[BoomerSooner]

Well here's my position on things....

With 2 less players on the lane you haven't really cleaned things up a whole lot (outside of having 2 less players to commit fouls, everybody else is still going hard), but it does clear the picture up in that sight lines are a little better. Just a little easier to officials.

As for the positioning of the players, I say leave them alone. Maybe nostalgia speaking here, may be my dislike of change, may be alot of things speaking, but I don't like it for some reason. Probably the thought of increased fouls is the biggest deterrent for me.

16 min halves vs 8 minute quarter - I don't care to change things. Let the kids play 8 min quarters. Holding for that last shot is strategy, change to halves you lose 2 strategic plays per game. I also agree that it takes 2 periods of coaching away (adding 2 TO's per game, 1 for each team, doesn't completely balance this in my mind). Also some of nostalgia and such in this one.

5 second closely guarded count must stay in place - dribling and holding. Eliminating it would penalize good defense. Even moderate ball handlers can keep the ball from a good defender and draw a foul if his only goal is to run clock. The rule as it is forces action on the part of the offense, which is typically the side that should be moving the game along.

Shot clock @ High school level = bad. It might speed the game up and add a little strategy late in games, but what about proper training for operators. I don't think you would get it at the HS level. Also think of the cost of adding the equipment. Large schools could handle it, but smaller schools (especially here in Oklahoma, where the top story on the news every night seems to be how can we make more money for public schools and where there was talk of charging players a fee to sign up for public school athletic teams) I don't think it would fly.

As for the kick ball approved signal, I've got no problems with it. Sure alot of us were using it improperly before, but now its legitimate. If they didn't approve it, then any official that wanted to use the grizzly bear over-the-back signal or the travel signal for a throw in violation couldn't really be repremanded by anyone that was using the, at the time, unapproved kick signal. Its kinda hard to say I can use the unapproved kick signal, but you can't use . Now this is a moot point, because the kick signal is gravy.