No more foreign exhibition games

[Dr Z]

D-I teams barred from playing non-collegiate opponents in men's basketball

By The Associated Press

Friday, April 30, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS -- Major colleges will no longer be allowed to schedule men's exhibition basketball games against non-collegiate opponents, such as foreign teams, AAU clubs or Athletes in Action.

The prohibition was approved Thursday by the NCAA Board of Directors and will go into effect for Division I schools on Aug. 1. Contracts signed before Oct. 21, 2003, will be honored.

The measure was designed to eliminate possible advantages some schools might have in recruiting by playing exhibition games against teams that could include prospective college players.

Division I teams still would be allowed to make foreign tours, which are not considered exhibition games and therefore not subject to the new rule barring non-collegiate opponents, as long as they are completed more than 30 days before the start of preseason practice.

[GoZips]

No more non-collegiate is fine by me. All too often I have seen foreign and post collegiate players take out their anger and frustration when losing on the college players.

Many college teams, Akron included, have suffered injurys at the hands of these often older, more experienced players.

Since foreign teams, AAU teams and the like seldom have the cohesion of a team, these individual "stars" often "vent" by clobbering the college player. All too often it is a blind sided cheap shot. Good riddance.

Actually, I enjoy watching the Div.-I team "tune up" on a Div.-III team. Its usually a lot better basketball all the way around.

Finally the NCAA made an intelligent ruling.

[Guest Guest_Z.I.P.]

There hasn't been a lot of publicity regarding the cause of this action by the NCAA, but CBS Sportsline did a nice report during last November's exhibition season.

The problem is the increasing power and persuasion of the AAU team coaches and "owners". For example there are a couple of brothers from S. California who own the EA Sports traveling teams (there are three or four regional teams under that banner). While the players on these teams make little more than expense money, the brothers are estimated to have made major, major bucks from the 20+ games their teams played.

The other problem -- probably a bigger contributor to the decision -- is the conflict, or apparent conflict of interest between the AAU teams and college recruiters. In one case, a HS recruit changed his decision from Arizona to UCLA, and it was alleged that the HS coach, who also coaches or manages a traveling AAU squad used his leverage with the player to "buy" exhibition games vs the Bruins.

"Aaaahhhh! I cannot believe there is gambling in my establishment!" (Peter Lorre from Casablanca)