The Big East Conference recommends replacing the "one and done" rule that forces NBA prospects to play at least one year of college basketball with a "none or two" approach.
According to the recommendation released Wednesday and posted at bigeast.com, "The NCAA should urge the NBA and National Basketball Players Association to create a "none or two" draft eligibility rule to afford elite players greater flexibility to explore their professional options directly out of high school. Players electing to enroll in an NCAA institution would become eligible for the NBA draft following their second NCAA season."
This recommendation, among others, came in response to an NCAA request for feedback from its membership following a charge issued last October by the association's Commission on College Basketball. Chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, the commission was created in response to a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball. The Pac-12 issued its own reform recommendations last week.
"The journey of men's basketball players as they move from youth basketball, to high school and/or travel teams, to college basketball, and then to the pros is ripe for overhaul," Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said. "Our recommendations are designed to help improve the pathway for these young men as they pursue their dreams and to solidify the future of a great sport that, as March Madness always shows, is embraced passionately by universities and fans around the country."
Georgetown University athletic director Lee Reed, who chaired the conference working group behind the recommendations, added, "We believe our recommendations can help minimize undue influences in the college game, restore integrity to the recruiting process and improve the overall management of key oversight and enforcement functions."
In addition to a "none or two" rule, the Big East's recommendations include:
A new summer recruiting model should launch in the summer of 2019 and allow for centralized control and efficient evaluation of pre-collegiate prospects.
Apparel company contracts should require that income for coaches and administrators be paid through the university rather than by apparel companies directly. The NCAA should also mandate specific disclosures from apparel companies before they can enter into contracts with NCAA institutions.
The NCAA should allow basketball student-athletes to retain the services of certified agents and advisors in a regulated framework to provide advice about their futures and guide them in their decisions about whether to enter the NBA draft.
The NCAA should beef up its enforcement — with more significant penalties for egregious rule violations — or employ an independent enforcement agency modeled after the USADA. The NCAA should also promote more aggressively the importance of ethical conduct as a core value.
Collaboration with USA Basketball, the sport's national governing body, to improve the organizational structure and standards for pre-collegiate, non-scholastic basketball.
Creation of a new Elite Player Unit within the NCAA should focus on the areas highlighted by the Commission's charge and provide oversight of requiting, agents and advisors, apparel company relationships, ethical conduct and branding strategies.
