Coach K On Upcoming College Sports Change: NCAA Needs 'A New Definition for Amateurism'
ByThere are few NCAA Division I athletic coaches organization president Mark Emmert would consult on the major changes coming soon, but Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski is one of those people.
Krzyzewski is entering his 34th season as head basketball coach of the Duke University Blue Devils and is held in the highest regard of the basketball community, pro and collegiate.
That is one of the reasons Emmert took a trip to Durham last week, the Charlotte Observer reported.
At a meeting last week with at least 100 NCAA coaches and athletic directors, Emmert forecasted "a lot of change" in Division I governance. Before that, Coach K was very critical of the NCAA's flimsy rules on transfer waivers, calling it a "farce" how some players are denied and allowed seemingly on a whim.
After the meeting with Emmert, Duke athletic director Kevin White and university president Richard Brodhead, Krzyzewski said he expects major changes for schools and student athletes within five to six months.
"All the stuff with the NCAA, what's wrong and what's right, not too much is said about what's right," Krzyzewski said to the Durham Sports Club at Croasdaile Country Club Wednesday. "There are things that we haven't kept up with over the last couple of decades as far as adapting to the current. Like coming up with a new definition for amateurism."
Various changes have already been made, which Krzyzewski said have been good for college basketball. For one, recruiting violation sanctions will be tougher, but coaches now have the freedom to visit high school athletes in their homes starting in April of their junior seasons. Coaches can also visit the student and his family's home before or after school.
"We need to have a clear head and say, this is going to be right," he said. "And we have a good chance to get everybody on board. Many times when you lose, it's the greatest opportunity to improve."
There has been a lot of speculation as to what the "major change" will be, but Emmert made clear that student-athletes would not lose their amateur status. Both he and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany have said they would like to see the NFL and NBA drop rules requiring high school students to spend at least one year in college before declaring for their amateur drafts.
While many are pessimistic about how the changes might affect college sports, Coach K remains optimistic.
"It's kind of like General Motors and the car industry. You gave a lot at one time when it looked good, no one changed anything, and all of the sudden it's not so good," he said. "You have this unique opportunity to make dramatic change that you probably couldn't make when things seem to be going right."