After covering just three boys basketball games during the first week of the season, the importance of a zone defense is becoming quite obvious now that there is a shot clock.

Maybe the amount of influence is skewed because teams are naturally rusty when shooting after just the first week, but even if that turns out to be the case, running an effective zone could be the most important weapon for a coach nowadays.

Now, don’t get all puffed up. I get it — everybody likes to play man-to-man. There is a satisfaction involved with being able to matchup pound-for-pound against your opponent, as opposed to camping in spots on the court with your arms up, waiting for them to come at you.

In golf terms, playing zone is like laying up when you could just go for the green. I understand, it is more submissive to sit back and wait.

But unless you’re coaching one of the better man-to-man defenses in the state, the shot clock has changed things. It’s challenged teams to put up a decent shot in 35 seconds. In high school, that means an offense has roughly two opportunities to go through all of its options before the other bench is screaming, “Ten, nine, eight … ” and panic ensues.

In my experience both playing high school basketball and covering it, the first time going through an offense without getting a shot is usually frustrating enough to force a turnover or some sort of wild lob.

If those with the ball don’t panic, that’s even better. You can tell that a shot clock is an addition this year because boys just aren’t used to it yet. And why should they be?

It has just been part of the culture to be able to hold on to the ball for as long as you can. That doesn’t change in a month of practice, especially for sophomores and juniors who are just trying to keep up with the varsity game in the first place.

When playing zone there are more opportunities to dictate the pace of the game, create turnovers and completely frustrate the other team.

Even if a team is great at playing man-to-man, it will wear a team out that plays it effectively. It can put you at a severe disadvantage when you’re fatigued from a man defense and your opponent sits back and watches you struggle passing through a sea of open hands.