In an effort to improve the men’s basketball environment, the NCAA and its member coaches have partnered to establish the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Ethics Coalition, an independent committee of current and former basketball coaches. The group will be charged with promoting ethical conduct through leadership, education and mentoring.

The group held its first meeting May 7 in Indianapolis. The coalition is being chaired by Michigan basketball coach John Beilein.

Other members of the group are:

• Jeff Capel, Oklahoma
• Johnny Dawkins, Stanford
• Phil Martelli, St. Joseph’s
• Dave Odom, South Carolina (former head coach)
• Al Skinner, Boston College
• Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
• Brad Stevens, Butler
• Gary Stewart, UC Davis
• Doug Wojcik, Tulsa

Two assistant coaches, another current head coach and another former head coach will be added to the coalition in the near future.

The group intends to identify key rules and issues that challenge the coaching community in making ethical decisions.

“We do not want to be perceived as a holier-than-thou type of group,” Beilein said. “We don’t want to be a police force, either. We think there are a lot of coaches who are doing things in the right way. I was excited about our first meeting. All of us have to make some important decisions that involve the NCAA rules.”

An example of what the group might examine, Beilein said, is the hiring of camp staff and camp coaches who are affiliated with summer basketball programs. That was a common practice until last year, when a rule went into effect prohibiting it.

“We want to clear up what is the right way to deal with those issues,” Beilein said. “We can control this together with the same voice – it can become more transparent. People can see how to exactly conduct their camps. They can develop the game in youth basketball without getting into the shadowy areas of recruiting.”

Beilein said the problem isn’t always a case of someone knowingly breaking a rule. Sometimes coaches not fully understand new rules. On the other hand, there are cases when someone purposefully seeks a loophole to circumvent the spirit of the rule.

“There are gray areas in recruiting,” Beilein said. “We want to set a standard, and a high bar that we all want to be held to.”

Beilein already is involved with the National Association of Basketball Coaches Ethics Committee. He said his pursuit of this venture with the NCAA shows how important ethics are in the college game.

“It’s another voice and it gives us additional contact with the NCAA, so we understand the issues that they deal with,” Beilein said. “This is a chance for even more direct dialogue between the NCAA and college basketball coaches.”

Beilein foresees the coalition being able to provide some guidance to or advise other entities within the legislative process.

“Coaches know what goes on day to day at summer basketball camps or issues that come up during the year,” Beilein said. “We can assist those who make the bylaws. We have to make sure that we are interpreting the rules in the same manner. That is one of our biggest issues. We want to level the playing field a little bit with recruiting.”

The coalition is scheduled to meet via conference call in June. A meeting frequency has yet to be determined, though it’s possible that the group would convene in the fall and after the basketball season ends.