The idea is to give college basketball a presence at a time of year when it’s typically dark.Images: getty
The NCAA and college leaders are exploring a short schedule of summer exhibition basketball games — likely two to four games — that would allow schools to play each other and fill a void when college basketball is very busy. hardly present.
NCAA officials began discussions with commissioners, conferences and schools earlier this month about a limited schedule that would most likely begin in the summer of 2023 or 2024. It would include both basketball masculine and feminine.
The initial idea proposed by the NCAA and currently under discussion would match schools in similar parts of the country, but typically don’t play out and aren’t in the same conference, like Davidson vs. North Carolina State or the northern Iowa versus Iowa, for example. There would be no restrictions on schools playing opponents who are also outside the region.
These games could be played on campus or at neutral venues, usually in August. Schools and athletes could opt out if they choose not to play.
These exhibition games could be treated as one-time arrangements or they could be turn-based events that last several days. Dan Gavitt, senior vice president of NCAA basketball, said schools and conferences would have the freedom to structure the summer schedule in different ways.
The NCAA began sharing the idea and getting feedback on the summer program in recent weeks at the Conference Commissioners Association meeting in Chicago and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee meeting. .
The response was overwhelmingly favorable, Gavitt said. The idea was originally conceived before the pandemic, but was dropped as COVID-19 wreaked havoc on college sports. Gavitt and Lynn Holzman, vice president of NCAA women’s basketball, led discussions to bring the idea back to the fore.
“It’s a time of year where there really isn’t a presence for college basketball on the schedule,” Gavitt said. “For college teams to be able to play a limited schedule of two to four games, somewhere around that, we could create some attention and exposure for college basketball at a time when we are otherwise very dark. … We are starting to work more seriously around this idea to see what kind of support there might be.
The summer basketball schedule has started to get busier in recent years with the addition of new events, ranging from the Basketball Tournament to the NBA Summer League, Big3, 3-on-3 League and NBA Regular Season. WNBA.
College basketball, however, was unable to capture the attention this offseason. NCAA rules currently prohibit the type of off-season competition that is under consideration, although players can work with their teams’ coaches.
NCAA rules should become more permissive for a new summer schedule to evolve.
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said the conference’s 11 athletic directors heard from Gavitt last week on a video call where the concept of summer basketball was discussed.
“The immediate reaction was favourable.” says Ackermann. “It sounds like something we would support. We wouldn’t want this to turn into something that becomes more than it should be, especially if the goal is for summer to be a time for athletes to take a break and recharge their batteries.
“But this idea that they’re on campus and training anyway, what harm would there be in building a game schedule – a modest game schedule – especially if it’s regional and not cross country.”
The change would apply to both men’s and women’s basketball.Images: getty
At NCAA exploratory meetings with schools and conferences, Gavitt and Holzman highlighted the benefits for athletes and the sport.
Male and female basketball players are already on campus training with their coaches for eight weeks, several hours a week, during the summer.
“It would be an opportunity to end this period with a few games and give the athletes a new experience,” said Gavitt. “And in this NIL world that we find ourselves in right now, these games would provide opportunities for both male and female basketball players to activate at a time when no attention has been paid to them. There is also a potential benefit for the football, because these basketball games could be an opportunity to promote the next football season which will only be a few weeks away before these games are played.
“From where I’m sitting, it’s something we’ve been sorely missing in the basketball world, so I’m excited for the possibility of it happening in our future.”
It remains to be seen if the summer games schedule would include a revenue component. Most likely, that would be left to schools and conferences. They could sell tickets, merchandise, concessions, all the items that are typically found at a college game.
There might also be the ability to stream these games.
Another issue that came up on the Grand Est call was the future of international trips that schools are allowed to take in August once every four years.
“We’re talking about exhibition games, so we would like schools to have the opportunity to get creative,” Gavitt said. “You could create jamborees where a conference takes games on the road somewhere for a weekend. We want this to be very flexible so that it is not an additional burden for the institutions, it is not mandatory. It’s more of an opportunity for them to get active at any level and whatever their appetite.
“It would definitely be a different way for programs to engage with their fans at a time of year when not much is happening.”
