College basketball could be headed for a busier summer, and Mark Pope is already on board.
On Monday, the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees put forward a proposal that would let teams play as many as three games during the eight-week summer period, either in the United States or overseas. Schools would have flexibility on the format, too - exhibition, scrimmage, joint practice, 3×3 or 5×5 - and could choose whether those events are open to the public or closed.
If the games are played domestically, they could be against any U.S. four-year school. If they’re staged internationally, they could be against any international club or team.
There are still some guardrails. The games would need to be finished 30 days before the first on-court practice date.
If the proposal gets the green light, it would also eliminate the current rule that allows 10 days of practice before a foreign tour. Summer access would remain limited to eight weeks, though the men’s committee is recommending that teams be allowed a small bump in weekly team-related activity hours, from eight to 10.
Those games would not count toward that total.
Schools now have a chance to review the idea and give feedback before the oversight committees vote in December. After that, the Division I Cabinet will take it up in January. If it clears that hurdle, the change could go into effect as soon as April.
Pope, who has long pushed for more basketball, would clearly welcome the move. Earlier this year, the NCAA changed its rules so men’s and women’s teams can take international summer trips every year instead of once every four years. Kentucky passed on doing that this time around, but Pope also urged the NCAA to open the door for domestic summer trips.
“You know I’m going to advocate for unlimited access to our guys all the time, unlimited games,” Pope said. “One of the things that we’re excited about potentially coming down the pipeline, that we’ve been pushing for, is - now we’re allowed to take international trips every single year. We’d like to actually make that something that could be done domestically.
“We’re always trying to take up windows of time with college basketball, in terms of the way we are in the public sphere, and I hope that that change goes through. That would be unbelievable.
The opportunities that we’re exploring right now with that would be game-changing. So I’m hopeful.
“I think if you talk to the guys on our team, they would like more time on the court together and with us. They like more opportunities to play more games.
Our staff feels the same way. I think that’s probably a common theme throughout college basketball.
So the more freedom we have to actually get work done, I think, the better.”
For Pope, this is the kind of change he’s been waiting for. And if the proposal keeps moving forward, summer basketball may not be a someday idea for much longer.
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