Major rule changes set to shake up NCAA Basketball

This morning, the NCAA rolled out a few rule (major) rule changes…

NCAA announces it is implementing several recommendations:

– Players can be repped by agents.
– Agents must be certified by an NCAA program
– Players can be eligible for NBA Draft and return to school if undrafted.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 8, 2018

Recruiting calendar changes that have been implemented:

– Add 4-day recruiting periods in April
– Coaches will be allowed to attend NBPA Top 100 Camp in June.
– Coaches allowed to attend events during last two weekends of June if approved by National High School Federations.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 8, 2018

Rule change:

Investigations deemed “complex” eligible for independent process. Multiple parties will be able to request a case be deemed complex.

complex case unit will include external investigators will no school or conference affiliations and select NCAA enforcement staff.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 8, 2018

This is a big shift for the NCAA and it’s mostly a good thing, however, there are a few things we want to add…

• This ‘players can be repped by agents’ rule doesn’t mean players can have agents who broker shoe deals and video game deals. This is strictly about AFTER a season when a player is thinking about entering the draft. At that point, the player can hire an agent to help with that process. That is good news, but it doesn’t solve the ‘payment of players’ problem that the NCAA has been facing.
• NCAA certifying agents. Hmm. Interesting. I’m not sure how that is going to work out. On one hand, the NCAA is trying to stop that first rule into becoming a free-for-all where kids are hiring ‘handlers’ or ‘AAU’ coaches who are hoping to latch and one day become their representation. But who can be a certified agent? Hopefully they can word this rule so that smaller agents who are doing things the right way are not punished or left out of the process.
• Player can be eligible for NBA Draft and return to school if undrafted. Ok this is a great rule and as an NC State fan I’m so glad to see this. How many guys has the Pack lost to the NBA draft, only to watch them go undrafted and toil away in the G-League or overseas? The answer is ‘way too many.’ This rule should have been implemented years ago, and we’re glad to see it finally passed. (fyi: it could come into play with a guy like Markell Johnson next offseason)
• And finally, major investigations will be done by a 3rd party, which is good as long as the 3rd party isn’t one that is likely to be swayed by the “NCAA Enforcement staff” that is allowed to be invovled.
• Not mentioned here is the fact that bans will be longer if you are in violation of NCAA rules.

  “The NCAA said coaches and staff members who break its rules will face more severe penalties, including longer postseason bans (up to five years), longer head coach suspensions (beyond one season) and longer employment limitations (potentially lifetime show-cause orders).” (ESPN)

But at the end of the day, this tweet is the most descriptive of the changes…

The NCAA announced some good changes today, but significant progress cannot be made without striking at the heart of the problem exposed by the FBI investigation: The Amateurism model.

— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) August 8, 2018