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Travel basketball changes underway |
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 Recent NCAA change to off-season tourneys good sign
By Mike Eddy
Last month, the NCAA proposed a small change to off-season tournaments, which I believe signals their seriousness in changing travel basketball. Over the past several years, the U.S. travel team basketball circuit has found itself at the center of controversy. From NCAA officials, to college and high school coaches, to the press, concerns about the current system’s effectiveness have been a common subject swirling around the sport.
But for those of us who have been observing it for a while, it seems there was a lot more talk than real measured change. In a small, but certainly impactful way, the NCAA responded this past month with a proposal to ban tournament play on college campuses for eligible student athletes.
The argument for such a proposal: Colleges that are able to host the tournaments get an unfair recruiting advantage. This rule is by no means a panacea for cleaning up travel basketball. In fact, it is a rather minor remedy considering some of the bigger issues critics want addressed. But last month’s proposal may be a signal that regulation of travel basketball is no longer just “talk” and real issues will be addressed.
For many people the prospect of change is scary. There are no easy solutions, and some parties will certainly get left out. There are legitimate changes that must be made to grassroots basketball. Let’s just remember why we need to change and do it for the 20 million kids playing basketball across our country.
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