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Bloom’s Emondrek Erkins-Ford believes it’s a no-brainer.

The senior forward feels a shot clock in high school basketball is long overdue.

“It’s frustrating when teams hold the ball,” Erkins-Ford said. “You can try to get up and press them, but sometimes you can’t do anything about it.

“With a shot clock, I feel like possessions will go by faster and there will be less holding the ball. I think that’s better for the fans — and for us too.”

In May, the National Federation of State High School Associations announced it will give states the option of implementing a 35-second shot clock for boys and girls basketball beginning with the 2022-23 season.

The NFHS did not mandate the shot clock, leaving states that follow NFHS guidelines — including Illinois and Indiana — with a choice to make.

According to a news release earlier this month, the Illinois High School Association held discussions and surveyed school administrators about the shot clock in November.

The IHSA survey reported 19% of responding administrators support implementing the shot clock full time in 2022-23, 47% supported using a shot clock on an experimental basis in tournaments next season and 54% were in favor of the IHSA developing a future timeline to implement the shot clock.

Many area coaches can’t wait to see a shot clock at their games.

“Absolutely, we need a shot clock,” Naperville Central girls coach Andy Nussbaum said. “No question it will be a much better game.

“Here’s the thing. The stall was the only way small schools had to win back when we had one class. We don’t have one class anymore, haven’t for 40 years, and so we don’t need that anymore. There’s a reason the pros and the colleges have a clock — because it makes it a better game.”

While most players seem in favor of the shot clock, citing a more exciting game and better preparation for college basketball, some coaches and administrators are skeptical given the costs of installing shot clocks and the difficulties of finding workers to run them.

Sandburg athletic director Steve Schanz, a longtime girls basketball coach, sees both sides of the debate.

“As a former coach, I think it would be a lot of fun and a great challenge,” he said. “It would change some things, add some excitement. As an administrator, there would be some costs involved.

“Some schools like ours would be fortunate to purchase that and do that, but there are a lot of schools in our state that would have a hard time doing it.”

As far as Naperville North’s Kenzie Hare is concerned, there’s no doubt a shot clock would help college-bound high school players get ready for the future.

“Yes, definitely,” said Hare, a senior guard and Saint Louis recruit. “I want a shot clock, for sure. We play with a shot clock in college, and if high school is supposed to get us prepared for college, I think we need to implement that into high school basketball.”

Lyons girls coach Meghan Hutchens, who played at Illinois-Chicago, agreed with Hare’s assessment.

“We do play fast, and if you look right now, we have two or three girls going to play in college and it will prepare them,” Hutchens said. “Thirty-five seconds is a long time. You can score in 35 seconds. You have plenty of time to run a play, so I do think it’s a great idea.”

Not only is the shot clock used on the college and professional levels, but it also has gained increasing popularity on the youth travel circuit.

Antioch’s Sean Connor, who coached AAU boys for 11 years, said many top players have to adjust when they come back to high school basketball after playing with a shot clock on travel teams.

“The top players in the country have been playing with a shot clock for years,” Connor said. “That’s part of the reason high schools are losing players to prep schools. Elite players are going from a level of basketball with a shot clock to not having that.

“The game is evolving around the world. It’s a global game, and most countries are playing with a shot clock. We should be pushing our high schools to play with a shot clock so they can adjust to it.”

In Indiana, where high school basketball is a tradition that’s beloved perhaps more than in any other state, some players are ready for a change, according to Portage’s Kamari Slaughter.

“It would speed the game up,” said Slaughter, a junior guard. “There would be a lot of shots going up. It would be a good thing. Nobody would be holding the ball. But it would be a bad thing for teams that didn’t develop.”

Crown Point’s Lilly Stoddard, a senior center and Purdue recruit, is all for it.

“I think if there were a shot clock, it’d prepare us better for the next level,” she said. “I think it’d be a good thing. Plus, we normally get a shot off in time anyway.”

Michigan City girls coach Mike Megyese, who’s also an assistant softball coach, likened the possible implementation of the shot clock to a prominent softball rule change in that both would align high school rules with college.

“In softball, they moved the mound back to 43 (feet) because that’s what it is in college to prepare those kids for college,” Megyese said. “This could prepare them for college basketball, getting ready for that level by understanding how to play the game with a shot clock.”

Others, however, are not so sure high school players need to deal with college rules already.

Merrillville’s Davina Smith, a senior forward, feels the shot clock would be detrimental to players whose skill levels are still developing.

“There shouldn’t be one,” she said of the shot clock. “Some of us aren’t at that college level yet. We still need more time to learn our plays and get everything else going.”

Valparaiso boys coach Barak Coolman fears the shot clock will have unintended consequences, bringing about more empty possessions rather than increased scoring.

“The shot clock, I’m afraid, is not going to give what people want,” Coolman said, pointing to a recent game against 21st Century. “We were slow and deliberate. We still scored 71 points because we will take good shots and play at a fast pace.

“I think what will happen is there are going to be more and more bad shots at the end of shot clocks by people that haven’t prepared to do it. If I’m coaching here, I’m going to make sure the wrong guy has the ball with the last five seconds and has to shoot it.”

Lake Central girls coach Joe Huppenthal has plenty of questions about how a shot clock would actually be implemented.

“There are a lot of unanswered parts to it that are just not good for the game right now,” he said. “We’re struggling to find officials, and that’s another thing you’re going to put on them.

“It’s another financial burden for a lot of schools.”

Then there are potential logistical issues, like finding someone capable of operating the shot clock without issues for every game.

While the game clock is relatively simple to run ― with a referee’s whistle signaling when to stop and start it — the shot clock is dependent on the operator to know when to reset it on each possession.

“My biggest worry is we already struggle to get people to understand the game enough to run the clock and be officials,” Portage boys coach Bryon Clouse said. “Now to get someone who understands the shot clock, that’s the one thing I worry about when people keep talking about it.

“Yeah, it might help speed the game up, I’ll give you that. But not if you have to stop it because they messed it up and they don’t fully understand if it hit the rim or didn’t hit the rim.”

In Illinois, coaches have similar concerns about making shot clocks work at the high school level.

Lemont boys coach Rick Runaas is worried about the financial and logistical issues it could create.

“Budgets are tight everywhere,” Runaas said. “Clocks and other electronic material necessary may be cost-prohibitive at this time. It isn’t as simple as buying one clock. We would need clocks visible at both ends and possibly at multiple school sites.

“In addition, this is a difficult skill to manage. You almost need another official at the table to manage the shot clock. The person running the clock must know basketball rules enough to know when to start and stop the clock. We have had difficulty employing knowledgeable people for jobs administering games as it is. This would make things more difficult.”

Yorkville Christian boys coach Aaron Sovern can look at the issue from multiple perspectives, as he also is his school’s athletic director.

“From my administrator point of view, I have to figure out where are we buying the shot clock, how are we installing it and now I have to pay somebody to run it,” Sovern said. “That side of me doesn’t want it.

“But the coach in me for sure wants it. That would be a neat thing, and it would help kids get ready for the next level, anyway.”

Then there are those, like Lincoln-Way Central girls coach Dave Campanile, who are concerned about how the shot clock will affect games.

“I don’t know if it puts me in the category of being an old-school guy, but my initial instinct is it gives me more concern than excitement as a coach,” he said. “I think it’s going to increase poor shot selection. Especially in the girls game, there is value to long possessions.

“Also, I’m a person who likes the chess game at the end. ‘Hey, we’ve got the lead, and we can delay.’ I tend to like that kind of strategy part. This would change the entire complexion of how we’ve coached up to this point.”

Whether it happens next season, in two years or even further down the road, most coaches and players agree the shot clock will inevitably come to high school basketball.

Carmel boys coach Zack Ryan is already preparing.

“I’m all for it,” he said. “We actually bought a shot clock, a little portable one, that we use at practices, so if the shot clock does come next year, we’ll be ready for it.”

Young players, like sophomore forward Allie Geiger from IC Catholic, know the shot clock might become a reality during their high school careers and are preparing to adjust.

“I think it would speed up the game a lot and the type of play,” Geiger said. “I think there would have to be specific rules, but maybe a shot clock could be a new addition to high school basketball and maybe improve it.”

Then there are seniors like Warren guard Drew Dolan who lament the fact they won’t get to experience high school basketball with a shot clock.

Dolan was frustrated by the slow pace of his team’s Dec. 14 game.

“I hate when teams hold the ball, just like Fremd was doing it for a long time,” Dolan said. “I don’t like that at all, even when we do it. I like playing at a fast pace, moving around and getting shots off quicker.

“(The shot clock) will help everyone and can help recruiting. You have to take that first good shot. It would be a good improvement in this era.”

South Elgin’s Caroline Croft, a senior guard, summed up the thoughts of many players who feel the time has come to make the change.

“I think it is time for a shot clock in high school basketball,” she said. “I think it would help high school basketball in many ways for the better. It would allow close ends of games to become more competitive, and games would have a lot more action since teams would not be allowed to hold the ball for so long.

“I think it’s the next step for high school basketball and will improve the game overall.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Staff reporters Rick Armstrong, Tony Baranek and Michael Osipoff and freelance reporters Matt Le Cren, Dave Melton and Bob Narang also contributed.