A proposal from the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet's Certified Contests Subcommittee that would eliminate exempted contests in basketball underwent additional scrutiny during the subcommittee's November 13-14 meeting in Indian Wells, California.

The legislation in question -- Proposal No. 2000-106 -- would add one game to the regular season in basketball while eliminating preseason certified contests. The proposal also would permit an institution to participate in either one informal scrimmage against a four-year collegiate institution or one exhibition contest against a non-Division I four-year college in addition to 29 regular-season games.

The proposal was reviewed by the Division I Management Council in October and endorsed solely for the purpose of soliciting membership comment and without the Council taking a position on the proposal.

The proposal is potentially contentious because of the varied opinions as to how the legislation would affect competitive equity. Several basketball coaches, in fact, already have been outspoken against the proposal.

However, the subcommittee discussed several positive aspects of the proposal that have not been clearly identified in the mainstream media.

Currently, Division I teams may play two preseason exhibition contests and 28 regular-season games, which includes one certified event. Participation in a certified event, regardless of the number of contests in the event, is considered one countable contest toward the 28-game limit.

While Proposal No. 2000-106 would eliminate the certification and the event counting as only one contest, it would not necessarily eliminate the events. For example, the subcommittee noted that currently, a school that participated in a two-game certified event would play 29 games but be "charged" only for 28. Proposal No. 2000-106 essentially maintains the 29-game total by adding one regular-season contest. Even though schools that play a two-game event would be charged for two games instead of one, the extra regular-season game allows institutions not to "lose" that contest.

Similarly, institutions that play a three-game event (eight-team field) would only "lose" one contest.

The subcommittee also pointed out that the proposed legislation -- unlike the current rule -- will allow institutions to participate in more than one event each year if they choose to do so, and institutions would be able to participate in events off the mainland as often as desired.

The proposal is scheduled to come back to the Management Council in April. If approved by the Council and subsequently by the Division I Board of Directors, the new legislation would become effective in August 2002.

In a related matter, the subcommittee agreed to delay discussing whether events in sports other than basketball should be certified/exempt until Proposal No. 2000-106 is further along in the legislative process. The subcommittee will address that issue during its May 2001 meeting.

Other actions

In other actions, the subcommittee approved the following five certified events for fall 2001:

Men's golf -- College All-America Golf Tournament (Sun Bowl Association; El Paso, Texas; November 19-20; one-year, one-in-four exemption).

Men's and women's golf -- CGF National Intercollegiate Match Play Team Championships (College Golf Foundation; Estero, Florida; November 9-11; one-year, one-in-four exemption).

Men's and women's soccer -- College Coaches Classic [National Soccer Coaches Association of America; Oneonta, New York; August 26; one-year exemption contingent upon officials receiving the per diem, transportation coasts and fees that are commensurate with the Atlantic Coast Conference (the assigning conference); one-in-four exemption].

Women's volleyball -- State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic (National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators; Stockton, California; August 25-26; one-year, annual exemption).

Men's soccer -- IPFW Soccer Showcase (Indiana University/Purdue University, Fort Wayne; Fort Wayne, Indiana; August 25-26; one-year exemption contingent upon the receipt of final contracts for the participating teams).

The subcommittee deferred action on the NABC Legends Classic (men's basketball) and the Chicagoland Great 4 (men's ice hockey) until additional information is gathered from the sponsors.

Also, the subcommittee agreed to audit the following 1999-00 events as part of the five-year audit rotation established for certified contests:

San Juan Shootout (men's basketball)

Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (men's basketball)

Puerto Rico Shootout (men's basketball)

Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (men's and women's basketball)

Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout (men's and women's basketball

Ice Breaker Cup (men's ice hockey)

Nanook Classic (women's volleyball)