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killerleft
10-11-2017, 02:47 PM
NCAA's Mark Emmert announces new Commission on College Basketball, headed by Condoleeza Rice:

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/10/11/ncaa-forms-commission-on-college-basketball-headed-by-condoleeza-rice/

Will she be called Commissioner Rice? Interesting.

hallcity
10-11-2017, 02:54 PM
An announcement from the President of the NCAA (http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/statement-president-mark-emmert-formation-commission-college-basketball):

The recent news of a federal investigation into fraud in college basketball made it very clear the NCAA needs to make substantive changes to the way we operate, and do so quickly. Individuals who break the trust on which college sports is based have no place here. While I believe the vast majority of coaches follow the rules, the culture of silence in college basketball enables bad actors, and we need them out of the game. We must take decisive action. This is not a time for half-measures or incremental change.
Therefore, I have secured endorsement from the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors to form a Commission on College Basketball, which Dr. Condoleezza Rice has agreed to chair, to work with me in examining critical aspects of a system that clearly is not working. The commission will be composed of leaders from higher education, college sports, government and the business world, as well as accomplished former student-athletes. Specifically, the commission will focus on three areas:

1. The relationship of the NCAA national office, member institutions, student-athletes and coaches with outside entities, including:
Apparel companies and other commercial entities, to establish an environment where they can support programs in a transparent way, but not become an inappropriate or distorting influence on the game, recruits or their families.
Nonscholastic basketball, with a focus on the appropriate involvement of college coaches and others.
Agents or advisors, with an emphasis on how students and their families can get legitimate advice without being taken advantage of, defrauded or risk their NCAA eligibility.
2. The NCAA’s relationship with the NBA, and the challenging effect the NBA’s so-called “one and done” rule has had on college basketball, including how the NCAA can change its own eligibility rules to address that dynamic.
3. Creating the right relationship between the universities and colleges of the NCAA and its national office to promote transparency and accountability. The commission will be asked to evaluate whether the appropriate degree of authority is vested in the current enforcement and eligibility processes, and whether the collaborative model provides the investigative tools, cultural incentives and structures to ensure exploitation and corruption cannot hide in college sports.

The commission will begin its work in November and will deliver its recommendations on legislative, policy and structural changes to the boards for action at their April meetings.

We need to do right by student-athletes. I believe we can — and we must — find a way to protect the integrity of college sports by addressing both sides of the coin: fairness and opportunity for college athletes, coupled with the enforcement capability to hold accountable those who undermine the standards of our community.

Here's the membership (http://www.ncaa.org/governance/ncaa-commission-college-basketball):
Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Former Provost, Stanford University
66th U.S. Secretary of State


Mary Sue Coleman

President
Association of American Universities


General Martin E. Dempsey, U.S. Army, Retired

Chairman
USA Basketball


Mark Emmert

President
National Collegiate Athletic Association


Jeremy Foley

Athletics Director Emeritus
University of Florida Athletic Association


Jefferey A. Hathaway

Vice President/Director of Athletics
Hofstra University


Grant Hill

Owner/Vice Chairman
Atlanta Hawks


Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

President
University of Notre Dame


Mike Montgomery

Retired Basketball Coach
Analyst, Pac-12 Networks & Westwood One Sports


G.P. “Bud” Peterson (ex officio)

President
Georgia Institute of Technology


David Robinson

Founder
Admiral Capital Group

Kathryn Ruemmler

Former White House Counsel
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP

Gene Smith


Sr. Vice President & Wolfe Foundation Endowed
Athletics Director, Ohio State University


John Thompson III

Former Head Basketball Coach,
Georgetown University

BandAlum83
10-11-2017, 03:30 PM
An announcement from the President of the NCAA (http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/statement-president-mark-emmert-formation-commission-college-basketball):
[INDENT][I]The recent news of a federal investigation into fraud in college basketball made it very clear the NCAA needs to make substantive changes to the way we operate........The commission will be asked to evaluate whether the appropriate degree of authority is vested in the current enforcement and eligibility processes.............

The entire release is fascinating.

We may get some insight into the bolded part when UNC penalties are announced and we see UNC's response)

From national politics to international relations, to changing weather, to male/female relationships, to race relations, to technology gone wild, to bio/medical discovery, to space discovery, etc, etc, we do live in interesting times, don't we?

chrishoke
10-11-2017, 03:38 PM
That is an impressive group of people. Why no Jay Bilas?

chrishoke
10-11-2017, 03:39 PM
Roy was initially asked to Chair the group but he declined.

BLPOG
10-11-2017, 03:42 PM
That is an impressive group of people. Why no Jay Bilas?

They didn't want to have to deal with constant expense reports for work-related ear-plug purchases.

Owen Meany
10-11-2017, 03:45 PM
I have often wondered if Coach K might eventually step down at Duke and into a commissioner type role for the NCAA or USA basketball. He has certainly always expressed a keen interest in the big picture of the long term health of the game. But I see that this is a temporary commission.

It's interesting to see Robinson, Hill and Dempsey occupy 3 of the positions on this panel. UNC fans have, somehow, been trying to suggest that Duke is likely to be implicated in the current unpleasantness regarding shoe companies and payments, etc - despite being mired in the largest academic scandal in NCAA history and having, by far, the greatest symbiotic relationship (via Jordan) with a shoe company of any program. The NCAA must feel very confident that the Duke program is clean.

English
10-11-2017, 03:49 PM
They didn't want to have to deal with constant expense reports for work-related ear-plug purchases.

They didn't want to give the rest of the panel members a dose of harsh reality when it became clear that Bilas is the smartest guy in the room, and there was no point in anyone else even weighing in.

Faustus
10-11-2017, 03:57 PM
Roy was initially asked to Chair the group but he declined.

Said the position would have to deal with too much 'junk'.

killerleft
10-11-2017, 04:10 PM
Roy was initially asked to Chair the group but he declined.

He said he didn't know anything about no dadgum chair.

swood1000
10-11-2017, 04:19 PM
Coach K has long advocated (http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article18577142.html) a college basketball commissioner, but he has in mind a czar-type person, whereas this looks like just another committee to study the problem. Maybe they'll recommend a real commissioner.

Billy Dat
10-11-2017, 04:31 PM
That is an impressive group of people. Why no Jay Bilas?

The initial reaction seems to be that it's too impressive...that none of these people would have touched pay-for-play and therefore won't have good insight into the reality of the situation - Grant and David Robinson representing former players...really? Obviously, we love them and they are smart as can be, but they are middle aged and DR wasn't a big time recruit and Grant was from a prominent, wealthy family. Condi Rice? The first guy on the committee should be Sonny Vaccaro.

bob blue devil
10-11-2017, 04:40 PM
The initial reaction seems to be that it's too impressive...that none of these people would have touched pay-for-play and therefore won't have good insight into the reality of the situation - Grant and David Robinson representing former players...really? Obviously, we love them and they are smart as can be, but they are middle aged and DR wasn't a big time recruit and Grant was from a prominent, wealthy family. Condi Rice? The first guy on the committee should be Sonny Vaccaro.

i think you are confusing someone you'd want to have a seat at the table vs. someone who's perspective would be useful to hear. i think it's wise to load the committee with smart, high integrity folks and then let them ask sonny for his perspective.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
10-11-2017, 04:53 PM
i think you are confusing someone you'd want to have a seat at the table vs. someone who's perspective would be useful to hear. i think it's wise to load the committee with smart, high integrity folks and then let them ask sonny for his perspective.

I agree with this one hundred percent. When I hire people, I hire for these qualities in this order:

- smart
- right personality to work with
- expertise

I can train someone who is smart and easy to work with to learn the processes and details. Someone with the wrong personality is very unlikely to change, regardless of their aptitude. And, if you don't want smart people around you, I don't know what to say.

Billy Dat
10-11-2017, 05:04 PM
i think you are confusing someone you'd want to have a seat at the table vs. someone who's perspective would be useful to hear. i think it's wise to load the committee with smart, high integrity folks and then let them ask sonny for his perspective.

I don't know..to me, this list looks like the NCAA is trying to assemble a group that looks great on paper but isn't practically tied to the problem at hand.

Pat Forde said it well, "Here’s what the committee lacks: Anyone from the netherworld the NCAA is trying to understand and curtail. Sometimes, as the saying goes, it takes a thief to catch a thief. And, ultimately, it is a panel of high-powered people who will sit in a boardroom and discuss a lot of things. Among the big-picture topics will be the roles of shoe companies in college sports, the corrosive influence of non-scholastic basketball and the NBA’s harmful one-and-done rule. Then there will be this: A discussion about NCAA enforcement, and how to make it work. A great many current and former members of that division are among the most conscientious, hard-working and idealistic people I’ve met in college sports – but they’ve been powerless to stop this particularly virulent strain of corruption."

https://sports.yahoo.com/feds-buckle-get-tough-recruiting-scandal-ncaa-forms-committee-205629649.html

duke79
10-11-2017, 05:20 PM
They didn't want to have to deal with constant expense reports for work-related ear-plug purchases.

LOL........harsh.........BUT very true !

bob blue devil
10-11-2017, 05:46 PM
I don't know..to me, this list looks like the NCAA is trying to assemble a group that looks great on paper but isn't practically tied to the problem at hand.

Pat Forde said it well, "Here’s what the committee lacks: Anyone from the netherworld the NCAA is trying to understand and curtail. Sometimes, as the saying goes, it takes a thief to catch a thief. And, ultimately, it is a panel of high-powered people who will sit in a boardroom and discuss a lot of things. Among the big-picture topics will be the roles of shoe companies in college sports, the corrosive influence of non-scholastic basketball and the NBA’s harmful one-and-done rule. Then there will be this: A discussion about NCAA enforcement, and how to make it work. A great many current and former members of that division are among the most conscientious, hard-working and idealistic people I’ve met in college sports – but they’ve been powerless to stop this particularly virulent strain of corruption."

https://sports.yahoo.com/feds-buckle-get-tough-recruiting-scandal-ncaa-forms-committee-205629649.html

hmmm... pat forde. first i ask what would homer simpson do. 2nd is pat forde.

Henderson
10-11-2017, 07:48 PM
A 14-person commission of mostly busy professionals is going to start work on this incredibly broad mandate in November, work around holiday schedules, and have a report and recommendations done in time for the NCAA to act at their April meetings? That seems... ambitious. It's great that some smart folks are going to take a look at this, and I actually expect something good to come out of it. But the cynic in me suspects this is mostly about having an answer whenever someone asks, "What is the NCAA going to do about this?", a question Mr. Emmert is undoubtedly already tired of answering.

ipatent
10-11-2017, 08:14 PM
The part about bad actors and we need them out of the game doesn't look good for Louisville and the other schools identified in the charges.

JasonEvans
10-11-2017, 08:19 PM
On the next podcast, I am going to have some very choice words about this committee. I have spent some time this afternoon thinking about it and there is a lot wrong here.

sagegrouse
10-11-2017, 08:24 PM
Three Duke links -- K's bud Martin Dempsey, former JCS chair and Duke MA; Grant Hill; and David Robinson, Duke parent.

weezie
10-11-2017, 08:40 PM
...The first guy on the committee should be Sonny Vaccaro.

Spit take! But pithy.

Interesting.

Duke95
10-11-2017, 10:23 PM
I agree with Jason Evans on this. And Henderson.

Acymetric
10-11-2017, 10:40 PM
So who would some of you wanted instead? You have some people with high level experience running organizations (important for making suggestions on how to restructure an organization) as well as well respected people from the basketball world. Do you think JTIII and Grant Hill are unaware of what was going on and why, even if they weren't actively participating in it themselves? Genuinely not sure what composition could have made you happy that would have had any chance of making a real, cohesive, productive step forward.

sagegrouse
10-11-2017, 11:02 PM
So who would some of you wanted instead? You have some people with high level experience running organizations (important for making suggestions on how to restructure an organization) as well as well respected people from the basketball world. Do you think JTIII and Grant Hill are unaware of what was going on and why, even if they weren't actively participating in it themselves? Genuinely not sure what composition could have made you happy that would have had any chance of making a real, cohesive, productive step forward.

Well, there will probably be a staff who will the leg work and the documentation. At least, that is how Presidential Commissions work. The commissioners come in for deliberations on a regular basis and give assignments and directions. Also, it is not unheard of for commissions to request more time (actually, they just take it -- since they are not employees and don't really work for anyone).

I'll be interested in Jason's views and all of you as well -- I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the broad assignments.

Oh, but one thing: this is how K gets the basketball commissioner he has been campaigning for.

bob blue devil
10-12-2017, 07:54 AM
Well, there will probably be a staff who will the leg work and the documentation. At least, that is how Presidential Commissions work. The commissioners come in for deliberations on a regular basis and give assignments and directions. Also, it is not unheard of for commissions to request more time (actually, they just take it -- since they are not employees and don't really work for anyone).

I'll be interested in Jason's views and all of you as well -- I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the broad assignments.

Oh, but one thing: this is how K gets the basketball commissioner he has been campaigning for.

yes, i'm a bit surprised at the skepticism toward this group of individuals. this isn't the first rodeo for most of them. people will be falling over themselves to work on this with them - huge potential networking opportunity and resume builder. and busy people tend to be good at getting things done (as famously noted by lucille ball). their overall gravitas will make it impossible for the ncaa to ignore their recommendations, and, combining their reputations with their number makes the martin report risk low.

budwom
10-12-2017, 08:14 AM
if you want to consume a lot of time, give the illusion of action, and do absolutely nothing, setting up a commission is the way to go. They'll work six months, file a huge report which will be ignored, and then drinks all around.

sagegrouse
10-12-2017, 08:41 AM
if you want to consume a lot of time, give the illusion of action, and do absolutely nothing, setting up a commission is the way to go. They'll work six months, file a huge report which will be ignored, and then drinks all around.

Budwom -- I worked closely with two presidential commissions, where the commissioners and staff were hard-working professionals and leaders. One came up with analysis, argumentation, and specific proposals to end the military draft. It had a huge effect. The second worked hard and made some good recommendations that became proposed legislation by the Administration, but Congress, at the time, had no interest in doing anything and some proposals became law only a few years later.

In other words, we'll see.

There are two types of reforms: What the member schools can approve and implement on their own; and then what requires agreements by outside entities, such as the NBA and the NBPA (players' assoc.). I am optimistic on making NCAA changes and less hopeful on getting agreement with the league and the players' union.

budwom
10-12-2017, 09:09 AM
^ for sure the possibility exists, Sage...but by and large I think the odds are strongly in favor of the status quo enduring...as you say, we'll see. I guess the corporate and gummint experience I've had has cynicized (!) me.

Billy Dat
10-12-2017, 09:42 AM
if you want to consume a lot of time, give the illusion of action, and do absolutely nothing, setting up a commission is the way to go. They'll work six months, file a huge report which will be ignored, and then drinks all around.

Ding, ding, ding


There are two types of reforms: What the member schools can approve and implement on their own; and then what requires agreements by outside entities, such as the NBA and the NBPA (players' assoc.). I am optimistic on making NCAA changes and less hopeful on getting agreement with the league and the players' union.

When K made his statements in reaction to the scandal on media day, he talked about all the stakeholders sitting down and figuring everything out...including the NBA, NBPA, the sneaker companies, etc. Grant at least represents NBA owners....it just seems designed to do what budwom described.

Henderson
10-12-2017, 11:02 AM
Oh, but one thing: this is how K gets the basketball commissioner he has been campaigning for.

Although I'm cynical about Emmert's motive in establishing this Commission, I do think it's positive incremental movement. And I agree with sagegrouse that this is a particularly positive possible outcome.

Someone above mentioned this; sorry to be too lazy to give that person props too. I'll go back to page 1 and spork.

ChillinDuke
10-12-2017, 11:31 AM
Ding, ding, ding



When K made his statements in reaction to the scandal on media day, he talked about all the stakeholders sitting down and figuring everything out...including the NBA, NBPA, the sneaker companies, etc. Grant at least represents NBA owners...it just seems designed to do what budwom described.

I dunno, maybe. It's hard to tell at this moment.

I'm particularly cynical when it comes to certain things - "commissions" probably being one of them. But this sort of feels like a point in time where the NCAA is in serious danger of a major fallout. Whether or not more people are implicated and there is more contagion will further inform of the dangers to the NCAA. This commission may very well end up doing nothing other than give illusions, but it does sort of feel like a day of reckoning for the whole construct of college bball. And unlike certain things these days, it does feel like there exists a core of stakeholders that are still big enough advocates of college bball that they are willing to make the necessary changes to save it.

Grant Hill, amongst others, strikes me as exactly the type of person interested enough and capable enough of doing exactly this. Which is why, although typically cynical, I am cautiously optimistic about this commission.

- Chillin

Duke95
10-12-2017, 12:04 PM
if you want to consume a lot of time, give the illusion of action, and do absolutely nothing, setting up a commission is the way to go. They'll work six months, file a huge report which will be ignored, and then drinks all around.

budwom has explained this commission precisely.

Henderson
10-12-2017, 02:00 PM
if you want to consume a lot of time, give the illusion of action, and do absolutely nothing, setting up a commission is the way to go. They'll work six months, file a huge report which will be ignored, and then drinks all around.

My cynicism tempts me to agree. It's a common pattern. And I don't doubt Emmert did this (at least in part) to shunt the heat.

But respectfully, I think your cynicism may go too far and underestimate the integrity of the members of this particular commission.

budwom
10-12-2017, 02:15 PM
My cynicism tempts me to agree. It's a common pattern. And I don't doubt Emmert did this (at least in part) to shunt the heat.

But respectfully, I think your cynicism may go too far and underestimate the integrity of the members of this particular commission.

Ah, but to be clear, (and this has been true in virtually all the commissions I've personally engaged with), NONE of my cynicism has to do with the integrity of the people serving on the commission.
They'll do their work and file an earnest report...but then they'll be thanked, and the people who appointed them will largely ignore their recommendations. Inertia prevails.
There are a lot of good people on this commission, and I do not doubt their integrity one bit.

Henderson
10-12-2017, 02:35 PM
They'll do their work and file an earnest report...but then they'll be thanked, and the people who appointed them will largely ignore their recommendations. Inertia prevails.
There are a lot of good people on this commission, and I do not doubt their integrity one bit.

I agree that's a risk. But different commissions are different. And (you've surely seen this) not all of commissions are inconsequential. I may be naive, but I think this commission will actually take it's job seriously. And given the makeup of the commission, it'll be more difficult to ignore their report. Otherwise, Emmert has traded the question, "So what are you doing about this?" for "Why aren't you implementing the Rice Report?"

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
10-12-2017, 02:35 PM
Ah, but to be clear, (and this has been true in virtually all the commissions I've personally engaged with), NONE of my cynicism has to do with the integrity of the people serving on the commission.
They'll do their work and file an earnest report...but then they'll be thanked, and the people who appointed them will largely ignore their recommendations. Inertia prevails.
There are a lot of good people on this commission, and I do not doubt their integrity one bit.

Would people on this board really be less critical if the commission had a few shoe CEOs, one of the Michigan Fab Five, an AAU big wig, and some sports agents?

Billy Dat
10-12-2017, 03:15 PM
Would people on this board really be less critical if the commission had a few shoe CEOs, one of the Michigan Fab Five, an AAU big wig, and some sports agents?

Aside from those on the commission, I also have a problem with its mandate. The primary issue is that there is a billion dollar industry built on the backs of amateur college students who, aside from a college scholarship and, for a small minority, an ability to "go pro" in that field, don't benefit in a commensurate fashion. That is why there is so much payola abuse and "recruitment" happening, and the 3 areas of focus barely graze the subject.

Rather than a commission, I'd rather see a process like the one when Jerry Colangelo took over USA basketball. Put someone in charge and let them call a meeting of all the stakeholders, including the all the folks you mentioned, and start trying to come up with a framework for moving forward that puts the players first.

JasonEvans
10-12-2017, 03:36 PM
Would people on this board really be less critical if the commission had a few shoe CEOs, one of the Michigan Fab Five, an AAU big wig, and some sports agents?

Well, those aren't the perfect representatives but... Yup, I would be less critical because I would feel like the commission was at least hearing from all the concerned parties... especially the players.


Rather than a commission, I'd rather see a process like the one when Jerry Colangelo took over USA basketball. Put someone in charge and let them call a meeting of all the stakeholders, including the all the folks you mentioned, and start trying to come up with a framework for moving forward that puts the players first.

I hear you, but my hope is that one of the things that comes out of the commission is a recommendation that there be a "college basketball czar" who can do just the kind of thing you are talking about.

El_Diablo
10-27-2017, 06:14 PM
The commission met for the first time last Friday. Unsurprisingly, nothing much to report came from it:

“The Commission on College Basketball met for the first time last Friday, October 20th, via teleconference to discuss its charge and various organizational issues," Rice said in a statement Monday. "The members of the commission expressed their commitment to finding lasting solutions for the problems that face collegiate basketball and reaffirmed its independence from the NCAA governance structure. Over the course of the next six months, the Commission will meet to discuss the issues, evaluate data, and engage key stakeholders.

"Our goal is to enhance and protect the intercollegiate athletic experience for every student-athlete and, in doing so, to safeguard the integrity of the game.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2017/10/23/ncaa-basketball-committee-meets-first-time/792059001/