Hours before the 2018 NCAA tournament tipped off with two games on Tuesday evening, a Pac-12 task force unveiled a set of recommendations proposing sweeping reforms of men's college basketball, a sport besieged by widespread bribery allegations in recent months.
The reforms advocated by the 12-person task force include the elimination of a controversial "one and done rule" for college athletes entering the NBA, dramatic changes governing recruiting and stricter enforcement of rules throughout the sport. Detailed in a 50-page report released by the conference, the recommendations were unanimously approved by the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors on March 10 and have been sent to an NCAA Commission chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tasked with examining the same issues.
"The reforms proposed by our Pac-12 Task Force will help preserve the integrity of collegiate basketball and provide the choice, education and protection that our student-athletes deserve," said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. "We look forward to working with the NCAA Commission, our fellow conferences, the NBA and its Players Association, and other key stakeholders to bring about this much needed change."
Last fall, Scott commissioned the task force in the wake of federal indictments that ensnared four Division I assistant coaches, including former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson and ex-USC associate head coach Tony Bland, two teams that appeared in Saturday's Pac-12 final. Under the indictments, the coaches are accused of accepting bribes in exchange for steering players to certain agents. Then, last month, Arizona garnered national headlines when ESPN reported that coach Sean Miller appeared on an FBI wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment with an agent to secure the services of freshman center Deandre Ayton.
Miller vehemently denied the accusations and returned to the team after missing Arizona's 98-93 loss to Oregon on Feb. 24.
Of the recommendations proposed by the group, one pertaining to the elimination of the NBA's one and done rule for prospects entering the league could receive the most attention. Based on its findings, the task force has urged the NBA to shelve a requirement that a player must be at least 19 years old and at least one year removed from high school graduation to become eligible for the Draft. For athletes which opt to enroll in college, the task force encourages the NBA to refrain from drafting them until three years have elapsed after their high school graduation. Furthermore, the task force suggests that the NCAA should amend its rules to allow a basketball player to remain fully eligible to compete in intercollegiate sports provided he meets all other applicable NCAA eligibility standards, the report states.
Over the last five years alone, the conference has had nine lottery picks in the NBA Draft, including the top two selections in last's years draft, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. During that span, the league produced 42 picks overall and 23 first-round selections, second only to the ACC among major conferences. Following a superlative year in 2008, when the Pac-12 notched six of the top 15 picks, the conference delivered strong years in 2009, 2011 and 2017 when James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, Isaiah Thomas and Ball all entered the NBA. Of the group, only five or 11.9% were above the age of 23 upon their selections.
The findings also come on the heels of a March 7 report which shows that the NCAA took in $1.06 billion in revenue during the 2016-2017 academic year, marking the first time in history that the organization eclipsed the $1 billion threshold in a single year. The bulk of the revenue came from the $761 million brought in from the Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, a figure that is expected to jump to $869 million this year. In addition, the NCAA distributed $160.5 million to its Division I Basketball Performance Fund, an amount allocated to Division I conferences and independent schools based on their performance in the men's basketball tournament over a six-year rolling period.
For the tax year ended June 2016, the Pac-12 reported $488 million in total revenue, according to figures provided by the Pac-12. The conference's NCAA basketball tournament distribution for 2016 amounted to $14.2 million, a league spokesman said.
The Pac-12, which received 17 tournament bids from 2012-2015, landed three teams in this year's field.
While emphasizing that it is unlikely that the NCAA will consider paying players directly in the near future, president Mark Emmert said in a March 3 interview with the Associated Press that the organization should give "serious consideration" to an Olympic model in which athletes could receive compensation from endorsements. Citing the pending federal litigation in the college basketball case, Scott declined comment in an interview last week. When asked whether the NCAA should consider adopting the model, Miller responded that he was "not qualified" to answer the question following Arizona's 83-67 quarterfinal win over Colorado in the Pac-12 tournament.
Last June, Fultz agreed to a multiyear deal with Nike estimated at above $1.5 million annually, The Vertical reported. In 2016, top overall pick Ben Simmons signed a five-year deal with Nike that could pay the swingman anywhere between $4 million and $8 million a year, according to USA Today Sports.
The task force also devoted a considerable amount of time and resources to crafting a strategy for reshaping the recruiting process. The proposed changes would permit in-person contact between coaches and athletes during the spring of a recruit's sophomore season in high school. Although coaches are prohibited from conducting in-person meetings with prospects at such age, a number of elite recruits are already identified as early as the eighth grade, according to the report. The window increases the potential for abuse among aspiring agents and other third-parties, the report states.
"Indeed, it has been said that the core strategy of the companies is to identify the next Michael Jordan when he is still in middle school, have him play on a sponsored team, steer him to a sponsored university, and ultimately sign him when he becomes an NBA star," the report states. "It is this concept that underlies the allegations of the Justice Department's indictments."
The NCAA Commission, led by Rice, could present its findings later next month at an NCAA Board of Directors meeting, the Associated Press reported.
The Pac-12's task force is comprised of a number of influential advisers in college basketball such as UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, former NCAA Executive Vice President/head of basketball Tom Jernstedt, USC Associate Professor of Clinical Education Alan Green and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin.
"Now is the time to step up and make changes to both restore trust in our game and protect the best interest of our student-athletes," Guerrero said. "We need to reform our rules, strengthen their enforcement, and rebuild confidence both in the integrity of our sport and of the educational mission of our universities."
