Wednesday, April 25, 2018
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Commission on College Basketball sharply directed the NCAA to take control of the sport, calling for sweeping reforms to separate pro and college tracks, permit players to return to school after going undrafted by the NBA and ban cheating coaches for life.
The independent commission, led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, released a detailed 60-page report today, seven months after the group was formed by the NCAA in response to a federal corruption investigation that rocked college basketball.
Ten people, including some assistant coaches, have been charged in a bribery and kickback scheme , and high-profile programs such as Arizona, Louisville and Kansas have been tied to possible NCAA violations.
"The members of this commission come from a wide variety of backgrounds but the one thing that they share in common is that they believe the college basketball enterprise is worth saving," Rice told the AP Tuesday night, before addressing NCAA leaders this morning. "We believe there's a lot of work to do in that regard. That the state of the game is not very strong.
"We had to be bold in our recommendations."
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report ahead of Rice presenting its findings to top NCAA officials. It's not yet clear how the governing body would pay for some of the proposals, and some of the panel's key recommendations would require cooperation from the NBA, its players union and USA Basketball.
The commission offered harsh assessments of toothless NCAA enforcement, as well as the shady summer basketball circuit that includes AAU leagues and brings together agents, apparel companies and coaches looking to profit on teenage prodigies. It called the environment surrounding college basketball "a toxic mix of perverse incentives to cheat," and said responsibility for the current mess goes all the way up to university presidents.
The group recommended the NCAA have more involvement with players before they get to college and less involvement with enforcement.