NCAA coaches air gripes on recruiting rules

Steve Addy

Monday, July 17, 2000 | 10:30 a.m.

With a respectful nod to hoops junkies attending the Big Time Tournament, the average college basketball fan isn't deathly interested in the nuts and bolts of recruiting.

Hardcore recruiting mavens have never had more information at their disposal, mainly because of the Internet, but most fans' attitude is: Find us some good players, don't get us on probation and we'll see what happens when the new guys hit the court.

Behind the scenes, though, a pending change in the recruiting process has college coaches upset with the NCAA and anxious to find a less-restrictive compromise.

Though no such plan emerged, 150 members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches gathered Sunday at UNLV to air their unhappiness over the NCAA's planned elimination of summer recruiting in two years. The attendees included Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Cincinnati's Bob Huggins among many high-profile coaches.

Coaches now have 24 days in July to evaluate prospects, but in April the NCAA approved reforms that trim the period to 14 days next summer and eliminate it in 2002. The move was designed to alter the recruiting climate, because the NCAA feels outside influences -- street agents, summer coaches, etc. -- have gained too much control over the process.

Even though coaches would regain the lost recruiting days throughout the college season, they fear that barring them from summer camps would worsen the situation, increasing their dependence on third parties to gain information on prospects.

Coaches also worry about losing the ability to economically recruit a large group of players in one setting.

"I went to a camp last weekend and it cost me probably $700 to see 200 kids," Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said. "If I went to the same place to see one kid, it would still cost me $700."

The NCAA has said it will consider alternative proposals before 2002, and the coaches intend to offer one. That process began with Sunday's four-hour meeting, with two NCAA staffers attending -- enforcement head David Price and membership services official Steve Mallonee.

"I think they were very receptive, very open," said Purdue coach Gene Keady, NABC president.

The meeting's recurring theme was communication. The coaches believe if they are afforded more opportunity to talk to recruits in the summer, they can counteract the outside influences. During contact periods, coaches are allowed to talk to prospects by phone once a week. They are not allowed contact at camps.

"I think some of the people advocating no summer recruiting think if (the college coaches) are not around, the problem is going to go away. That's not going to happen," Keady said. "We want to know what (the NCAA's) biggest hang-up is."

Keady hopes to restore the 24-day period with greater access for coaches, but he also wonders if the NCAA would settle for trying the 14-day period for more than one year to see if it works.

"We know if we can come up with something (better), the NCAA is going to OK it," he said.

UCLA coach Steve Lavin said, "(The coaches) are pretty unified. I think the NCAA wants to work with us on this, and I think we can put a better model in place."

Huggins sounded less optimistic that a consensus can be reached.

"It is hard to legislate what is fair and equal for everybody, because everybody has different sets of circumstances," he said.

The next step in the process will be the addition of three coaches to the NCAA Basketball Issues Committee, which will meet next in November.