Division I head men's basketball coaches are determined to put the scandals of the past months behind them and work together, along with the NCAA, to enhance the overall integrity of the game through higher ethical standards and better communication, the coaches announced after an October 15 meeting in Chicago of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The coaches agreed to customize a code of ethics, for both players and coaches, to fit their specific program. These documents will be distributed to staff and student-athletes to reinforce the head coach's commitment to upholding high ethical standards.

NABC members also said they plan to work more closely with the NCAA than in the past on issues such as rules changes and the development of a "lack of coach control" infraction that could result from any NCAA member program under investigation.

Both the NABC and NCAA hailed the meeting as highly productive and the beginning of a new era of trust and communication between the two groups.

"This was a dramatically important day," said NCAA President Myles Brand. "Just two days before practice starts, more than 300 Division I head basketball coaches came together to reaffirm their commitment to the integrity of the game and to the ethics of their profession. This doesn't happen often, if ever before in the past. It was an important event, a signal event, and this event indicated that the coaches are serious about ensuring the continued integrity of the game and their profession."

Brand acknowledged that the last few months have been difficult for some coaches, but praised the group for their willingness to move forward and reaffirm their dedication to the integrity of the game.

"One of the most interesting parts of the discussion, from my point of view, was the opportunity for the NCAA to partner directly with the coaches," Brand said. "We see this as an opportunity to create a model for looking at both the integrity of the game, the rules of the game and how to play it better and enable our student-athletes to get the full set of opportunities from participating in this great game."

Duke University head men's basketball coach and NABC Foundation President Mike Krzyzewski also said that one of the most noteworthy outcomes of the conference was the presence of Brand and his promise to work closer with the coaches.

"Being able to have a partnership with the NCAA gives us an opportunity to revisit and look at some certain rules," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not going to go into individual rules. We talked about some things that we think can help coaches and help our game."

All 327 NCAA Division I men's basketball head coaches were required to attend the NABC meeting in response to a series of highly publicized scandals that have occurred in the past six months. Coaches who did not attend were told they would lose their Final Four tickets. Only a handful of coaches did not attend the meeting.

Some at the meeting noted that in any profession there will be people who do not act with a high level of integrity, but the actions of some should not cast a bad light on the entire profession.

In addition to their renewed commitment to a code of ethics, the coaches also announced a five-session professional development program mandated for all Division I assistant coaches at this year's NABC convention at the Final Four in San Antonio. These sessions will cover recruiting rules, diversity, character, ethics and morals. One class also will feature a panel of athletics directors and university presidents discussing what they look for when hiring a head basketball coach.

All Division I head coaches also will meet at that same convention to discuss and take action on additional recommendations from the NABC. The NABC Ethics Committee's plans to review unacceptable behavior by coaches also will be presented.

Mike Montgomery, an NABC board member and head men's basketball coach at Stanford University, acknowledged that the group is not in the position to investigate charges of wrongdoing against coaches, but if a coach is found guilty of certain behavior, action can be taken so others know lapses in ethical standards will not be tolerated.

Possibilities include suspension from the NABC or a letter sent to that coach's athletics director or school president noting that such actions are outside the NABC standards, he said.

NABC President Kelvin Sampson, the head men's basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma, summed up the meeting by calling it a great day for coaches around the country.

"I think every coach walks out of here today feeling a little bit better about themselves, a little bit better about our profession," he said. "We talked about the start of a new day, a new era and it starts with each individual coach standing up and saying, 'You know what, I can do better.' "