WELCOME to the first issue of Compliance Corner!

– the official WBCA publication for Division I legislation! This publication will be distributed on a quarterly basis and will contain NCAA Division I legislative news and notes affecting women’s basketball, recruiting basics, questions from our coaches, and other legislative information you need to know. The primary purpose of this publication is to help our coaches navigate the complexity of NCAA bylaws and legislation. In this issue, we take a look at the July recruiting period. Feel free to offer any suggestions or feedback to make this tool more useful. However, we encourage you to contact your compliance officers with any questions.

Thank you,
WBCA
From the News Front Questions From Our Coaches

The WBCA Recruiting and Access proposals came full circle this past April. Work began over a year ago to develop proposals aimed to improve the current landscape of women’s basketball. Sixteen of the original 25 proposals survived rigorous scrutiny by the NCAA, its governance bodies, and its membership. Since the proposals’ adoption, one proposal has garnered much attention and has been the subject of many discussions so far. WBCA Recruiting and Access Proposal No. 2004-145 Playing and Practice Seasons – Out-of-Season Skill Instruction was resurrected by the NCAA Board of Directors on April 28. This proposal originally sought to increase the number of players allowed to participate in out of season skill instruction in multiple facilities for women’s basketball and was later amended to mirror the men’s basketball proposal to solely increase the number of players allowed to participate in out-of-season instruction. This proposal was originally defeated by the NCAA Management Council; however, the decision was reversed by the Board of Directors and eventually was adopted. Please keep in mind that this is restricted to the time period outside of the playing season during the academic year and permits individual and team instruction, observation of pick-up games, etc. within the 4 hours of the 8 hours of out-of-season practice per week. This adopted proposal has an immediate effective date. Please note that a student-athlete is required to have 2 days off outside of the playing season during the academic year.

1. Question: Does this July’s Evaluation Period have a new format?
Answer: Yes. Last year, legislation was adopted to change the July calendar to a 10-6-10 format – a six-day Dead Period (July 16-21) and two ten-day Evaluation Periods (July 6-15 and July 22-31).
2. Question: May an institution conduct a camp and have official and unofficial visits during the six-day Dead Period during July?
Answer: No. This period is a Dead Period and absolutely no on or off campus in-person contact with prospects is permissible during this time. However, telephone calls are still permitted.
3. Question: May we begin to have out-of-season skill instruction with all of my athletes right now?
Answer: Yes. The adoption of Proposal No. 2004-145, which has an immediate effective date, allows you to do so. Please keep in mind that this is restricted to the time period outside of the playing season during the academic year. In the permissible 8 hours of out-of-season practice, only 4 hours may be used for individual or team skill instruction.
4. Question: May we mail recruiting brochures to our recruits during July?
Answer: Yes. NCAA Bylaw 13.1.7.2.2 permits coaches to send printed materials via regular mail to a prospect’s home while she is participating in a certified event.
5. Question: Is the Baton Rule still in effect?
Answer: Yes. The legislation will continue to be in effect until August 1, 2005. WBCA Recruiting and Access Proposal No. 2004-132-B will go into effect and essentially will eliminate the Baton
Rule for all sports as of August 1.
6. Question: Can we talk to a prospect’s high school coach during a certified event in July?
Answer: Yes. This July, coaches will be governed by the rules stated in NCAA Bylaw 13.1.7.2.1 and a new exception to this bylaw, which allows coaches to have telephone contact with a prospect’s high school coach or high school administrator who is not in attendance at the certified event.
Questions and Answers
1. Is it permissible for an authorized coaching staff member to telephone a prospect, prospect’s relatives or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with the prospect as a result of the prospect’s participation in basketball during the time period in which the prospect is participating in the certified summer basketball event or tour?
It is not permissible to have any in-person or verbal contact, including contacts at sites other than the event site (e.g., hotel), with any prospect, prospect’s relatives or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with the prospect as a result of the prospect’s participation in basketball during the time period in which the prospect is participating in the certified summer basketball event. However, an institutional coaching staff member may have telephone contact with a prospect’s high-school coach (or high school administrator) while the prospect is participating in a summer certified event, provided the high school coach or administrator is not in attendance at that summer certified event.
2. Is it permissible for an authorized coaching staff member to send correspondence (e.g., letter, facsimile) to a prospect while the prospect is participating in a certified summer basketball event?
No. The regulation is designed to reinforce that the July evaluation period should be for observation only and not a time for interaction with a prospect, prospect’s relatives or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with the prospect as a result of the prospect’s participation in basketball. Thus, it is not permissible for coaching staff members to send correspondence or facsimiles (either directly or through a third party’s assistance) to a prospect at the event during the time period in which the prospect is participating in a certified summer basketball event or tour.
* Please note that NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2004-79 Recruiting – Contact Restrictions at Specified Sites – Basketball was adopted by the NCAA, thus printed materials (e.g., letters, recruiting brochures, questionnaires) may be sent via regular mail to a prospect’s home while the prospect is participating in a certified event starting this summer. This proposal has an effective date of immediate.
3. If an institution’s coaching staff member is not in attendance at the certified event, may that coach communicate (e.g., telephone, e-mail, letter) with the prospect while the prospect is participating in the certified summer basketball event?
No. It is not permissible for an institutional coaching staff member to have any type of communication with the prospect, the prospect’s relatives or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with the prospect as a result of the prospect’s participation in basketball during the time period in which the prospect is participating in the certified summer basketball event regardless of whether the institution’s coach is in attendance at the certified event.
4. May an institution’s coach contact a prospect by telephone as soon as the prospect’s team is eliminated from the event?
A coach may communicate with a prospect by telephone after the prospect’s team has been eliminated from the event, provided that prospect has been released by the appropriate authorities and has not yet reported or begun travel to another event. [This is subject to legislated limitations on telephone calls (i.e., three calls during July, not more than one call per week).]
5. May an institution’s coach contact an AAU coach if that coach’s team has been eliminated from the event and has departed the competition site?
Yes. An institution’s coach may have contact with an AAU coach if that coach’s team has been eliminated from the event and has departed the competition site provided those prospects are not participating in any other certified summer event and that AAU coach is not affiliated with any other prospect participating in any certified summer event or immediately en route to another certified event during that time period.

6. May an institution’s coach contact a high school or two-year college coach who is in attendance at a certified event but is not affiliated with any prospects participating in that event?
An institution’s coach may communicate with a high-school or two-year college coach in attendance at a certified event if that coach is not affiliated with any prospects participating in that event, provided that coach is not affiliated with any prospects participating in any certified summer events. An institutional coaching staff member may have telephone contact with a prospect’s high-school coach (or high school administrator) while the prospect is participating in a summer certified event, provided the high school coach or administrator is not in attendance at that summer certified event.
7. Are individuals with whom an institution’s coach has a preexisting relationship (e.g.,friendship) exempt from the contact rules during the certified event?
Preexisting relationships (e.g., friendship) do not exempt individuals from the application of this rule. Therefore, institutional coaching staff members who may have developed preexisting relationships with any individual involved in coaching prospective student-athletes in the event would be precluded from having any interaction with these individuals (e.g., nonscholastic, scholastic coaches) during the time period in which their prospective student-athletes are participating in the certified summer event.
8. May an institution’s coach contact a prospect at a certified summer event if that prospect has already signed a National Letter of Intent with the institution?
A prospective student-athlete who has signed a National Letter of Intent is not excluded from the application of this rule. Therefore, an institution’s coach may not have any interaction with the prospect, the prospect’s parents or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with the prospect’s participation in basketball while the prospect is participating in the certified summer event.
9. May an institution’s coach accept a telephone call from a prospect’s parent during the time period in which the prospect is participating in the certified summer event?
It is not permissible for an institutional coaching staff member to have any in-person or verbal contact with a prospect, the prospect’s parents or legal guardians, the prospect’s coach or any individual associated with a prospect’s participation in basketball during this time period regardless of who initiates the contact.
10. What communication may an institution’s coach have with the coach’s son or daughter who is participating in the event?
These contact restrictions were not intended to preclude communication among immediate family members. However, such communication may not include discussions relating to recruiting teammates of the son or daughter.
11. May an institution’s coach communicate with a prospect (e.g., by telephone) if that prospect is in attendance at a certified summer event but is not participating in the event?
These contact restrictions apply only while a prospect is participating in a certified summer event. Prospects who are not participating in any certified events may be contacted by telephone or general correspondence.
12. What communication may an institution’s coach have with the operator of an event if that operator also coaches a team participating in the event?
Under these circumstances, communication with the operator of an event who also coaches a team participating in the event should be limited to discussions of administrative details concerning the event (e.g., gym locations, game times, etc.) and may not include discussions related to recruiting.
Recruiting Basics for July
Contact: Permissible during official and unofficial visits and may begin July 1 following the prospect’s junior year with consideration to the recruiting calendar.
Correspondence: Recruiting materials, both printed recruiting materials and written correspondences, such as e-mail, may be sent to a prospect beginning September 1 of the prospect’s junior year. Printed recruiting materials can be sent to a prospect’s home while she is participating in a certified event.
Evaluations: Permissible during the two ten-day Evaluation Periods (July 6-15 and July 22-31) at events certified by the NCAA.
Official Visits: Permissible during the Quiet Periods and the Evaluation Periods and the prospect must be a senior.
Unofficial Visits: Permissible during the Quiet Periods and the Evaluation Periods and unlimited number of visits at the prospect’s expense. May occur before prospect’s senior year.
Telephone Calls: Three during the entire month with only one per week following the prospect’s completion of junior year in high school.
Important Dates For Your Information

April 20, 2005 – July 5, 2005:
Quiet Period.

July 6, 2005 – July 15, 2005:
Evaluation Period.

July 16, 2005 – July 21, 2005:
Dead Period, except it is permissible for an institution to have contact with a prospect who is enrolled in the institution’s summer term (i.e., summer session or summer bridge program) and has signed a National Letter of Intent or other written commitment to attend the institution.

July 22, 2005 – July 31, 2005:
Evaluation Period.

National Letter of Intent Signing Dates
November 9, 2005 – November 16, 2005:
Early Signing Period

April 12, 2006 – May 17, 2006:
Late Signing Period

2005 National Testing Dates
SAT
October 8, 2005
November 5, 2005
December 3, 2005

ACT
September 24, 2005
October 22, 2005
December 10, 2005

•Please note the effective dates of all the Recruiting and Access and basketball-related proposals that were recently adopted by the NCAA. Most have the usual effective date of August 1, 2005; however, some may have immediate effective dates. Division I Proposal No. 2004-134 Recruiting – Camps and Clinics – Coaches’ Employment – Women’s Basketball, which only allows coaches to be employed at their own institution’s camps and clinics, has an effective date of August 1, 2005. However, contracts signed prior to July 20, 2004 will be honored provided the camp or clinic is operated in accordance with restrictions applicable to institutional camps. Thus, providing coaches some time to plan accordingly.

•NCAA Bylaw 13.13.2.3.2.1 Exception to Other Noninstitutional Privately Owned Camps/Clinics – Sports Other Than Basketball is still in place even with the adoption of WBCA Recruiting and Access Proposal No. 2004-134 Recruiting – Camps and Clinics – Coaches’ Employment, which goes into effect August 1, 2005. It is still permissible for coaches to work camps/clinics that meet the criteria set forth in the exception, (e.g., YES Clinics, FCA, etc.)

A. Camp/clinic is designed to develop fundamental skill in a sport.
B. Camp/clinic is opened to the general public.
C. Camp/clinic is conducted for educational purposes and does not include material benefits to the participant.
D. Participants do not receive a recruiting presentation.
E. All participants reside in the state in which the camp/clinic is located or within 100 miles of the camp/clinic.

•Division I Proposal No. 2004-79 Recruiting – Contact Restrictions at Specified Sites permits an institution to send printed recruiting materials to a prospect’s home while she is participating in a certified event. This was adopted by the NCAA Board of Directors and will be in effect for this July. However, WBCA Recruiting and Access Proposal No. 2004-124 Recruiting – July Evaluation Period – Communication with Prospects – Women’s Basketball will prohibit all forms of communication with prospects during the July Evaluation Periods as of next summer.

•Adopted Division I Proposal No. 2003-83 Recruiting – Definitions and Applications – Prospective Student-Athletes, which states that an individual enrolled and receiving institutional athletic financial aid during the summer prior to initial enrollment is not a prospective student-athlete as it relates to NCAA Bylaw 13 contact restrictions only and all of Bylaw 16. Therefore, they are not permitted to work an institution’s camps, cannot participate on a foreign tour, etc.

(To view more Division I legislation news on the WBCA website, please visit the Division I Legislation section)