Head of basketball coaches association: Coaches’ input ‘vital’ in age-based eligibility discussions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches says input from coaches is “vital” in discussions about going to an age-based model that would include five years of eligibility for college athletes.

That comes as an NCAA panel has discussed the revamp that would give athletes five years of eligibility with the clock starting when an athlete turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever is earliest.

“Coach perspective is vital to any legislative reform – on matters of eligibility that immediately impact roster management, the NABC views collaboration and communication with coaches as non-negotiable,” Robinson said in Thursday’s statement. “As the NCAA expedites this review, the NABC urges that all stakeholders be brought to the table – coaches included – to identify potential unintended consequences and to ensure these generational changes are structured correctly.”

The rule would offer limited exceptions, such as for injuries in what has been a common reason for athletes to ask for and receive extra eligibility.

NCAA president Charlie Baker talked at the men’s Final Four in Indianapolis earlier this month, pointing to the need to build a simpler eligibility process.

He backed the plan weeks later in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, saying: “It became pretty clear, pretty quickly, that a lot of people really appreciated the simplicity of (the concept) and the fact that it creates kind of a clock.”

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball