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News Nuggets, 07.09.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Ole Miss, ECU top Memphis road game prices

The University of Memphis this week announced game prices and ticket availability for all of its football road games. Tickets for the Tigers' games at Mississippi on Sept. 4 and at East Carolina on Nov. 20 carry the biggest price tags at $40 and $25, respectively.

According to the school's announcement, the tickets for Memphis's road games are priced as follows:

September 4 at Ole Miss $40
September 18 at Arkansas State
   Reserved $17 - Limited number available to Tiger Club members.
   General Admission $14
September 25 at UAB $20
October 23 at Cincinnati $22
November 20 at East Carolina $25
November 27 at South Florida $21 (Date could change for TV.)

Tickets for the Sept. 4 game at Ole Miss are on sale only to Tiger Club members and current U of M season ticket holders. Purchases are subject to limits and other contingencies.

The announcement noted that all ticket orders are subject to $4 handling fee.

Brand throws weight behind drastic changes

INDIANAPOLIS — NCAA president Myles Brand will back a sweeping new proposal that would give college basketball players a fifth season of eligibility.

One day after the National Association of Basketball Coaches unanimously approved the measure, Brand responded by calling it an "outstanding package."

"I'm supportive of the package in its entirety," Brand told the Associated Press on Thursday. "It's coherent, and it's an effort to make the coach look more like a mentor and a teacher."

The coaches association plans to submit a revised proposal to the NCAA. The NCAA still must debate the measure and approve the recommendations, a process that will likely take at least a year.

Brand believes the extra year of eligibility will help place a greater emphasis on education and improve lagging graduation rates. He said most students take 4.8 years to graduate and that athletes should be expected to do the same.

Another part of the package calls for coaches to meet regularly with players about their classwork and future plans.

While Brand acknowledged there would be critics, he will not be one.

"I understand it will be controversial," he said. "We'll see how it turns out. But I believe the main purpose is to increase graduation rates in men's basketball, which has had the most severe problem."

Brand had four NCAA officials help craft the plan during a yearlong process that culminated in the coaches' approval Wednesday.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the Nike All-America Camp in Indianapolis that the NCAA and NABC had formed an unprecedented partnership.

"Myles Brand has given us more access to himself and the staff," Krzyzewski said. "It's phenomenal. We were in a period 11 or 12 years ago and just a couple of years ago where no one listened. Now they are listening."

If the NCAA passes the plan, coaches would also be able to make more phone calls to recruits.

Other measures in the proposal include more stringent penalties for schools committing secondary infractions and greater enforcement of current NCAA rules.

Brand said the coaches insisted on that part and he believes the entire package will not only put a greater emphasis on academics but also create parity among all Division I programs.

"It won't affect kids who leave before the fourth year because they'll leave anyway," Brand said. "But it well help in building parity and in most cases, the benefits will be in the mid-major programs."

Brand has been a proponent of academic reform since assuming the reigns as president in January 2003. Since taking over management of the organization, the NCAA has passed legislation increasing the number of core courses required for incoming freshmen and increased the percentage of hours toward graduation for student-athletes to remain eligible.

Earlier this year, the NCAA also passed a measure that would penalize schools with consistently poor graduation rates although a subcommittee is still determining where the cutoff line should be. Schools could lose scholarships as early as this fall.

Brand considers this proposal another step in that direction.

"In some ways, it's not a radical package. It's a coherent package," he said. "It's a new model and a new approach for student-athletes and recruiting. I'm very supportive of it."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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