Siena, UAlbany basketball cautious about summer competition idea

The Division I men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees are discussing an initiative that would allow limited competition in the summer. Each school could play a Division I opponent in up to two exhibition contests, two scrimmages or one tournament-style event that doesn’t exceed two contests.

Those exhibitions and scrimmages could be open to the public. 

After getting feedback from membership, the NCAA announced last week the committees will continue reviewing the concept and don’t expect to propose legislation during the 2023-24 governance cycle.

“I am not for it,” Siena men’s basketball coach Carmen Maciariello texted. “I feel we ask our student-athletes to do a lot during the year. They need to do less in the summer, not more.”

Maciariello already has three players, Giovanni Emejuru (Italy), Michael Evbagharu (Canada), and Killian Gribben (Ireland), playing in international competition this summer.

College teams are allowed up to eight weeks of summer workouts during which players develop their individual skills and build chemistry with their teammates in preparation for the regular season. The NCAA said it is considering adding summer games “since an emphasis on summer competition currently exists at every level of the game.”

UAlbany men’s head coach Dwayne Killings and women’s head coach Colleen Mullen were more receptive than Maciariello to playing opponents during the summer. But both also expressed caution.

“You have a game in the summer against a program like Colgate, it’s a couple of hours away, that’s played in the NCAA Tournament, it could be really fun to have the game,” Killings said. “I think you’ve got to look at a lot of different dynamics. Obviously, for us, there’s budget…