The Division I Council approved the creation of a College Basketball Academy for girls, to be first implemented during the summer of 2023. The Council met this week in Indianapolis.
The College Basketball Academy for boys will also return in 2023. The developmental basketball event for prospective student-athletes was first implemented in 2019 at the recommendation of the Commission on College Basketball and was suspended in subsequent years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, a comprehensive external review of gender equity issues in college sports identified the College Basketball Academy (for boys) as a disparity in participation opportunities for men and women related to college basketball.Â
The Division I Women's Basketball Oversight Committee led the consideration of most recommendations from that external review, and — in concert with the Women's Basketball Committee — immediately recommended the expansion of the Division I Women's Basketball Championship to include 68 teams.
This spring the oversight committee shifted its focus to other participation opportunities.
"The College Basketball Academy serves the dual purpose of providing an additional recruiting opportunity for prospects and coaches while also preparing recruits to succeed in college, on and off the court," said Jamie Boggs, athletics director at Grand Canyon and chair of the Women's Basketball Oversight Committee. "The oversight committee remains focused on driving forward the Association's efforts to achieve gender equity in the sport of basketball, and the creation of an academy for girls is yet another step in that direction."
The Council approved several modifications to NCAA recruiting rules in women's basketball —mirroring adjustments already made in men's basketball — to support the creation of the basketball academy for girls, including:
- Allowing the NCAA to provide actual and necessary expenses for participating prospects and a chaperone.
- Allowing noncoaching basketball staff members to participate in the academies as facilitators.
- Prohibiting official and unofficial visits to Division I campuses by all prospects during the College Basketball Academy.
- Prohibiting Division I schools from conducting camps or clinics during the dates of the College Basketball Academy.
Sites for 2023 College Basketball Academies are expected to be announced in January.
Second NCAA-supported postseason tournament in women's basketball
The Council also approved a gender equity-focused recommendation from the oversight committee to create a 32-team postseason tournament in women's basketball that would be operated by NCAA national office staff, mirroring the construct currently used by the NCAA-owned Men's National Invitation Tournament. Like the Men's National Invitation Tournament, teams invited to participate in the women's tournament would be able to choose whether to accept that invitation, participate in another postseason event or not participate at all.
The creation of this event raises the number of postseason opportunities provided by the NCAA in women's basketball to what is currently being provided in men's basketball (100).
The recommendation will next be reviewed by the Division I Board of Directors Finance Committee for further consideration of budgetary requirements.
The earliest proposed date for implementation of this tournament would be after the 2023-24 season.
Football transfer windows
The Council voted to move the spring notification-of-transfer windows in both Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision football to April 15-30, rather than May 1-15.Â
The Football Oversight Committee proposed the change to allow participation discussions to occur at the conclusion of spring football, while also providing football student-athletes with more time to go through the transfer process and arrive at a new school before the start of summer activities.
