Pac-12 Commissioner Scott statement on Commission on College Basketball report

STATEMENT FROM PAC-12 COMMISSIONER LARRY SCOTT ON THE REPORT OF THE NCAA COMMISSION ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL (“RICE COMMISSION”)

The Pac-12 Conference commends former Stanford Provost Condoleezza Rice and the NCAA Commission on College Basketball for the report it released today and its recommendations for basketball reform. They reflect the Commission’s diligent work, its dedication to the integrity of college athletics, and its commitment to student-athletes.

We are particularly pleased that many of the Rice Commission’s recommendations parallel those of the Pac-12 Task Force, which were unanimously embraced by our Conference’s 12 presidents and chancellors in March. We look forward to working with the NCAA and our members to evaluate and implement the recommendations.

We are also gratified that the Commission today emphasized the value of a college degree, and that its recommendations reflect our own Task Force’s view that there are ways to refine the rules governing eligibility to play college basketball that preserve the essential attributes of the collegiate model but provide a measure of flexibility that could safeguard against cheating and reduce perceptions of unfairness.

I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the members of our own Pac-12 Task Force, which included athletic directors, former coaches, faculty representatives, and former student-athletes – including one member who also served on the Rice Commission. They should be proud of the contribution they have made to meaningful basketball reform.