The Milwaukee Juneau Pioneers won their first-ever gold ball by defeating Cambridge in the Division 4 title game in Madison, but their second-half strategy is drawing attention.
Taking advantage of the absence of a shot clock in Wisconsin high school basketball, Milwaukee Juneau held the ball for more than 90 seconds in the second half. Slowing the game down helped the Pioneers play their style of basketball.
Head Coach Torre Johnson Jr. explained how the strategy helped his team.
"There were a couple of drives where I felt the boys got hit a couple of times, and there was no calls being made. All right, we’re going to slow it down and bring it out and make those guys come out and guard. So when that happened, that forced them to come out, which opened up lanes for Jaden Hardiman. He has the guys one-on-one, and they can pack the paint, which opened up us getting a lot of dunks and weak-side baskets," Johnson said.
Cambridge could have played pressure defense to force a five-second rule, but they chose not to. The Pioneers' decision to hold the ball is perfectly legal in the rule book. Teams across the state have used this strategy for years because there is no shot clock rule.
Watch: Milwaukee Juneau wins state title as their no-shot-clock strategy sparks debate in Wisconsin
I asked player Takis Tyler what it was like to hold the ball on the court.
"He’s been telling us all season there’s going to be a point where we need to get our energy back without using a timeout. We’ve been prepared for a moment like that. All of the boos. It’s like what we’ve been wanting. We know people don’t really like us, we’re from the inner city," Tyler said.
The strategy has sparked discussions about introducing a shot clock to the state.
"Obviously, there are different opinions on whether it’s a strategy, whether it’s good for the game, or whether it’s not. Our coaches have looked at some options introducing the shot clock to Wisconsin. We’re working with them; however, it’s a membership-driven process where it goes through a rules process, rules committee process in order to get it initiated," Levar Ridgeway, assistant director of the WIAA, said.
From an administrative perspective, challenges include the cost of the shot clocks, hiring someone to run them, and making sure scoreboards are compatible. From a coach's standpoint, there are differences of opinion regarding how a shot clock impacts strategies.
I asked Ridgeway what the cost would be for schools if Wisconsin got a shot clock.
"It varies, and that’s one of the concerns from schools is the cost, as you mentioned, between 3 and 5, and that would depend on compatibility of the current scoreboards at that school," Ridgeway said.
Although Milwaukee Juneau is taking a lot of heat on social media, Johnson has no regrets with a gold ball in their hands.
"I wasn’t expecting social media reaction; that caught me off guard, but there was a statement made years ago that I always kept with me. Once I learned there are 9 billion people in the world, no one person can make me feel any type of way. Realistically, by the reaction that we’re getting right now, I feel like we did what we were supposed to do," Johnson said.
Last year, the advisory council voted the shot clock down, but it is expected to be back on the table this spring.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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