Student-athletes

Application process open for renamed conference

The NCAA will increase the number of opportunities for student-athletes to participate in the newly named NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference (formerly the National Leadership Conference) to 700 beginning with the 2008 event May 25-29 in Orlando, Florida.

Applications are now available online, via the Academics and Athletes menu at www.ncaa.org. Click on the “Leadership” link, then click on “Leadership Conferences for Student-Athletes” and then “NCAA National Leadership Conference” to find the application form.

In 12 years, the conference has served 3,500 student-athletes and trained more than 300 facilitators.

The name change was derived from the NCAA core purpose, which states that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount. The NCAA intends to assist in better developing the skills and knowledge base of student-athletes within its membership. To that end, curriculum and activities will be refreshed to give the conference a new feel and give a greater opportunity for an informed student-athlete voice to be heard.

The 2008 event will be conducted in two conferences — the first will be May 25-27 and the second will be May 27-29. Each division will have the opportunity to send 233 student-athletes to participate. The slots will be filled in the order that they are received in the online system. If any division does not fill their allotted slots by the deadline, an institution in another division that has exceeded the divisional allotment may fill the slots.

NIT

ESPN Networks will offer all 31 postseason games

The ESPN Networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic, will provide coverage of all 31 games of the Postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic will be simulcast on ESPN360.com.

“We are pleased with the increase in ESPN’s coverage of the NIT,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president for basketball and business strategies and president of the NIT, LLC. “The NIT committee and staff have worked diligently over the past two seasons to enhance the event, such as seeding the entire field and automatic qualification for regular-season conference champions. Last year, the interest from fans, media and the basketball community as a whole was unprecedented.”

Teams for the 71st annual NIT will be selected March 15 in Indianapolis. The first three rounds of the NIT will be played at campus sites with the semifinal doubleheader and championship game to be contested April 1 and 3 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The NIT was founded in 1938 by a group of New York City sportswriters. The NIT LLC, which is under the umbrella of the NCAA, assumed control of the NIT in August 2005.

News Direct

Redesigned online format includes e-mail option

As part of the NCAA’s expanding online communication with its membership, the printed biweekly NCAA News will transform into a redesigned online product beginning in January, giving members a variety of ways to receive the information they need.

The most immediate impact will be an enhanced www.NCAA.org that will feature daily updates on NCAA news and information. But users also can receive daily and weekly updates via e-mail through NCAA News Direct, which provides registered members with access to news, video and exclusive podcasts delivered directly to their inboxes. Readers also have the flexibility to select the content they want on an Association-wide or by-division basis.

The weekly NCAA News Direct will summarize the week’s top stories and offer other content not necessarily included in the daily version. Members may choose either or both delivery methods.
Registration for NCAA News Direct begins December 17 at www.NCAA.org. NCAA News Direct will begin daily delivery January 7. The first weekly edition of NCAA News Direct will be sent January 11.
For more information, see page 6.