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Anyone who has played basketball before can relate.

You’re standing in your driveway by yourself when you begin the countdown in your head.

Five, four, three, two, one!

What follows is usually an off-balanced, fade-away that often clanks off the rim and rarely swishes.

But those swishes feel like a million bucks, and you can always say you were fouled on the misses. Either way, it’s one heck of a thrill.

The buzzer beater is indeed one of the most exciting plays in basketball and you’re about to see a lot more of them in high school basketball in Minnesota this winter.

The MSHSL has introduced a 35-second shot clock for this season, which means the pace of games will be faster and great defense will be rewarded.

Gone are the days when teams could hold the ball, or run a motion offense for two or three minutes before looking at the basket. Offenses will be forced to attack, even if the defense is smothering.

It’s a much welcomed change to the sport and it’s sure to create a better flow.

Ideally, this will lead to more ball movement and less dribbling as basketball is at its best when teams share the ball instead of just having one player try to dribble through the double or triple teams.

It’s an exciting time for the sport and I encourage all community members to get out and catch a game this year. Nothing beats the cold of winter quite like watching a fast-paced, well played game of hoops.