The NCAA has stepped up its efforts to sanitize college basketball with the announcement it will form a new NCAA committee, led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
The NCAA Commission on Basketball is the latest incarnation of the Knight commission, formed as response to the federal investigation into bribery and fraud in the sport that resulted the arrest of four assistant basketball coaches—Book Richardson of Arizona, Chuck Person of Auburn, fired Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans and Tony Bland—and six others who were working as or with financial advisors or were executives from shoe company giant, Adidas. The ten were charged with bribery conspiracy, solicitation of brides, honest service fraud conspiracy, honest service fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and the Travel Act conspiracy for allegedly bribing coaches to steer NBA bound players and their families to specific financial advisors.
The investigation, which may have already cost Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino of Louisville his job, is far from over and only figures to get worse after the FBI subpoenaed records from Oklahoma State Wednesday.
NCAA president Mark Emmert feels an overhaul in policy, structural and legislative is needed, including possibility of changing eligibility rules as it relates to the NBA’s age minimum rules.
“While I believe the vast majority of coaches follow the rules, the culture of silence in college basketball enables bad actors, and we need them out of the game,’’ Emmert said “We must take decisive actions. This is not the time for half-measures or incremental change.’’
Emmert said the committee will concentrate on three areas:
— The relationship between the NCAA national office, member institutions, student athletes and coaches with apparel companies so they support programs in a transparent way, but not become an inappropriate or distorting influence on the game, the players and their families; non-scholastic basketball, with a focus on the appropriate involvement of college coaches and others and agents or advisors, with an emphasis on how students and their families can get legitimate advice without being taken advantage of, or defrauded or risk their NCAA eligibility.
— The NCAA’s relationship with the NBA, and the challenging effect of the NBA’s so-called one and done rule has had on college basketball, including how the NCAA can change its own eligibility rules to address that dynamic.
— Creating the right relationship between universities and colleges in the NCAA and the national office to promote transparency and accountability. The committee asked to evaluate whether appropriate degree of authority is vested in the current enforcement and eligibility processes, and whether the collaborative model provide the investigative tools, cultural incentives and structures to ensure exploitation and corruption cannot hide in college sports.
The commission will include individuals with diverse backgrounds and experience in government, high education and college athletics. Aside from Rice, it will be made up of Emmert, USA Basketball chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, former Duke star and Atlanta Hawks owner Grant Hill, ex-Navy and Spurs star David Robinson, ex-Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, former college coaches Mike Montgomery and John Thompson III, Ohio State AD Gene Smith, Hofstra AD Jeff Hathaway, president of Notre Dame the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Georgia Tech president G.P. Bud Peterson, former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and president of the Association of American Universities, Mary Sue Coleman.
The commission will begin its work in November and deliver its recommendations by April.
The NCAA is full of board room bluster. Hopefully, the commission quickly comes to the realization the dynamics of recruiting have changed dramatically in a murky underworld during in the last 20 years and high school coaches are no longer have the clout to guide a prospect through the recruiting process.
The NCAA has had plenty of chances to clean up the game in the past. But it has become obvious that unless the FBI flexes its muscles and hits violators with criminal charges, the NCAA doesn’t appear to have the tools at its disposal to harness an out of control culture where some parents and players—who see universities getting rich on TV contracts– will have their hands out and some college coaches travel coaches, financial advisors and shoe companies will be willing to cut a deal.
The list of names on the committee may look impressive, but it is hard to believe many members understand the nature of travel team basketball or know where the skeletons are buried.
The commission could always take the easy way out and throw summer basketball under the bus, but other than doing a much needed certification of coaches, the NCAA shouldn’t be in the business of controlling high school basketball and USA Basketball shouldn’t be allowed to take youth basketball over completely.
Enough talk. We need action. Let’s see if icons like Hill and Robinson can persuade the NCAA Players’ Association to agree to open the door for elite players who want to enter the league right out of high school or the NCAA will allow the schools to pay players over and above cost of attendance as if they were employees. Anything but another white paper that disappears into the ether within three months.
No matter how good the commission’s intentions are, there is no quick fix here.