New York ? College basketball coaches are unhappy over a proposal that would eliminate July men’s basketball recruiting beginning in 2012.
It’s a pivotal evaluation time for coaches, who travel to various summer camps and clinics over two 10-day stretches of scouting trips.
Conference Commissioners Association unanimously voted last month to recommend the abolition of summer recruiting. The recommendation has moved on to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
“I think it’s bad. I hope it’s not a knee-jerk reaction to thinking this will solve a lot of problems in our game because it’s not going to,” Kansas University coach Bill Self said Thursday. “From a budgetary standpoint, you have to be able to see a lot of kids at once. Summer allows you to see a lot of kids in one setting.
“I think 95 percent of all coaches in America would agree July is imperative for the betterment of our sport,” Self added.
Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli, an NABC board member, cautions that it’s too early to panic because the rule may not even be implemented.
“Coaches will clearly be heard on this,” he said.
