Fast-Paced Change for the NCAA

Announcing sweeping changes to the men’s basketball rulebook, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) aims to minimize corruption in the sport. Changes will be implemented from the recruiting calendar to new legislation giving student-athletes more entitlements.

Among the most significant changes are allowing college players to be represented by agents and permitting athletes to remain eligible for college play if they enter the professional draft but decide to return to college.

Debbie Corum, athletic director at Southern Utah University and 29 year veteran of collegiate athletics shares her thoughts on the changes being implemented.

“These reforms are a result of an April 2018 report from a commission that was formed to clean up college basketball following a federal investigation and arrests in the sport of men’s basketball. The commissioner was led by former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, and is known as the Rice Report. In my 29 years of working within the structure of the NCAA, I have never witnessed such aggressive and fast-paced change from the NCAA office. At issue now is how to implement these changes.”

As for players at Southern Utah University, Corum doesn’t believe the changes will have a drastic effect.

“We may have an occasional player who desires to try to for the NBA draft and we will have to adjust but for the most part, our athletes are desirous of a college education and we will continue to strive to help them complete their degrees while enjoying the opportunity to play a sport they love.”

Corum has served in a wide variety of high profile national leadership positions including NCAA Cabinet for Sports and Championships, Chair of the American Athletic Conference SWA Committee, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Board of Directors, the AAC Strategic Planning Task Force and the AAC Athletics Director’s Executive Committee. She is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit her profile.

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