Arizona Basketball: NCAA Commission on College Basketball misses the mark
By Mark Barrera
The NCAA college basketball scene was exposed this past year with corruption across the country. A special committee was formed and has finally released their recommendations.
This season of Men’s College Basketball, and the Arizona basketball program, in particular, was clouded with controversy. One year ago the FBI began their raids on coaches homes, the first stage of bringing the corruption out of the dark and into the light.
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Not only were coaches found guilty, but close to 50 schools are named in various reports. Small schools and big-name schools were found guilty of recruiting violations, pay for play, and shady, back-alley dealings for years.
We’ve known for a long time the NCAA system is broken. Corruption is at the highest level to protect themselves rather than looking out for the student-athlete.
Headed by former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, the NCAA formed the Commission on College Basketball was formed to look at the current climate and provide a pathway to fix the system.
Unfortunately, the committee completely missed the mark.
There are some good recommendations by the committee, but ultimately (and not the least bit surprising) the NCAA has deflected blame to outside sources.
But first, let’s look at five of their most positive recommendations from the committee.