Report skewers NCAA’s lax enforcement in college basketball

An independent commission urged the NCAA to do more to hold coaches, players, and colleges accountable for corrupt practices within their basketball programs. The Commission on College Basketball, led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, released a 60-page report Wednesday, seven months after a federal corruption investigation charged university officials with bribery and kickbacks. Ten people, including several assistant coaches and officials at high-profile collegiate programs such as Arizona, Louisville, and Kansas, were implicated in the scheme. The report called the environment surrounding college basketball “a toxic mix of perverse incentives to cheat” and said responsibility goes all the way up to university presidents. In addition to other measures, the report called for lifetime bans for coaches caught violating NCAA rules. It also said the NBA should lower its age limit for players entering the professional draft from 19 to 18 to eliminate so-called “one-and-done” players who aren’t personally invested in their college experience.