Kim Kiel Named First Female AHSAA Central Board President as Board Approves Basketball Shot Clock
MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Central Board of Control made two historic decisions at its April meeting in Montgomery. The board unanimously elected Kim Kiel as its first female president in the organization’s 105-year history. Additionally, the board approved a mandated 35-second shot clock for high school basketball, which will take effect in the 2026-2027 season.
Historic Leadership for AHSAA
Kim Kiel, an assistant superintendent for Pelham City Schools, currently serves as the District 5 representative. She brings decades of education and athletic experience to the position. Throughout her career, she has worked as a teacher, coach, athletic director, and principal. Kiel recently entered the AHSAA Hall of Fame class of 2026 and served as the board’s vice president.
Brian Jett, the superintendent of Fort Payne City Schools and District 8 representative, will step into the vice president role. Both new officers officially begin their one-year terms on July 29, 2026.
Basketball Moves to the Shot Clock Era
The decision to add a 35-second shot clock reshapes Alabama high school basketball. AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon noted that basketball coaches played a major role in driving this change. The board scheduled the rollout for the 2026-2027 season to align with the start of a new classification period.
In another basketball update, the board expanded the postseason mercy rule to include state championship games. This rule triggers a running clock if a team builds a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Additional Rule Changes Across Alabama High School Sports
The Central Board approved several key updates for other sports:
- Cross Country: State meet directors will now assign starting boxes randomly.
- Swimming: State qualifying times will adjust every two years based on data from the previous two years. The board also approved backstroke ledges and updated meet schedules.
- Wrestling: State tournaments will return to pre-determined brackets. The board expanded brackets to 16 wrestlers for Class 1A-3A boys, as well as 5A and 6A girls.
Legislative Council Ratifies New By-Laws
The AHSAA Legislative Council also met to review 21 by-law proposals, officially passing three key measures:
- Proposal 4: Mandates that only full-time employees of member schools can serve as district representatives on Standing Sports Committees.
- Proposal 11: Requires member schools to clearly mark any student-athlete who transfers after the third day of their seventh-grade year. Public rosters will display an asterisk or highlighted mark next to the athlete’s name until they graduate or stop playing sports.
- Proposal 14: Requires the AHSAA to provide a complete, written breakdown of raw voting results for all legislative proposals and by-law changes.
To wrap up the meeting, the board approved the 2026-2027 sports calendars, accepted recent financial reports, and discussed future branding updates for state championship events.
