The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- April 26, 1999

Basketball working group determines schedule for final reports

The Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues formulated a timeline for its subcommittees to complete their reports during its April 5-6 meeting in Chicago.

The meeting, the fourth held by the group since its creation last October, focused on the progress being made by the seven subcommittees that were appointed to address specific issues.

The seven subcommittees are studying recruiting, eligibility and financial aid, professional issues, gambling, student-athlete welfare, playing and practice seasons, and public relations.

Kenneth A. Shaw, chancellor at Syracuse University and chair of the working group, said the subcommittees have been asked to finalize their recommendations regarding those issues by June 1.

"We expected when this group was created last fall that our work would take the better part of a full year," Shaw said. "The subcommittees have worked diligently through conference calls and pre-group meetings to keep us on course.

"They are looking at the issues, developing possible solutions and studying the consequences of those solutions before they come back to the full group with final recommendations."

The working group expects to review the subcommittee reports at its next two meetings, May 24-25 and June 22-23. From there, the group will forward a status report to the Division I Management Council for the Council's July 26-27 meeting.

Shaw said the plan is for the working group to submit its final recommendations to the Council in October.

The working group has received several presentations from outside groups related to problem areas in the sport of Division I basketball, including the National Federation of State High School Associations, the Amateur Athletic Union, shoe apparel companies, the National Basketball Association, the National Basketball Players Association and the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Among developments within the subcommittees, the recruiting and student-athlete welfare subcommittees are soliciting input from selected male and female student-athletes in Division I conferences and select focus groups composed of student-athletes to gather feedback regarding recruiting and student-athlete welfare issues.

Shaw said that although the working group was created to study issues in both men's and women's basketball, much of the focus so far has been on the men's game because "that's where the immediate challenges seem to be at this time."

"However, in areas where there are common issues, the focus will be on finding solutions in both sports," Shaw said.