By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times wires
Published April 2, 2004
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - After years of work, NCAA president Myles Brand said a final vote on disincentives for poor graduation rates and academic performance will come in a few weeks.
If passed the guidelines will hold "institutions and teams accountable in a way that was never true in the past," he said during his version of a state of the union address Thursday afternoon at the Alamodome.
Some of the penalties would include a loss of a scholarship for a year if an athlete flunks out. In the worst case a team could lose eligibility for the NCAA Tournament. If passed by the board of directors this month, the loss of a scholarship would be in place for enforcement by the 2005-06 school year.
In conjunction with the disincentives package, Brand said the NCAA is working on a way to measure graduation rates.
"The current federally mandated way ... is inadequate," he said.
Currently, if a student-athlete transfers he can never count as a graduate for any school even if he does earn a degree. That will be changed. Brand also said the NCAA will produce a semester-by-semester progress rate, which will show more than the "snapshot" currently provided by marking a six-year period from the time of enrollment.
"I think we're moving in the right direction," said Pat Kennedy, the former FSU coach now at Montana and the incoming president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. "It's going to put pressure on people to do a better job bringing in the student that fits that institution, doing a better job with the student when they're there."
DUKE'S OKAY: The Blue Devils' run to the 1999 NCAA Tournament finale in St. Petersburg will not be accompanied by an asterisk. NCAA vice president for enforcement David Price said that although Duke freshman Corey Maggette received payments from an AAU coach, Myron Piggie, before coming to Duke, no penalties were meted out.
"After a lengthy investigation, we came to the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to determine that Maggette knew or should have known (he would be ineligible) and we believe firmly that the institution did not know," Price said.
Duke was informed of the decision in the fall, but it was not disclosed publicly until now. Maggette left for the NBA after one year at Duke.
ELDER RETURNS: B.J. Elder returned to practice, a promising sign for the Yellow Jackets' leading scorer.
Elder didn't score last weekend after spraining his right ankle early in the region semifinal against Nevada. Georgia Tech won two games at St. Louis, advancing to its first Final Four since 1990.
The Yellow Jackets, who arrived in San Antonio on Wednesday night, held a morning practice at Trinity University. Elder went through the entire workout, school spokesman Mike Stamus said.
"He's a little sore, but he's okay," Stamus said.
Elder wore a protective boot on his foot early in the week but insisted it was feeling a lot better. He said he definitely will play Saturday against Oklahoma State.
After practice, coach Paul Hewitt gave his players the rest of the afternoon off to see the sights, including the Alamo.
