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	Sunday, April 9 Summer set to change dramatically
	By Andy Katz ESPN.com
	The last summer as we know it is approaching, and college coaches had better get used to a different way of recruiting. At the Final Four, the tone from the NCAA hierarchy toward the coaches and Student Basketball Council was extremely antagonistic. All three groups had a slightly different take on the importance of summer recruiting, with the NCAA's the most extreme. Erick Barkley's problems with the NCAA and extra benefits are well-documented. NCAA president Cedric Dempsey spoke about changing the "culture of the summer," which can be interpreted many ways, but most of all, it's an attack at the present system and those involved. Dempsey has the right to an opinion, but since when does the NCAA make rules? The NCAA is supposed to carry out the rules of its membership. And, if the membership -- which is made up of the presidents of all 318 Division I schools -- wants to get rid of summer recruiting entirely, then they must not be talking to their coaches. The summer allows all programs -- from high majors to low majors -- to find players who normally don't get seen during the course of the academic year. While there are plenty of abuses (like elite players being flown all over the country to play for different teams), there are also many cases of players who trek down to Las Vegas' Big Time tournament with their local summer teams, hoping to get evaluated by a college coach. But Dempsey probably wouldn't have said anything without the support of his constituents. The Working Group Studying Basketball Issues wanted a reduced summer (from 24 to 14 days), but Dempsey doesn't see the need to tweak a system that, he said, doesn't work. But the problem is that the summer will still exist for the players. They won't simply be out there working odd jobs for a little spending money. They will be playing -- but in front of recruiting analysts, AAU coaches and sneaker reps, not Division I coaches. If the NCAA wants to get rid of the influence of sneaker companies, then the presidents have to get involved. A number of schools have all-sport deals with Nike and Adidas. If the NCAA wants the shoe companies' influence out of the sport, the presidents can set that agenda. The July recruiting period will be a farewell tour. So, too, will the events in September, which the NCAA and the coaches agree shouldn't be available to coaches for evaluation. But remember, the events will go on as planned. The events in the spring, which are off limits to coaches, still draw players from across the country. Eliminating all of the summer isn't the answer and, as former Georgetown coach John Thompson pointed out in Indianapolis, could hurt the chances for black assistant coaches to get head jobs in the future. If the summer were eliminated, each team's top recruiter -- who often is black -- would be the one going across the country on recruiting trips during the school year, not the head coach. When jobs opened, black assistant coaches could be stuck with the rep that they can't coach, because they're always recruiting. The solution is to keep part of the summer, to at least reach a compromise. Coaches need to see as many players as possible at one location to save money (presidents and athletics departments like that part). Schools like Connecticut and Kansas recruit California often. How easy do you think it would be if they had to fly to California every time to see a player? Even schools such as Gonzaga need the summer to check out the players they are recruiting in their region against better competition. You can't always gauge a kid's talent when you just see him against the local high school talent. This issue won't die, but it won't remain the same. It can't, not with the harsh words thrown around in Indy. The last summer begins right after the second-to-the-last old-style recruiting period concludes May 15. Amateurism debate Along with summer recruiting, the debate over the future of amateurism will be an ongoing battle over the next few months. The National Association of Basketball Coaches won't budge on the subject, while the NCAA wants to push through deregulation. The NABC sees this as being akin to legalizing drugs. The NCAA wants to have one rule for all sports. If that's true, then start by doing away with the transfer rule for football and men's basketball (sitting out one year in residence at the new school). Do that and the sides may be closer together. But the vote on amateurism won't come up now until April 2001 instead of October 2000. That means next season could be as bad as this season, with suspensions popping up for anything that occurred prior to a player's enrollment in college. The NCAA said they want to sit down with the coaches before next season tips off to determine what the ground rules should be. But the NABC's view is that the NCAA took an old rule and applied a new interpretation. Until they can agree that the time before a player enters college is untouchable by the NCAA unless money or gifts come from a booster or coach, this issue won't be resolved. The result will be more players like Jamal Crawford, Erick Barkley and JaRon Rush sitting out games next season. Staying in school Over the next three weeks, at least 15 more prominent players will have to make decisions on whether or not they will stay in school. As of Friday, April 7, eight underclassmen had declared for the NBA draft. If players such as Terence Morris of Maryland and Stromile Swift of LSU are true to their word and don't declare by May 14, then college basketball will have won a major battle against the NBA. Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin and Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves are the poster players for staying in school. Martin returned for his senior season and won the player of the year. Cleaves came back and won the national title. While most people look at the gloom and doom about underclassmen leaving, the fact that a number of players are staying in school seems to be more of the trend. Sure, as many as 15 high-profile players will bolt. But that's a smaller number than a year ago, when 39 underclassmen left college early (or never attended in the first place). But 12 returned to school and a number of others were foreigners. Still, the numbers don't look like they will climb as high this season. The physical game The NCAA and the NABC need to get together this season to discuss the officiating during the NCAA Tournament. A number of coaches told ESPN.com that they see the college game getting closer to the overly physical style NBA, that of a Knicks vs. Heat variety. Physical play was the norm in the tournament as officials swallowed their whistles. The banging style allowed teams like Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan State to survive deeper in the tournament. But the games were called too loosely. The finesse aspect of college basketball was lost during this tournament, turning games into physical halfcourt battles. Few teams, outside of Florida and Michigan State in the final, were allowed to run. If games are called tight in the Big Ten, SEC and Big East, then they should be called the same in the NCAA Tournament. Consistency is necessary for the good of the game. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball will run Thursdays throughout the offseason.		ALSO SEE Division I coaching changes Early-entry candidates for NBA draft The Word's Answer Man Missed the Word? Have a question for the Weekly Word?