Commission on College Basketball Recommends End to One-and-Done, Increased NCAA Penalties
The Commission on College Basketball released its findings Wednesday morning, calling for those in charge to take control of the sport by reforming the one-and-done rule, allowing players to return to school if they go undrafted by the NBA and getting rid of coaches who cheat by banning them for life.
In the 60-page report, the commission said that college basketball is "a toxic mix of perverse incentives to cheat" and called on university presidents to step up.
It presented the proposed reforms to university presidents of the NCAA Board of Governors and the Division I Board of Directors at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.
The next step is implementing these changes for next season.
The commission was chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State and Stanford provost Condoleezza Rice.
It was formed after a multiyear FBI investigation resulted in accusations of widespread bribery, wire fraud and corruption in college basketball, leading to the arrest of 10 people, including four former assistant college basketball coaches.
"Too often, these individuals hide behind the NCAA when they are the ones most responsible for the degraded state of intercollegiate athletics, in general, and college basketball in particular," the report says.
Schools such as Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina State and Miami have been implicated in the scandal. Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who was dismissed in October, has been the most prominent name to lose his job as a result of the FBI findings. Pitino has denied any wrongdoing.
The group was tasked with reforming rules, including looking at the NCAA's relationship with the NBA.
"The goal should not be to turn college basketball into another professional league," the report said
The 12-member commission included former NBA stars Grant Hill and David Robinson, former Georgetown coach John Thompson III and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, among others.
"We thus offer these recommendations to try and get back on course. Some may disagree with the recommendations made here. Our focus has been to strengthen the collegiate model – not to move toward one that brings aspects of professionalism into the game," Rice said.
