The topic of male practice players dominated discussion on the Double-A Zone last week as bloggers responded to a statement released by the Committee on Women’s Athletics calling for a ban on the use of men in women’s sports.

A former women’s basketball coach offered his thoughts on the subject: "I often wondered how much of an advantage we were gaining from using male practice players … I am a firm believer that the men’s game and women’s game are different and trying to conform to the other’s style is counterproductive."

A male practice player for a college softball program, though, offered a different opinion: "There is virtually nothing taken away from team practices, and plenty added in … across-the-board legislation is not the right way to go with this."

While many people invested in intercollegiate athletics have an opinion about the issue, the Double-A Zone is seeking input from female student-athletes. Middle Tennessee State University women’s basketball standout Chrissy Givens authored a guest post last week and believes that "male practice players are vital to the success of a program for female athletics."

In addition to the conversation taking place about male practice players, the Double-A Zone also offered bloggers an opportunity to respond to Syracuse University professor Boyce Watkins’ assertion that the NCAA "is probably one of the most exploitative (institutions) in all of American history."

NCAA President Myles Brand previewed the upcoming NCAA Convention in his weekly podcast. President Brand discussed some of his favorite parts of the Convention, including the Honors Celebration, Career Connections and his State of the Association address. On the Convention edition of Mondays With Myles, Brand will discuss the Association’s focus for 2007.

Carleton College basketball player Jake Phillips joined the Double-A Zone as a guest blogger last week. A four-year starter, Phillips is the school’s all-time leader in three-point field-goal percentage. The physics major aspires to a career in engineering.

The NCAA’s official blog can be found at http://www.doubleazone.com. To find out how to submit a guest post or a note for Morning Coffee, contact Josh Centor (jcentor@ncaa.org).