The NCAA was watching Michigan coach Tommy Amaker talk to his former high school coach who happened to be helping out the adidas camp last week.

Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner was told specifically he couldn't talk to his father, Hal, or his brother, Austin, while they were coaching the Houston Hoops at the Nike Peach Jam over the weekend.

LSU coach John Brady was informed that he couldn't speak with Collis Temple, the father of Brady's own Tiger player Collis Temple, because the elder Temple was helping adidas ABCD camp director Sonny Vacarro.

	Tommy Amaker was careful who he talked to last week.

Just three examples of many that the NCAA is going a tad overboard during its watchdog efforts to clamp down on coaches being able to talk to summer league personnel, from coaches to parents to players.

In theory, the rule makes sense. In practice, however, common sense didn't prevail in all cases.

Yes, there was a need to clean up the summer open recruiting periods -- the first of which in 2002 ends Wednesday. In the past, there were too many "bumps;" too many hotel room, or lobby, or diner meetings with players, coaches and parents in July. The bumps were getting downright abusive in terms of rules violations over the past few summers. The NCAA had to do something, and part of the new summer legislation deals with a gag order on both sides. And the NCAA is watching with four reps at the adidas camp, nearly as many at the Nike camp in Indianapolis last week (across the street from the NCAA's main office), and just as many at the Nike Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga., over the weekend.

The NCAA says reps will be checking out all of the major tournaments the rest of the summer and that means Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles, specifically.

But, once again, the NCAA needs to add some common sense in the equation. Coaches were whining too much about this freeze out last week at Nike and adidas, complaining that they couldn't talk to a coach to get a player's itinerary if they noticed someone and wanted to follow him later in the summer. That's a valid point, but past abuses by those same coaches of the contact rule made no tolerance necessary in some form this summer.

But the above examples, where an assistant can't talk to his own father for four days at the Peach Jam, or for nearly another 10 in Orlando is downright silly. The fact that Amaker was going to be cited for talking to Red Jenkins, his high school coach some 20 years ago, borders on ridiculous. And the fact that Brady couldn't say something to the father of one of his own players is just plain rude.

We witnessed coaches actually squirming when Eddie Jackson, who is known as LeBron James' stepfather, went over to a few coaches and said he didn't care about the NCAA rules and wanted to say hello. Coaches actually contorted their bodies as they leaned away from him so they wouldn't touch him, and told Jackson he had to get out of the stands, and fast.

And, not only did Brady tell Temple's father that he couldn't talk to him, but that he also couldn't stand next to him.

To their credit, the majority of the coaches obeyed the rules. The players and coaches at the camps seem to be respecting the rule as well. And, as of Sunday night, Pastner apparently hadn't spoken to his father, either.

But there are all sorts of conflicts and there are too many gray areas that need to be addressed.

Vacarro was exhausted after trying to put out fires with the NCAA throughout the week. The situation came to a head during the all-star game when the NCAA questioned from the sidelines who was going to pay for the all-star jerseys.

Vacarro assured the NCAA that each player paid a total of $100 for the camp jerseys and shoes. He added the all-stars would pay another $50 for the green adidas shoes they wore in the game. Vacarro didn't have a problem with the NCAA rule that prohibits monetary gifts. But Vacarro said the green all-star jerseys were donated and he wanted to give them to the players. The NCAA, however, said no.

Vacarro responded and said Stephon Marbury would pay for the jerseys after conferring with the Phoenix Suns point guard courtside during the game. The NCAA said it would get back to Vacarro. Of course, Vacarro could have just kept the all-star uniforms, averting any problems.

But, what really ticked off Vacarro was the NCAA's demand that he keep track of every parent courtside. The NCAA asked Vacarro who each parent was around the court, with the assumption being that Vacarro should keep tabs on every parent so he could know if any of them were talking or sitting next to coaches.

"The investigators came up to me and said there were parents on the sides with the coaches," Vaccaro said. "I said, 'I didn't know who they are.' They said, 'You should know.' And I said, 'How can I know?"

The first 10 days of the summer evaluation period ends Wednesday. The second and final 10 days runs from July 22-31. Expect the conflicts to continue.

Five years of eligibility?
After the name-calling, yelling and overall combative nature had subsided between the NCAA and the coaches association, a realistic proposal is breathing and could alter the landscape of college basketball.

The coaches' association response to the NCAA's order to improve graduation rates in men's basketball is to give the players five years of eligibility, with or without a redshirt season. Coaches contest that the average graduation rate for all students is 4.6 years on college campuses. The consensus is that college basketball seniors essentially lose the second semester of their senior year while working out for professional teams, leaving them 3.5 years to graduate.

"Five years would take care of everything," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "Student athletes should be treated like everyone else and it takes regular students 4-plus years to graduate, so why shouldn't it take basketball students the same amount? Go five years or start the season after final exams are over in the first semester. One or the other. We're the only two-semester sport and the NCAA has to recognize the time commitment."

Kevin Lennon, the NCAA's vice president for membership services, took the brunt of criticism from the coaches in Indianapolis after delivering the state of the union address July 7 on rule proposals dealing with academics and graduation rates. But Lennon said the NCAA is reviewing the five-year proposal and seeing the gender-equity issues.

"If you go to five years of eligibility then that will reduce the number of scholarships for players coming out of high school," Lennon said. "But that could be a trade off for better graduation rates. It's on the table."

Coaches were especially upset when their graduation rates were compared to football. Lennon said nearly 70 percent of freshmen redshirt in football, meaning they get five years to graduate, whereas a smaller percentage (no one had the exact figure) of men's basketball players redshirt.

The proposal that drew the most ire pushed the academic requirements up for an existing student. The NCAA is looking at asking players to meet 40 percent, instead of 25 percent, of their degree requirements by their junior year. Then 60 percent, and then 80, by years four and five, while the previous rule was 50 and then 75 percent.

Lennon said that means an addition 18 more credit hours, or another course in three summer sessions, two fall semesters and two springs.

"If they do that then they'll look like what graduates look like on campus," Lennon said. "A vast majority can get this done and should be expected to do more."

But Lennon said if the NCAA increases the requirements, time demands will be addressed as well, which could mean fewer games or practices.

"The jump from 25 to 40 percent makes this a race," Hewitt said. "Kids need time to catchup. We'll be dropping the remedial courses and increasing the hours on them. The most accurate indicators of graduation rates are socio economic and the teaching the kids receive. We're being asked to look at these students today and seeing if they're prepared to graduate in five years. You've got to make that decision today."

A number of black head coaches took offense to the NCAA's proposals.

"If anyone said that African-Americans cannot meet those standards then that's disturbing," Lennon said. "I find that out to be outrageous. Adding one more class? To say you can't do that because you're black?"

"What was said was that the socio-economic status is the choice predictor or graduation," Hewitt said. "No one said 'black.' It has nothing to do with black or white. He's right that you can't say black and white graduates don't look alike. But you can't avoid the preparedness. Basketball is the cheapest sport to play and that's why there are more poor kids. You can't deny the socio-economics. The NCAA doesn't want to hear that."

The NCAA did give the coaches some good news. One proposal has transfers being counted if they graduate after leaving the first school in good standing. In the past, transfers counted against the school they left and not for the school they graduated from. There is talk of having the coaches be judged on graduating players, specifically, instead of the school, which may have had a poor previous staff.

Also, the NCAA board of directors will vote in October on the above standard change to go to 40-60-80 percent of degree requirements; a player must pass six hours between terms (fall to spring) to be eligible in second semester, increasing the initial-eligibility core classes from 13 to 14, getting rid of the 820 on the sliding scale for the SAT. In the past, a student could have a 3.0 GPA but get an 800 on the SAT and be ineligible. This new rule wouldn't have a bottom cutoff for the SAT.

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