The Commission on College Basketball, a committee tasked by the NCAA with fixing a range of problems with the sport, today issued its recommendations for reform, which include getting rid of the “one-and-done” rule, permitting players to return to school if they go undrafted by the NBA, and increasing penalties for coaches caught cheating.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the commission’s report to the NCAA board of governors and Division I board of directors at the NCAA’s headquarters in Indianapolis. The boards will now meet to consider which of the recommendations to adopt in time for next college basketball season.
ACE President Ted Mitchell released the following statement on the commission’s work:
“The thoughtful and far-reaching recommendations released today by the Commission on College Basketball provide a pathway to making meaningful and needed changes to intercollegiate athletics.
The Commission’s mandate was straightforward but not simple: Prescribe a cure for what ails college basketball. The alleged federal criminal violations that sparked the Commission’s work, if proven, defraud students and institutions alike and threaten the integrity of college sports.
The result of the Commission’s work is a set of proposals that can help colleges and universities restore the public’s trust in the integrity of college basketball and of all intercollegiate sports. We commend both the Commission’s members for laying out clear-eyed and comprehensive proposals and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for creating such an independent body. We look forward to working with the NCAA and our member institutions to make these recommendations a reality.”
Mitchell also wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post on the issue.
The first recommendation in the report calls upon the NBA to eliminate its rule that since 2006 has effectively banned players from going straight from high school to the draft, known as one-and-done. The commission also recommends that undrafted high school and college basketball players retain their college eligibility unless they sign a professional contract.
On penalties for rules violations, the commission suggests Level-I violations should be punishable with up to a five-year postseason ban. Suspensions for coaches who fail to properly monitor their programs could last up to one full season. Coaches or administrators committing more serious violations could be subject to a lifetime ban.
The committee also called for an independent body to investigate and adjudicate these more serious infractions.
To download a copy of the report, see the commission’s website.
The Commission on College Basketball today issued its recommendations for reform,
which include getting rid of the “one-and-done” rule, permitting
players to return to school if they go undrafted by the NBA, and
increasing penalties for coaches caught cheating