NCAA’s Prop. 42 May Be Set for Overhaul

The impact of John Thompson’s one-man strike will come into clearer focus starting Sunday, when the NCAA Convention opens in Dallas.

Thompson walked out of the Capital Centre last season just before tip-off of a Georgetown-Boston College game. He was protesting the NCAA’s passage of controversial Proposition 42.

That measure would prevent freshmen who do not meet minimum academic standards from receiving scholarship aid. The standards--a 2.0 high school grade-point average and a score of 700 or better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test--were adopted under Proposition 48.

Now, the Big East Conference is sponsoring legislation to rescind Proposition 42, largely on Thompson’s argument that it is racially discriminatory. A committee of university presidents also wants to change Proposition 42, allowing such freshmen to receive financial aid based only on need.

Confused yet? By this time next week, the saga should make more sense.

“I think the presidents’ proposal will be passed,” Pac-10 Conference Commissioner Tom Hansen said.

That proposal seems logical: “partial qualifiers” would still lose a year of eligibility, but those in need would not be financially abandoned. That would be unfair, given the $1 billion television contract the NCAA recently signed with CBS.

By next year, the future of freshmen will come under closer scrutiny. The NCAA is studying the possibility of making all freshmen ineligible, a policy abandoned in the mid-1970s.

“You won’t see it this year,” Hansen said. “But there’s continuing concern about putting 18-year-olds out there, with Dick Vitale screaming and millions of people watching.”

Back on the court, Louisiana State guard Chris Jackson adds admirers by the day. He took a mild slump with him to Houston on Tuesday night, when LSU beat Texas, 124-113.

Former NBA standout Calvin Murphy attended the Tigers’ shoot-around earlier in the day. He noticed that Jackson wasn’t extending properly on his jump shot.

Problem corrected. Jackson scored 28 points--in the first half. Texas then went to a stifling box-and-one defense, keeping Jackson scoreless for the first 10:05 of the second half.

Big deal. Jackson scored 23 in the final 9:55 to finish with 51.

“Chris is better than I ever was,” Murphy said. “He’s a complete player. He had 51, and it was an easy 51. It was nothing spectacular. He got 51 tonight, and tomorrow he could go out and get 50 assists.”

A random observation: the class of ‘92, widely heralded as the best ever, has justified its advance billing.

The biggest names--Jackson, Syracuse forward Billy Owens and Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning--deserve first-team All-America consideration. But the class’ real strength lies with an abundance of less visible, very good players.

Duke’s Christian Laettner, Notre Dame’s LaPhonso Ellis, UCLA’s Don MacLean and Stanford’s Adam Keefe anchor a strong group of low-post players. Outside flashes such as Missouri’s Anthony Peeler and the Arkansas tandem of Todd Day and Lee Mayberry complete an impressive package.

This season’s freshman class (of ‘93) appears guard-heavy. Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson already is a star, and classmates Bobby Hurley (Duke), Terry Dehere (Seton Hall) and Calbert Cheaney (Indiana) have made a similarly smooth transition to the college game.

Indiana’s strong freshmen--even without the departed Lawrence Funderburke--have carried the Hoosiers to an impressive 10-0 start entering the Big Ten season.

In the hoop-rich Hoosier State, though, rivalry can distort perspective. Asked recently to evaluate the Big Ten race, Purdue Coach Gene Keady conveniently omitted Indiana.

“As I thought at the beginning of the season, there are three teams in our league that can win the national title--Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota,” Keady said. “Those are the teams everybody’s looking for to win the Big Ten.”

USC Coach George Raveling has denied rumors that he’s talking to Miami Athletic Director Sam Jankovich about taking over the Hurricanes.

Miami Coach Bill Foster is retiring at season’s end, and Raveling remains on shaky ground at USC. His contract runs through next season, when he expects a strong recruiting class to infuse life into the perpetually bad Trojans.

“I think we’re a year away,” Raveling said. “Then if we can’t do it, it ain’t nobody’s fault but Raveling’s.”

Jankovich was the athletic director when Raveling coached at Washington State (1972-83). Former Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton also has been mentioned as a possible successor to Foster.

We leave you with this weird tale from Santa Clara:

Ron Reis, the Broncos’ 7-foot-1, 285-pound center, recently was introduced to professional wrestler Big John Studd (6-9, 350). Reis emerged toying with the thought of giving wrestling a shot.

Kay Reis, Ron’s mother, offered only one piece of advice.

“My mom said I should wrestle with a mask on, so I don’t embarrass the family,” Reis said.