National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 16, 2010 3:09:44 PM

ATLANTA – After three years of trying, sponsors of a proposal to change the first contest date in basketball to the second Friday of November rather than November 15 finally got their way.

It wasn't easy, though.

It took two tries – and a narrow decision to reconsider – for the Peach Belt Conference, the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to win the day at Saturday's Division II business session.

Delegates initially defeated Proposal No. 2010-14 by five votes after a rigorous debate on the floor. As the last proposal to be considered in the business session – and after delegates had spent much of their energy on the Life in the Balance package earlier in the morning – members still managed to get their second wind with the basketball proposal.

Proponents used a similar rationale from previous years – that the proposal provides for a uniform "opening weekend" for Division II basketball and adds another weekend opportunity to the schedule, among other reasons – but they also countered what they considered to be misinformation that had been circulating before the Convention.

MIAA Commissioner Jim Johnson pleaded with delegates to consider the proposal on its merits and not to defeat it "just because this is the third time and some of you are tired of the discussion."

But the discussion continued as opponents countered that the second Friday would make that weekend a cornucopia of fall and winter sports (since the football, soccer and volleyball seasons would still be going at many schools), thus putting additional stress on already burdened staffs.

Their biggest complaint, though, was that the new start date lengthens the playing season. But sponsors argued that the basketball season was for all practical purposes October 15 through the final game, and that Division II schools already were playing many games in early November.

Gulf South Conference Commissioner Nate Salant told delegates that he suspected most of those games were not home contests, but "guarantee games" at Division I schools or the Division II Disney Tip-Off tournaments.

The first vote failed, 136-141-2, and many in the room began suspecting that the proposal would be reconsidered, even as some people were leaving the ballroom thinking there was no more business to conduct.

Even the vote to reconsider was close, passing only 133-129-1.

More debate ensued, highlighted by Abilene Christian Athletics Director Jared Mosley, a former basketball player himself, who said larger conferences needed the flexibility that the new start date provides. He added that those who wanted to keep the November 15 start date could, since the proposal was permissive legislation.

Others also pointed out that the recently adopted dead period for winter sports that was approved as part of the Life in the Balance package earlier in the day made the new start date even more important.

The announcement of the final tally (136-131) was greeted by applause from those on the prevailing side, ending three years of struggle.

The proposal will be effective for next basketball season.