It's time for change NCAA

[Baker]

Today a 14 year old committed to USC (bball) before he has even chosen a high school. Recruiting has officially spiraled out of control. The NCAA is one of the most inconsistent organizations on the face of Earth. They will sanction Rick Majerus because he bought a bagel for Keith Van Horn as Van Horn morned and was awaiting a plane to go home for his father's funeral, yet they won't make any logical needed changes. Here is what needs to happen:

1) Commitments are banned prior to a high schoolers senior season.
2) Unofficial visits and communication between a player and coach is banned until senior season (no matter who makes contact).
3) Once a player commits, a coach from another University can not make contact with that player any longer.

Tell me that college sports wouldn't be way better off and students wouldn't be way better off with these changes. It would clean things up completely.

[Artermis]

Well I think add a Nov or Dec early signing period would do wonder with #3.

[Baker]

Well I think add a Nov or Dec early signing period would do wonder with #3.

True.

[Jethro34]

Ok, first I need to talk about Majerus. I lived in Utah and dude was always taking recruits out for dinner. Apparently he just figured people in Utah wouldn't rat him out, because I saw him picking up $50 tabs here and there at least 4 times. Dude was easily the most visible "celebrity" in the state. Save your Utah jokes for a different thread.

As for fixing the NCAA, I couldn't agree more. Not just because of the coaches, but mostly because of the other people around a kid getting involved in their decisions.

They need to keep the early signing period for hoops, add one for football, but outside of that they cannot even verbally commit to a school until after their respective season of their junior year. Nice call Tre.

[Hermy]

Make college sports professional.

[Baker]

As for Majerus, the dude is a douche and he doesn't know shit about bball and that has been exposed since he started commentating. So I'm glad he got ratted out, however the example I gave was just another of the NCAA being ridiculous and inconsistent. Back on topic...

[WTFchris]

High court rules recruiting limits do not violate free speech

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Thursday that athletic associations can enforce limits on recruiting high school athletes without violating coaches' free speech rights.
The high court ruled in a longstanding dispute between a Tennessee athletic association and a football powerhouse, the private Brentwood Academy near Nashville.

The school challenged a rule of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which governs high school sports in the state. The association bars schools from contacting prospective students about their sports programs.
In a unanimous ruling, the court said that "hard-sell tactics directed at middle school students could lead to exploitation, distort competition between high school teams and foster an environment in which athletics are prized more highly than academics."
Games have rules, Justice John Paul Stevens said for the court. "It is only fair that Brentwood follow them," Stevens said.
Brentwood argued that the restriction violated its free-speech rights, even though it voluntarily joined the association.
The dispute arose from a letter that Brentwood's football coach sent to a dozen eighth-graders in 1997, inviting them to attend spring training at Brentwood. The students already had been accepted and signed enrollment contracts for the fall.
Brentwood coach Carlton Flatt, who stepped down as coach in December after winning 10 state championships in 34 years, told the boys that equipment would be distributed and "getting involved as soon as possible would definitely be to your advantage." He signed the letter, "Your Coach."
Stevens compared the case to one in which the court upheld a state bar association's limits on solicitations by lawyers. "The dangers of undue influence that exist when a lawyer chases an ambulance are also present when a high school coach contacts an eighth grader," Stevens said.
Brentwood, like the other 350 or so public and private schools in the association, remains free to send brochures, post billboards and otherwise advertise its sports programs, he said.
The case had previously been before the Supreme Court. In 2001, the court ruled 5-4 in favor of Brentwood, saying the athletic association acted in a quasi-governmental capacity and could be sued.
A federal appeals court later ruled in favor of the school, saying the letter amounts to protected speech under the First Amendment. That ruling would prevent all high school associations from enforcing recruiting rules, lawyers for the state athletic association said.
The NCAA, the National School Boards Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations backed the Tennessee athletic association, saying broad powers are needed to protect children by enforcing recruiting rules. The Bush administration also argued in support of the association, urging the high court to reverse the lower court decision.
Brentwood Academy had support from the National Women's Law Center, which worried about holding government accountable for gender discrimination. The Association of Christian Schools International and the National Association of Independent Schools also sided with Brentwood.
The case is Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy, 06-427.

[Jethro34]

That's not even an NCAA case. That's high schools dipping into middle schools. Can't a kid just be 13 these days?

It's understandable how some of these things go. I know around here you have a certain catholic school that draws kids away from their middle school teammates. It's no wonder that school found itself in state championship games for several sports. I know of one school right now that is getting screwed because the district that has helped develop the kid will be losing him. I'm sure it's happeneing to other districts as well. I'm guessing most the kids aren't even catholic. Before this sounds like a religious rant, I'm not blaming the catholics. I'm blaming private schools.

I suggest another proposal. Private schools cannot have sports programs. If you leave your district to attend a private school, you can only participate in sports at the school you were otherwise supposed to attend.

I know Brother Rice gets called out for this, Country Day, I heard a whole bunch of stuff a year or two ago involving Grand Blanc, but I'm not sure if they were accused of recruiting or if they were accusing a different school of recruiting. But how sick is it that it's a problem well before most kids are even considering college?

[WTFchris]

I know it wasn't NCAA, but it's a similar case. And it shows that you can pass a rule and it will be upheld in the courts.

[Artermis]

Here in Kentucky the private schools (Catholic Schools) dominate the state level so much, they are pushing to have 2 different divisons those in private and those in public. It has just gotten ridiculous.