NCAA approves men’s and women’s basketball summer workout framework

On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Council approved a plan for both men’s and women’s basketball to begin their summer activities starting July 20.

Within the proposal are a few key guidelines that schools must follow. Once July 20 rolls around they can begin to have team required virtual and in-person workouts and meetings for up to eight hours a week. They may also have up to four hours of skill instruction, which counts toward their eight hours, with no days off required.

Once Sept. 15 or the first day of classes hits, schools can shift to off-season workouts, which are more-or-less the same but two days off are required each week.

Currently, teams are allowed up to eight hours a week of voluntary, virtual workouts and meetings. That will continue until July 19.

The proposal also stated it is leaving how coronavirus prevention is handled to local and school health policies, including the size of gatherings and use of facilities.

“The Council worked to balance the desire to get student-athletes training again with the need to repopulate our campuses and athletics facilities gradually and safely, within all campus, local and state mandates,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Penn, according to the release. “Student-athlete health and safety should remain a top priority.”

The council has not yet voted on “temporary alterations” to the recruiting calendar because they needed more time to make recommendations. The vote will be held on a teleconference within the next few weeks, according to the release.

According to the AP, the current proposal missed recruiting events that had been scheduled during quarantine to be held some time in August for men’s basketball. For women’s basketball, it proposed an evaluation period from Aug. 15 to Sept. 8 and then also have the fall contact period from Sept. 9 to 29 changed to an evaluation period.

The council also presented legislation that would establish a path for Division III schools to convert themselves in DI programs.

As it stands now, it takes a school 12 years to move up from DIII to DI, including a stop in DII. With this plan, DIII schools would be able to jump directly to DI in five years or more, without going to DII first.

In order to move up, DIII schools will have to do each of the follow: spend a year in the pre-application process, submit a “strategic plan”, conduct a “feasibility study” that includes how they are going to provide the scholarships and meet compliance standards, get a formal invitation to a DI conference and create school policies that align with the academic, diversity and health standards required by DI.

It will be voted on by April 2021 at the latest, according to the release.