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Syracuse Basketball: Commission’s recommendations aren’t enough

By Neil Adler

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) lowers the gavel on a hearing where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen House testified in the Rayburn House Office Building November 4, 2015 in Washington, DC. Because the Obama administration has yet to appoint a vice chairman for supervision at the Federal Reserve -- as madated by the Dodd-Frank Law -- Yellen is assuming the semi-annual duty for reporting to the committee on the Fed's 'supervision and regulation of the financial system.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) lowers the gavel on a hearing where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen House testified in the Rayburn House Office Building November 4, 2015 in Washington, DC. Because the Obama administration has yet to appoint a vice chairman for supervision at the Federal Reserve -- as madated by the Dodd-Frank Law -- Yellen is assuming the semi-annual duty for reporting to the committee on the Fed's 'supervision and regulation of the financial system.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) /
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An independent commission has revealed its proposed changes to improve college basketball, but much more work needs to get done before I’m fully satisfied.

In October of last year, amid a massive federal-government investigation into allegations of bribery and fraud in collegiate basketball, an independent commission got formed to come up with changes to turn around my favorite sport.

"On Wednesday, the Commission on College Basketball released its findings as part of a detailed report, in which it says at the onset that “men’s college basketball is deeply troubled. The levels of corruption and deception are now at a point that they threaten the very survival of the college game as we know it. It has taken some time to get here, and it will take time to change course.”"

Among its recommendations, the commission states that the NCAA should work with the NBA to remove the league’s “one-and-done” rule, which requires players to reach 19 years old and be a year removed from high school to get eligible for the NBA Draft.

According to the commission, players should be allowed to enter the draft out of high school or after any college season, and return to their college or university if they go undrafted. I dig this idea a lot, because so many guys declare for the draft but really aren’t ready for the pros. This would totally enhance the level of competition within college hoops.

The commission proposes that a vice president-level position is established at the NCAA to oversee a program for certifying agents. Access to such agents by high-school and college players should be allowed and get encouraged, so that student-athletes and their families can make wiser choices about professional options. I’m all for this.

Stiffer penalties should get implemented for serious rules violations, and an independent body should get created to resolve complex cases pertaining to NCAA violations, according to the commission.

The commission also says coaches, athletic directors and administrators must certify every year that they have conducted due diligence, and that their programs comply with NCAA rules. Sounds good to me.

Additionally, recommendations include stringent criteria for AAU leagues and summer recruiting events, where the event owners, sponsors and coaches must abide by financial transparency. USA Basketball and the NBA should work together to formulate NCAA-led recruiting events over the summer, as well as evaluate pre-collegiate players.

All of the proposed changes from the commission are steps in the right direction, but the big gripe I have is that college players should be able to profit off of their own names, images and likeness (NIL).

The commission didn’t address this issue, because the matter is tied up in the court system. However, once legal concerns are no longer there, players must have the ability to earn from their NIL.

College and university presidents, coaches, athletic directors and others make hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in salaries. Collegiate basketball is a multibillion-dollar business. The players deserve a reasonable piece of the pie. Anything less is ridiculous, unfair and just plain wrong.

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