further training for the shot clock operators.”
KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett was quoted regarding the development, saying, “The board considered a variety of viewpoints and takes very seriously its role as the stewards of the game. Right down to the discussions around the implementation year, they discussed every aspect. With the full year after this season, schools can continue to use the shot clock on an experimental basis, as well as get clocks installed for a smooth transition.”
Delegate Assembly votes on student-athlete transfers
On Thursday, Sept. 18, the KHSAA made the announcement that its Delegate Assembly, which is made up of one representative from each of the 291 member schools, had voted, 168-52, in favor of “allowing athletes who have participated in 20% or less of games played to transfer to another school with no penalty.”
This development comes off the heels of the 2025 meeting of the Kentucky General Assembly, where Whitley County’s own Representative Nick Wilson filed a bill that sought to simplify the student-athlete transfer process. The bill proposed allowing a student enrolled in grades 9-12, and participating in any interscholastic sport, to transfer to another school and remain eligible to participate in varsity contests, but only once. The bill stated that any further attempts to transfer would be subject to all applicable transfer rules set forth in the bylaws.
In essence, Wilson was proposing a one-time “free pass” that would allow student-athletes to transfer from one school district to another without being subjected to lengthy review processes which could result in significant losses of playing time.
The bill, House Bill 292, was sent to the House Committee on Primary and Secondary Education for review. It did not make it out of committee review, but in late-February a House Joint Resolution was filed in the hopes that the conversation regarding transfer rules could continue until a workable solution could be reached by all concerned parties.
The joint resolution, HJR 49, directed the KHSAA to submit a report to the Legislative Research Commission concerning student-athlete transfers and their eligibility, making recommendations to improve upon the process in the future.
Wilson was quoted at the time of the filing of the joint resolution, saying, “Generally speaking, a resolution will instruct a group of people to study something or look into how to make something better. It is like an examination of an area where changes might need to be made.”
Clearly, those talks have continued since the conclusion of the 2025 Legislative Session, and have now resulted in aforementioned vote to amend the bylaws as it pertains to student-athlete transfers. Wilson commented on the most recent developments, saying, “I appreciate the KHSAA for taking steps to address the concerns I share with so many parents and students about this issue. As we move forward, I will continue to work with them and monitor how this policy is implemented and how it impacts student-athletes.”
For additional details on the recent votes by the KHSAA’s Board of Control and Delegate Assembly, visit www.khsaa.org. For more information on proposed legislation filed by lawmakers during the 2025 Legislative Session, visit www.legislature.ky.gov.
