The Big Ten Conference is floating the idea of a rule that would make athletes ineligible for play during their freshman year.
Last week, Maryland's student newspaper uncovered a document circulating internally throughout the Big Ten called "A Year of Readiness," which discussed the possibility of redshirting all mens' football and basketball players during their freshman year.
The concept appears to be the conference's latest attempt to combat the NCAA's "one-and-done" phenomenon in which talented players, prevented from being drafted in the NBA directly out of high school, attend college for a single year before dropping out and moving to the big leagues.
Additionally, a freshman ineligibility rule would arguably put more emphasis back on classroom values.
"The adjustment for from high school to college is tough for everyone," says Hoosiers Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Gray, noting that an ineligibility period might allow athletes more time not only to assimilate to college-level play, but to college life in general.
There are obviously arguments against a readiness period for freshmen. Gray points out that freshman athletes would still, after all, be playing on an elite team and attending games and practices: "You're working hard whether you're eligible to play or not."
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of evidence to back up either argument. The NCAA hasn't enacted freshman ineligibility since 1972.
"It's like this science experiment that no one's run a control on yet," Gray says.
IU mens' basketball coach Tom Crean, speaking during a Big Ten Network conference call Monday, said the rule would be pointless unless adapted by all NCAA teams.
"That it would potentially be for selected conferences, I don't think that makes a lot of sense," he said.
Gray agrees: "It would have to be a collective decision," he says. "Conferences wouldn't put themselves at a competitive disadvantage."
Crean also says there are a variety of resources and support already available to help ease an athlete's transition from high school to college.
Purdue Coach Matt Painter was more open to the idea, if only as a means to introduce conversation about academic standards.
"Whether it actually happens or not," he said, "maybe it gets people thinking along the lines of actually making some improvements."
In a news statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten said it was open to discussing new policies encouraging academic excellence, including a year of ineligibility.
"We look forward to working with our colleagues in the NCAA Division I governance structure, and to exploring a broad exchange of ideas from both inside and outside of intercollegiate athletics," Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said in the release.
Two of the Hoosier's top five scorers this year are freshman; The Boilermakers have one in their top five.
