Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has "championed the crusade" to reform college basketball, and he "sees elite youth basketball as another crucial piece of the puzzle, given its history of shady coaches and under-the-table payments meant to steer prospects toward certain colleges or shoe companies," according to David Wharton of the L.A. TIMES. Scott has "personal experience with the issue, a crash course from watching his two sons play in AAU tournaments and other youth events." As his sons began playing tournaments, Scott "witnessed the sheer magnitude of the scene, walking into gyms crowded with teams from around the country." He also "noticed 'the people hanging around, the environment.'" These types of tournaments "serve as fertile recruiting ground because club teams can gather top players from their areas, assembling what often amount to all-star rosters." The Commission on College Basketball has "proposed that recruiters be prohibited from any nonscholastic tournament that does not fully disclose its finances." The commission also "advised the NCAA to partner with the NBA and USA Basketball to create youth programs and summertime combines where recruiters could assess high school prospects without clubs acting as middlemen." Scott "anticipates some pushback, not only from the AAU and shoe companies, but perhaps from NCAA leaders expected to vote on potential changes in August." Subtracting the element of recruiting "might diminish some luster from events like this, but Scott believes the scene would continue to thrive." He said that he does "see the benefits" of youth basketball, but added it "requires some course correction" (L.A. TIMES, 4/29).
KEEPING UP WITH THE BIG BOYS: The TIMES' Wharton noted with the Pac-12 Networks "still struggling to lure subscribers, the conference has lagged significantly behind" the likes of the SEC and Big Ten in terms of revenue. Scott "acknowledged some missteps while expressing confidence in the face of criticism." Complaints about "late kickoff times have grown louder, both among fans and coaches." But Pac-12 scheduling "has been dictated" by a 12-year, $3B TV deal the conference signed in '11. Ratings suggest that Friday nights and late starts "can outdraw Saturday afternoons." Scott said, "ESPN and Fox said to us point-blank, if you want the kind of money the SEC and Big Ten are getting … we can't give it to you if you're playing at the same time as those schools. We've tried to go back and renegotiate, but they say, 'Hey, this is what we bargained for. You wanted more money and we wanted more night games'" (L.A. TIMES, 4/29).
