REPORT OF THE

REPORT OF THE

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ISSUES COMMITTEE

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee submits the following report from its June 11-12, 2007, meeting:

1. ACTION ITEMS.

a. Legislative Action Items.

(1) Recruiting—Contacts and Evaluations-Telephone Calls to Prospective Student-Athletes—Collect and Toll-Free Telephone Calls—Women’s Basketball.

(a) Recommendation: The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor noncontroversial legislation to amend Bylaw 13.1.3.6, to establish an exception, in women’s basketball, to permit institutional staff members to accept collect and toll-free telephone calls placed by prospective student-athletes and prospective student-athletes’ parents and legal guardians, provided the calls are not placed earlier than the Thursday after the conclusion of the NCAA Women’s Final Four in April.

(b) Rationale: Permitting a prospective student-athlete to make a collect or toll-free telephone call beginning with the Thursday after the conclusion of the NCAA Women’s Final Four ensures the timeframe under which prospective student-athletes may call coaches, mirrors that in which coaches may first permissibly telephone prospects. Such consistency in the legislation would provide for easier administration and understanding of the rules by prospective student-athletes and their families.

(d) Estimated Budget Impact. None.

(e) Student-Athlete Impact: Minimal, as it is within the prospective student-athlete’s discretion as to whether she wants to place a collect or toll-free telephone call to a coach.

(2) Recruiting—Prospective Student-Athlete Who Has Signed a National Letter of Intent—Communication During July Evaluation Periods—Women’s Basketball.

(a) Recommendation: The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend Bylaws 13.1.3.1.3, 13.1.6.8.1 and 13.1.7.2.2-(c), to permit, in women’s basketball, during the July evaluation periods, an institution to communicate (e.g., telephone calls, contacts, printed recruiting materials) with a prospective student-athlete who has graduated from high school and has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) (or for those institution’s not utilizing the NLI in women’s basketball or for those prospective student-athlete’s not eligible to sign the NLI, the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid).

(b) Rationale: Under current legislation, in women’s basketball during the July evaluation periods, coaches are not permitted to communicate in any form with any prospective student-athlete, a prospect’s relative(s), legal guardian(s) or individuals associated with the prospect as a result of the prospect’s involvement in basketball. This prohibition was designed to reinforce that the July evaluation period should be for observations only and not a time where contacts or communication with outside influences are made in an effort to recruit particular basketball prospects. The reasons for the communications prohibition in the July evaluation periods accordingly do not seem applicable with regard to student-athletes who have graduated and signed a National Letter of Intent. Such prospective student-athletes are past the recruitment phase and preparing for their collegiate enrollment. By July these signed prospects have frequently formed strong relationships with their future collegiate coaches and rely on these coaches to provide information regarding their upcoming collegiate experience.

(d) Estimated Budget Impact: None.

(e) Student-Athlete Impact: None.

(3) Personnel—Limitations on the Number and Duties of Coaches—Off-Campus Recruiting—Women’s Basketball—Nonscholastic Weekends During Academic Year.

(a) Recommendation: The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend Bylaw 11.7.4, in women’s basketball, to increase from three to four, the number of coaches who may evaluate prospective student-athletes off-campus at any one time at nonscholastic events during the academic year.

(b) Rationale: In women’s basketball, evaluations at nonscholastic events may only occur during two weekends during the academic year; specifically, the last full weekend of the fall contact period and the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the spring evaluation period. Due to the limited opportunities for coaches to evaluate at nonscholastic events during the academic year (a total of six days), it may be difficult for coaches to attend many events given the current limit on the number of permissible recruiters. By allowing one additional coach to engage in off-campus evaluations during these identified weekends, institutions will be able to more efficiently evaluate prospective student-athletes. Further, other legislation would still apply such as the overall number of 100 recruiting person days and five recruiting opportunities per prospective student-athlete.

(d) Estimated Budget Impact: Potential cost savings for institutions as this proposal does not provide for additional recruiting days; rather, it is intended to allow for more efficiency in the recruiting process.

(e) Student-Athlete Impact: None.

(4) Playing and Practice Seasons—General Playing Season Regulations—Weekly Hour Limitations—Outside the Playing Season-Skill Instruction—Women’s Basketball-Venue.

(a) Recommendation: The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend Bylaw 17.1.6.2.2, to specify that, in women’s basketball, participation by more than one group of four student-athletes in permissible individual skill-related instruction outside the institution’s declared playing season, from the institution’s first day of classes of the academic year or September 15, whichever occurs earlier, to one week prior to the beginning of the institution’s final exam period at the conclusion of the academic year, may occur in the same facility or in different facilities at the same time, provided there is no co-mingling between the groups.

(b) Rationale: Skill instruction is so important to the development of the game of women’s basketball that coaches and student-athletes regularly schedule such instruction yet scheduling skill instruction sessions can be difficult, especially at institutions that have limited facilities space. As a result of limited facilities space, skill instruction often is scheduled at inopportune times, which are not conducive to student-athletes’ academic schedules. Further, such scheduling challenges add to the difficulty of coaches achieving a sense of life/work balance. This proposal will not result in student-athletes being asked to participate in more skill instruction; rather, this proposal is intended to ensure student-athletes receive skill instruction at times that are more supportive of student-athlete well-being.

(d) Estimated Budget Impact: None.

(e) Student-Athlete Impact: Student-athletes will be asked to spend no more time involved in skill instruction but the skill instruction should be scheduled at times that are more supportive of their academic schedules.

(5) Playing and Practice Seasons—Basketball-Preseason Practice-On-Court Practice.

(a) Recommendation: The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor legislation to amend Bylaw 17.5.2, to specify that, in basketball, an institution may not commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions prior to 5 p.m. (rather than 7 p.m.) on the Friday nearest October 15.

(b) Rationale: In 2005, legislation was adopted moving the permissible start time for on-court, preseason basketball practice sessions from midnight to 7 p.m. The rationale for moving the start time five hours earlier was to allow student-athletes, coaches, training staff, prospective student-athletes, students and the general public an opportunity to participate in a practice in the evening and return home at a more reasonable hour. This rationale still holds true but given the 7 p.m. start time, there are still many programs that are scheduling late practices because they share facilities with other sports programs. Accordingly, these scheduling challenges have potential to impact the health and safety of student-athletes and diminish the celebration surrounding the start of the basketball season. By allowing on-court practice to begin at 5 p.m., the window for practice is expanded and more scheduling flexibility is created.

(d) Estimated Budget Impact: None.

(e) Student-Athlete Impact: Student-athletes will spend no more time involved in practice activities but the time scheduled for practice should be more attentive to student-athlete health and safety concerns.

b. Nonlegislative Action Items.

(1) Recruiting-Definitions and Applications-Definition of a Prospective Student-Athlete. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee requests that the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet request the Subcommittee on Recruiting of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet to examine the current bylaws pertaining to the definition of a prospective student-athlete to determine whether changes are warranted to allow for specific exception in the way an institution interfaces with a prospect who has graduated from high school and has signed a National Letter of Intent (or for those institution’s not utilizing the NLI, a written offer of financial aid and/or offer of admission) to attend the institution. In examining this issue, the Subcommittee on Recruiting should consider such issues as whether signees should be allowed to work the institutions’ summer camps, whether signees should be classified as current student-athletes regardless of summer school enrollment and whether prospective student-athletes who have graduated and signed National Letters of Intent should be considered currently enrolled student-athletes under all NCAA legislation, if certified as qualifiers by the NCAA Eligibility Center. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee also requests that the Committee on Academic Performance examine whether possible incentives could be developed to allow more access or interaction with this category of prospective student-athletes who have graduated from high school and signed National Letters of Intent.

(2) Playing and Practice Seasons-General Playing Season Regulations-Outside the Playing Season-Skill Instruction. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee requests that the Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee of the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet examine whether there would be merit in amending current legislation to provide for an increase in the number of hours a student-athlete may be involved in out-of-season skill instruction per week from two to four hours. It is the Women’s Basketball Issues Committee’s position that by increasing the number of hours of permissible out-of-season skill instruction, the skill level of the game would be further enhanced and coaches would be provided additional valuable teaching opportunities. The Committee appreciates that any change in the skill instruction regulations would most likely be considered for all sports, other than football, which speaks for examination by the cabinet. Additionally, the Women’s Basketball Issues Committee requests that the Committee on Academic Performance examine the concept of providing the opportunity for increased access through skill instruction as a possible incentive for those programs that are achieving academic success.

2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

a. Administrative Regulations-Final Four Basketball Event Certification. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee unanimously agreed that while the Men’s Basketball Issues Committee has requested the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet sponsor noncontroversial legislation to rescind NCAA Bylaw 30.18, which permits Division I men’s basketball coaches to attend a single basketball event selected at the discretion of the institution, and held in conjunction with the championship event, this legislation should not be rescinded with regard to women’s basketball. The original intent of the legislation was to allow for event(s) that celebrate the sport of basketball and that original intent still applies to women’s basketball. Events held in conjunction with the Women’s Final Four have focused on promoting the game and are not recruiting events for coaches.

b. Administrative Regulations-Summer Basketball Leagues and the Number of Permissible Student-Athletes. NCAA Bylaw 30.15-(e) provides that each summer basketball league team roster shall include no more than two players with intercollegiate basketball eligibility remaining from any two or four year college. The committee indicated no desire to see a change in the application of the current legislation so that prospective student-athletes that are enrolled in summer school at the certifying institution are included in the limit. It was noted that there are a limited number of summer league opportunities for student-athletes in women’s basketball and the current limit set forth in Bylaw 30.15 (e) while understandable, further restricts these opportunities.

c. Male practice players. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee unanimously agreed that it fully supports the continued use of male practice players in Division I women’s basketball. The committee suggests that the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet consider a broad-based educational program for coaches, student-athletes and administrators regarding the use of male practice players, involving the coaches associations in the development of the program.

d. Summer leagues and certified events. The Women’s Basketball Issues Committee discussed the role summer basketball leagues and certified events play in the recruiting process and noted areas of potential concern. These areas of concern include:

· Open gyms.

· The potential relationships between club coaches, event operators and scouting services.

· Prospective student-athletes possibly receiving impermissible products from event operators.

· The possible involvement of sport agents with summer clubs.

The committee members asked that the topic of summer leagues continue to be included on future Women’s Basketball Issues Committee meeting agendas.

e. Update from the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. The committee received an update from the Division I Championships/ Competition Cabinet and discussed related women’s basketball issues.

f. Update on Division I Women’s Basketball Discussion Group. The committee received an update from the Division I Women’s Basketball Discussion Group and discussed the primary initiatives that the group has under consideration, including a “grass roots” marketing campaign, matching grant program and the group’s discussion and consideration of moving the women’s championship one week later than the current schedule. The committee discussed other considerations regarding the movement of the tournament, such as maintaining the current schedule but, moving to different playing days and moving the Women’s Final Four only one week later.

g. Report from the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee. The committee received a report on the pilot communication program implemented by the rules committee to engage coaches in the rules review process, the feedback received through this program and the rules changes adopted by the women’s basketball rules committee. Additionally, the committee discussed the men’s rules committee’s decision to move the three-point line and the implications of the rules change.

h. Report from the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. The committee received a report on the critical issues and discussion topics that will be addressed by the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee at their upcoming meeting, including a review of the tournament format, the potential move of the championship dates, television issues, regular-season and championship attendance issues and the national officiating improvement program.

i. Subcommittee Reports.

(1) Marketing and Promotions Subcommittee. The subcommittee reported that it reviewed the women’s basketball branding initiatives that have been implemented, the marketing matching grant program and a national marketing program to assist institutions, conferences and championship hosts in the implementation of “grass roots” marketing efforts.

(2) Quality of the Game Subcommittee. The subcommittee reported that it reviewed the regional advisors’ program and the initiatives implemented in its first year, the proposed educational program to be implemented in conjunction with the regional officiating clinics, the officiating testing program as a component of officials’ eligibility for tournament assignments and the women’s basketball commitment program. The subcommittee also reported its discussion regarding post-season competition opportunities for women’s basketball.

(3) Recruiting and Student-Athlete Well-Being Subcommittee. The subcommittee reported that it reviewed the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Committee on Basketball Issues report, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association spring survey results, issues identified during 2006 regarding summer evaluation periods, summer basketball leagues, certified events, “open gym” issues and Bylaw 30.18. Additionally, the subcommittee reviewed proposed legislation and the legislative proposals supported by the committee are included as legislative and nonlegislative action items.

j. Update from the NCAA Academic Performance Program. The committee received an update on the NCAA Academic Performance Program and reviewed information specific to women’s basketball programs, the current status and projected status regarding academic performance of women’s basketball programs.

k. Association-wide and Division I issues update. The committee received updates on the proposed governance restructuring model, proposed revision of the drug testing program, life-work balance initiative and the NCAA Eligibility Center.