The Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees on Monday each introduced a legislative package focused on out-of-season activities, including a new opportunity for limited domestic summer competition against four-year college teams.
The proposals may be amended by the oversight committees based on membership feedback before a vote by each oversight committee in December and then reviewed by the Division I Cabinet by January, leading to a potential effective date of April.
Under this permissive approach, the MBOC and WBOC have aligned in proposing up to three dates of competition either domestically or internationally (as part of a foreign tour) during the eight-week summer access period when college basketball teams are practicing and developing on campus. Schools would have the flexibility to determine the appropriate contest format — exhibition game, scrimmage, joint practice, 3×3 or 5×5 — and whether the contest is conducted in private or open to the public.
Domestic competitions could take place against any U.S. four-year school and provide an alternative competitive developmental opportunity to summer foreign tours. The proposal standardizes summer competitions to a maximum of three dates — either foreign or domestic — providing all Division I teams with flexible, efficient and equitable opportunities. For men’s teams participating in a summer foreign tour, those competitions would be limited to any international club or team.
Women’s teams participating in a summer foreign tour could play any international club or team, and one contest could take place against another Division I team, which is consistent with the current foreign tour legislation in women’s basketball.
Contests, either domestic or foreign, would have to be completed 30 days prior to the first on-court practice date, and the proposal also would remove the rule allowing 10 days of practice before a foreign tour.
In Division I men’s and women’s basketball, summer access would be maintained at eight weeks during a school’s summer vacation period.
The WBOC supports maintaining up to eight hours of athletically related activities per week due to the recent addition of a transition period prior to the start of the regular season in which up to 12 hours of activities are permitted per week.
The MBOC supported a modest increase in the number of summer hours to 10 per week due to significant roster turnover each year and more time needed for individual and team development.
Time spent competing during the three dates of competition would not count toward the weekly hourly limitations for summer access.
Student-athletes who are eligible to compete in the regular season would not be required to be enrolled in summer classes to compete during the summer. Student-athletes not eligible for the regular season would not have to be enrolled in summer courses to participate in skill instruction but could not compete during the three dates of competition.
After the conclusion of their respective national championship, men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes could participate in competition as a member of an outside team while not representing the school until the day prior to the start of official practice in September.
This concept protects the integrity of the playing season while allowing student-athletes the opportunity to participate on noncollegiate amateur teams similar to student-athletes in other sports. This outside competition may not occur during the eight-week summer access period.These proposals received support from both men’s and women’s basketball student-athlete engagement groups, as they provide meaningful developmental opportunities in the summer.
