ncaa issues committee to meet

Frank Burlison notes in his most recent column at Fox Sports.com that the the meeting of the 16-member men's portion of the "NCAA Division I Basketball Issues Committee" is scheduled for Oct. 30 in Chicago. He writes that "The most pressing issue facing the group is helping to come up with a new recruiting 'model' that would address the rising concerns over perceived problems dealing with summer basketball — notably, the tournaments and camps that college coaches attend to evaluate potential players. "

On August 10 the NCAA Division I Board of Directors confirmed the appointment of Kenneth Shaw, Syracuse University chancellor, as chair for the new committee, and also confirmed the nominations of the rest of the members of the committee. There will be a student representative on the men's issues committee as well, but as far as we know, that student hasn't been named yet. There is also a corresponding 16-member women's basketball issues committee, but they are examining similar, but different issues.

Steven Bilsky	Penn (AD)
Jim Delany	Big Ten (Commissioner)
Bob Frederick	Kansas (AD)
Doug Fullerton	Big Sky (Commissioner)
Ernie Kent*	Oregon (Coach)
Floyd Kerr*	Southern (AD)
Mike Krzyzewski	Duke (Coach)
Bob Lawless	Tulsa (President)
Phil Mathews*	San Francisco (Coach)
John Parry	Butler (AD)
Lorenzo Romar*	St. Louis (Coach)
Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw	Syracuse (President)
Orlando "Tubby" Smith*	Kentucky (Coach)
Jon Steinbrecher	Mid-Continent (Commissioner)

The Board authorized the committee in April as part of a package of measures adopted to address issues in Division I basketball. For its first two years, the committee will report to the Board and has been directed specifically to develop an alternative for the current summer recruiting system in men's basketball. At the first meeting of the men's subcommittee in October, it will review the research and recommendations from the NCAA staff that has been gathered over the summer and early fall.

The changes which have been thus far implemented in the recruiting calendar for this next summer are already, "in cement" as they say, a done deal, and the committee is not looking to change things or even study the proposals which were approved this past summer concerning the 2001 summer calendar. Those proposals already approved, call for the July evaluation period this coming summer to be only 14 days long (reduced from 24), increasing the evaluation days during the academic year from 40 to 50, allowing 18 contact days within a 30 day period starting from Labor Day on, and allowing contact days after the Final Four for 9 days commencing after the initial signing date in the spring.

The proposal though which the committee will be studying will be that one which was passed as Resolution No. 99-128B (for those of you interested in actually reading the legislation). The NCAA website actually has a summary of this legislation, but it's not terribly accurate. In short though, the committee will be looking at the general guidelines suggested and trying to come up with something which works for both the coaches and the players.

We have been hearing rumblings though that some of the folks who are not only interested in the summer recruiting process but who also make it their profession to run camps, clinics and other events which have for the past decade attracted and brought together coaches and prospective student athletes during the evaluation periods may be considering various steps to protect their own interests, including potential the potential of legal action if the "model" is so restrictive as to implicate antitrust and/or other anticompetitive practices legislation which may be applicable. In other words, the most interesting aspect of this committee may yet be that it does not include any of the people whom this "model" will directly affect. The NCAA has an opportunity to correct what we believe is a clear oversight, by adding to the committee yet other voices, including various tournament and camp directors, shoe company and other prominent basektball sponsor representatives, the AAU, representatives from the various national and state high school associations, etc. And if these folks aren't going to be on the official "committee," we hope at least that the Committee will do everything it can to include their voices as they conduct the study and prepare their report.

The plan right now is for the 16 member committee to prepare a report for the Board, which will be received sometime in January. The Committee and the Board will then review proposed legislation in April and give final consideration to the new structure in October 2001. Here's hoping that it turns out better for everyone concerned than the legislation which the NCAA has thus far passed on this subject.