The NCAA News - News & Features

Committee supports earlier phone calls to prospects

The committee, which met May 15-17 in Kansas City, Missouri, agreed to recommend that the NCAA Council sponsor proposed legislation at the 1997 Convention based on suggestions by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the American Football Coaches Association.

The proposals would:

* Permit Divisions I and II basketball coaches to make one telephone call during June following the prospect's junior year in high school. Such calls currently are not permitted before July 1.

* Permit Division I football coaches to make one telephone call in May of the prospect's junior year in high school. In exchange, the coaches proposed the elimination of two calls that currently are permitted in August.

Both proposals seek to give coaches more time to evaluate prospective student-athletes and to determine prospects' level of interest in an institution.

The coaches organizations believe earlier calls ultimately may be more cost-efficient. The organizations believe that prospects are easier to reach by telephone during May and June, and that savings also can be achieved by halting mailings and telephone calls to prospects who clearly are not interested in an institution.

The Recruiting Committee annually solicits suggestions regarding NCAA recruiting legislation from coaching organizations. The suggestions involving telephone calls were among ideas submitted by the organizations this year.

Responding to a suggestion from the Collegiate Commissioners Association, the committee also will recommend to the NCAA Administrative Committee that it modify legislation concerning dead periods around National Letter of Intent signing dates in Divisions I and II men's and women's basketball.

The commissioners recommended using a four-day dead period in basketball like the dead period that currently surrounds the signing date in Divisions I and II football.

Currently, basketball signing periods begin at 7 a.m. on the Monday prior to the first day of the signing period and last until 7 a.m. Friday following the signing date. Under the proposal, a basketball dead period simply would extend from all day Monday before the signing date through the Thursday following the date, as it now does in football.

The commissioners are seeking to simplify the basketball legislation by eliminating the reference to 7 a.m.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS -- Recruiting Committee

* Reviewed developing technology -- such as computer e-mail, World Wide Web sites and other forms of communications -- that can be employed in recruiting and and discussed ways in which the Association can "keep up" with use of such technology. The committee reached no conclusions on the topic, but did endorse a suggestion by coaches organizations that faxes and e-mail messages should be considered telephone calls under existing legislation.

* Discussed the committee's function in the restructured Association and recommended to the division transition teams that the committee be federated. Committee members also noted that the Recruiting Committee is the only existing general committee that includes coaches as members alongside athletics administrators and student-athletes, and recommended that representatives of all three constituencies should continue to serve on federated committees dealing with recruiting.

* Noted that the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Women's Basketball Coaches Association have reaffirmed their support for the year-round event-certification legislation that was adopted at the 1996 Convention. The legislation, which goes into effect August 1, makes certification requirements currently in effect for summer men's and women's basketball events (such as camps, leagues, tournaments and festivals) effective year-round.

The committee also discussed types of events that should be included in the certification programs and requirements for events that provide reduced admission and employment opportunities for attendees. It also reaffirmed that events may provide clothing items (including shoes) to attendees so long as the cost of the items is included (and can be documented as being included) in the participation fee.