NCAA officials announced Tuesday the formation of a group that includes coaches, athletic directors, college presidents and others to investigate issues that may be hindering academic achievement of men’s basketball players. Dan Guerrero, UCLA’s athletic director, will be chairman of the group, which is expected to submit recommendations to the Division I Board of Directors by the end of 2008.
“Nothing will be off the table,” NCAA President Myles Brand said.
If not for an adjustment allowed for squad size, up to 45 percent of Division I teams could face penalties for poor academic performance, Brand said. Penalties could include disqualification from NCAA tournaments.
*Kansas guard Brandon Rush, who withdrew from the NBA draft, will have surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee and be sidelined up to six months. … New Mexico players Darren Prentice and Roman Martinez and assistant coach Craig Neal suffered minor injuries when their snorkeling boat’s 60-foot mast hit a bridge and collapsed during a trip in the Bahamas.
