Saturday, September 29, 2001
[ UH MEN'S BASKETBALL ]
Games with pros The NCAA and conference commissioners are working on a compromise regarding eligibility of foreign basketball players at Hawaii and other universities, UH coach Riley Wallace said.
may cost ’Bows less
The NCAA considers penalizin
players 1 game for every 5By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comIf the proposal is approved, players who competed among professionals (but didn't get paid themselves) would receive milder penalties than previously expected for breaking an NCAA rule that wasn't enforced until last year.
The players under scrutiny would lose one game of every five played among professionals in their native countries, rather than one for every one. The maximum number of games a player could lose would be six or eight, Wallace said.
Rainbows All-Western Athletic Conference guard Predrag Savovic is among hundreds of players whose eligibility has come under scrutiny. Depending on who is doing the counting, the senior was previously thought to be losing none to all of his remaining eligibility.
UH submitted information to the NCAA stating that Savovic played nine games in a tournament among pros.
Last year, UH center Haim Shimonovich lost one game of NCAA eligibility for each game played among professionals in his native Israel, which turned out to be 22 games.
Rainbows junior forward Luc- Arthur Vebobe of France is also under scrutiny.
If the proposal goes through, he will likely lose only one or two games.
Wallace said the proposed compromise is an example of a kinder, gentler NCAA.
"They are more likely than in the past to make changes if enough people are wanting change," Wallace said. "For there to be a fair playing field for all, this needs to happen.
"There was really a big push by all the schools involved across the country. The big conferences got involved and it helped, to bring before these people how wrong this is. We do it in our own country, let kids play with pros.
"Of course, if someone played under a contract, received money or had an agent, that's a pro in any sense of the word and they're ineligible," Wallace added.
WAC commissioner Karl Benson confirmed that the commissioners met by phone on the issue twice this week, but declined to elaborate.
"It's premature because it's strictly a proposal," Benson said. "But it does appear that efforts are being made to try to reach some reasonable compromise on how to treat the violations that have occurred."
Wallace said he expected to hear something firm from the NCAA next week.
In another matter, Wallace said increased national security because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks won't curtail international recruiting.
"I don't think it will be a problem, but we have to be more organized. We can't just bring them over after talking to them on the phone," Wallace said. "I think the kids will be allowed in the country. We just have to make sure everything's in order and we can't get them in at the last second."
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