After the WNBA announced a set of rule changes for the 2006 season, Wade Morehead, the WNBA's Senior Director, Basketball Operations discussed the origin of the ideas and the impact they should have on the league as a whole. The changes include four ten-minute quarters, a :24 second shot clock and eliminating the jump ball to start the second half.

Q.: As the WNBA prepares for its tenth season, how did these significant changes to the rule book come about?
W.M.: "Throughout the season, the WNBA league office accepts any input and suggestions or advice from teams, whether it is the Board of Governors, general managers or head coaches, as well as relative experts in the field or league office personnel. Those ideas are then presented to the Competition Committee for discussion and to be voted on to see whether it will be presented as an official recommendation for the Board of Governors to vote on."

Q.: What criteria do you and your group use to evaluate whether a potential rule change will have a positive impact?
W.M.: "A full evaluation of the impact of the rule is made and we look at a number of things. Specifically, we will look at a rule's success in other leagues such as the NBA, at the D-League level, in international play or at the NCAA Division I level. If the idea is new and has not yet been in enacted in any other league, we do our best to determine all the aspects of the game that we believe the rule will directly affect and how it will impact the game. We then get input from our G.M.'s and coaches, who we feel are the most knowledgeable and experienced in the world, as well as from the players. Everyone is included in the process."

Q.: Going to four quarters from two halves does not make the game longer, so what was the motivation behind making the change?
W.M.: "This rule continues to evolve the game into a format that mirrors what other professional leagues have done with their game, such as the NBA and the international game. It creates additional "End of quarter" situations and, thus, means more excitement for the fans."

Q.: So then the time outs naturally had to be changed as well, right? To make for better viewing?
W.M.: "Actually, we believe that the two-hour window in which we provide our product to fans is the ideal scenario. Moving to the four quarter format added two additional 120-second breaks to that format, which would have increased the length of the game. The time out changes are designed to maintain the four breaks that we have each half and stay within our window.

Q.: How do you think the new :24 second shot clock will change the game?
W.M.: "This change will increase the number of possessions per game. The 2005 WNBA Finals between the Sacramento Monarchs and Connecticut Sun, the two highest scoring teams in the playoffs, saw a significant increase in viewership. They played a brand of basketball that we believe people want to watch. Last season, the two highest scoring teams in the regular season were Seattle and Connecticut, and both teams saw an increase in attendance. These teams are winning and scoring at a high pace, and people are demonstrating that they want to watch this style. If increased scoring is what people want to see, then we need to look at ways that will help the league continue to improve upon the exciting brand of basketball that we have provided for the past nine years."

Q.: Might the shorter shot clock result in worse shots being taken or enough time for an offense to set up?
W.M.: "This past season, with a :30 second shot clock, our teams averaged shooting at around the :17 second mark on every possession. So the teams are shooting well before the :24 second anyway. The :24 second shot clock will guarantee more possessions."

Q.: What, if any, feedback have you gotten from players or coaches regarding the changes?
W.M.: "The Players Association has a seat on the Competition Committee and the players are always polled on these issues to get a feel for them before they are even presented to the Competition Committee in the first place. The Competition Committee is ultimately comprised of the head coaches and general managers league-wide. So their initial vote for these rules is a sign of their support and excitement. Their comments since the Board of Governors has approved the rules have been in complete support and anticipation of next season getting started."

Q.: Looking forward, what changes might we expect in the future to grow?
W.M.: "Nothing in particular right now, but we are continuously looking for ways to keep the product fresh. Our goal is for the game to evolve into a free-flowing, less physical, team brand of basketball that puts the athletes on a stage where they can succeed and entertain our fans."

Q.: Since you are also in charge of officiating, what is the process like for the referees to learn the rules and get comfortable with them?
W.M.: "All of our officials are currently working either in the D-League or as NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball referees. As those seasons conclude, we will update our web site with all of the new rules and continuously add plays that emphasize and reinforce last year's areas of focus and this season's points of emphasis. All of these rules are designed to encourage a more free-flowing, less physical game. Hundreds of plays will be viewed, rules reviewed and questions answered on our password-protected web site that serves as a virtual 24-hour conference room for our staff to access. That will lead us up to our training camp in April. This reinforcement will continue throughout the season with regular tests and more and more plays to view and study on the web. We are constantly working to improve through training and education."