National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News Digest

January 18, 1999

Basketball research


The Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues sought reaction from various groups on certain possible solutions to perceived trouble spots in Division I basketball.

Those surveyed showed little overall support for making freshmen ineligible for competition and for eliminating summer recruiting. Most groups also did not agree with increasing the value of a grant-in-aid (although coaches did support such a change).

There was agreement among most groups surveyed that summer recruiting should be shortened and that exempted events should be reduced.

The NCAA research staff surveyed 907 individuals in Division I, including those listed in the tables above.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A memorandum reminding schools to nominate candidates for the 1999 NCAA postgraduate scholarships in men's and women's basketball is being mailed to faculty athletics representatives at Divisions I, II and III institutions.

The memorandum from Julie Quickel, NCAA committee coordinator, will be mailed January 19. Faculty athletics representatives are urged to contact Quickel at the national office if they do not receive the memorandum and enclosed nomination folder by January 29.

Completed nomination forms must be received by postgraduate scholarship district selection committee chairs by March 5.

Final selections will be made April 13-14 .

Staff contact: Julie Quickel.

INITIAL ELIGIBILITY

National video conference scheduled for February 23

The NCAA membership services staff will conduct a video conference from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central time February 23 for high-school administrators and coaches.

The video conference will address issues high-school administrators face when assisting prospective student-athletes in the recruiting process. That includes issues related to initial eligibility and the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse process.

A discussion also will take place on the process high-school counselors may follow when assisting students with disabilities. The topic of agents on high-school campuses also will be addressed. In addition, a question-and-answer format will be built into the program.

The satellite coordinates for the video conference are C Band Telstar 5 Transponder 17. The video conference can be accessed only by a steerable or moveable satellite dish, not DSS Primestar, USSB, Channel One, cable, DirecTV, Whittle Communications or other such services.

Those who require assistance with satellite transmission may call the trouble-shoot numbers at 816/753-0020 or 816/753-6217. Staff contact: Carolayne A. Henry.

EXEMPTED CONTESTS

Division I moves to control exempted contests

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted January 12 to enact legislation that will affect the number of exempted contests while increasing the number of regular-season contests in both basketball and Division I-A football.

In basketball, the legislation will permit an institution to choose each year between participating in a certified contest or adding one contest to the regular-season schedule to a maximum of 28. Currently the contest limit in Division I is 27.

The legislation also eliminates all annual exemptions for certified contests with the exception of the postseason men's and women's National Invitation Tournament. In addition, beginning in 2000-01, schools will be limited to participating in not more than one certified basketball event in a given academic year and not more than two every four years.

In addition, all annual preseason exempted football contests will be eliminated after the 2002 playing season.

The legislation also will permit I-A schools to schedule a 12th contest in those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.

Staff contacts: David Berst.