The NCAA News - News & Features

Men's basketball committee acts to hasten play

Basketball committee makes officiating changes

As one of many basketball constituencies concerned with the length of and late starting times for tournament games, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee will implement several changes designed to reduce the actual time necessary to play a game.

Meeting June 24-27 in Monterey, California, the basketball committee adopted four policies centering mostly on officiating procedures. The policies will be in effect for the 1997 championship.

The committee will require officials to put the ball down and start the throw-in count after the horn sounds to end a 20-second timeout, regardless of whether the offensive team is in place for the throw-in or still in the huddle. If the defensive team is not in place for the throw-in, the official will begin the throw-in process by giving the ball to the offense.

The committee agreed to require players to stand during 20-second timeouts in order to resume play quickly after the horn sounds to end the timeout.

The committee also will instruct officials to prohibit team huddles around the free-throw line before and between free throws.

In addition, timeout coordinators will start timeouts 10 seconds after the official indicates a timeout has been called, rather than wait for teams to reach their respective benches.

The committee supported the concept of reducing time between first- and second-round games from 30 minutes to 25 minutes. It will consult with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) before implementing such a change.

Also to be discussed with the NABC is the concept of extending to a full media timeout the first 20-second timeout called by a team in each half. The timeout would be charged to a team as a 20-second timeout.

The committee also supported a proposal to establish a consistent procedure for starting the half time and the second game of a session by requiring the timeout coordinator to start the clock 30 seconds after the horn sounds to end the half or game.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Division I Men's Basketball Committee
June 24-27/Monterey, California

* Agreed to recommend to the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee that it ensure adequate input from basketball constituencies before it adopts new rules. The basketball committee will suggest that the rules committee develop an agenda of proposed rules changes and seek comments from conferences, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and other affected groups.

* Agreed to encourage the Men's Basketball Rules Committee to move toward implementing a consistent set of rules among the National Basketball Association, FIBA and the NCAA.

* Agreed to convey to the rules committee and the NCAA Special Events Committee that the basketball committee is interested in requiring "exempted contests" that are sanctioned by the Special Events Committee for the purpose of experimenting with proposed game conditions, such as a wider lane, an adjusted three-point line and other rules changes being considered by the rules committee. The Division I basketball committee will encourage the two committees to require such experimentation as a condition of sanctioning beginning in 1997.

* Voted that the Western Athletic Conference be named a cohost -- along with San Jose State University -- for the 1997 West regional.

* Reviewed bracketing policies and procedures and a summary of the number of teams assigned to tournament sites outside their geographical region in recent years. The committee reaffirmed that achieving national competitive balance is its primary mission relative to bracketing. It also noted that, while the committee seeks to keep teams in their natural regions, it is sometimes necessary to assign teams to other regions in order to achieve such balance.

* Denied a proposal to reseed the Final Four teams after regional championship games.

* Denied a request that rim-elasticity testing be conducted at championship sites.

* Adopted a timetable that calls for the next selection of Final Four sites to take place in the summer of 1998. Sites already have been chosen through 2002.

* Agreed to review the current system of providing 10 full weekends for regular-season play and conference tournaments after January 1 before selecting dates for the 2003 tournament and beyond.

* Agreed to require only the top seven players and any others requested by reporters to be in the locker room area during the time the coach and other athletes are in the interview room on the day of open press conferences. Currently, all players are required to be in the locker room area during this time.

* Agreed to a recommendation from the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to shorten the time the locker room is open after a game from one hour to 40 minutes. In addition, the committee agreed to adopt a USBWA recommendation that those athletes who do not play in a contest should not be required to remain in the dressing room area after the game.

* Agreed that committee members should not be involved in votes regarding the assignment of officials to games involving the teams the members represent.

* Discussed the future of the Fan Jam, which takes place in conjunction with the Final Four.

* Created a standing subcommittee to meet with CBS to review television matters.

* Agreed to permit schools to rent bands or cheerleaders for use at the tournament sites only if the school does not have its own band or cheerleaders.

* Agreed that, as a condition of hosting the tournament, a facility shall give the NCAA the right to provide products and services for use in the media and team areas backstage, and the right to provide the playing floor, goal standards, backboards and rims.