Maryland Reduces Season in Aftermath of Bias Death

University of Maryland Chancellor John B. Slaughter, taking what he called “emergency action” in the aftermath of basketball star Len Bias’ death, announced Wednesday that the school has canceled three early season games and will reschedule four others, thereby starting play almost a month later than any other major college team in the nation.

The unprecedented action, which Slaughter said was proposed two weeks ago by basketball Coach Lefty Driesell, means that no games will be played during the upcoming fall semester and that Maryland will open its Atlantic Coast Conference season having played only two games. The season opener will be Dec. 27 against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Slaughter announced the changes fewer than 14 hours after a team meeting at which he told players of his plans.

Practice will begin Nov. 1, instead of the customary Oct. 15, and will be reduced to 18 hours a week from the previous 20-25. During the final two weeks of the semester, practice will be cut to 15 hours “from the time they enter Cole Field House to the time they leave,” Slaughter said.

In addition, it was announced that there would be a new coordinator of the academic support unit for athletes. John H. Bowman, coordinator of the university’s Intensive Educational Development Program, will have the position and will also become counselor to the basketball team, replacing Jim Dietsch in both capacities.

Dietsch is expected to remain in the athletic department and may remain in the academic support system.

Slaughter said an expanded academic support program would be in place before the start of the fall semester. It will include better diagnostic testing during orientation, stronger advising and psychological counseling, stronger career counseling, expansion of study halls and tutoring sessions and close monitoring of class attendance with yet-to-be-formulated sanctions for missing academic support sessions and classes.

Slaughter declined to say whether the changes in the schedule would be permanent, saying the moves were taken “for the purpose of supporting our basketball players who have suffered prolonged stress this summer and to ensure that they have a full chance to succeed academically this fall.”

Driesell said: “My hope and desire is that these changes will help us become a better basketball team as well.” The coach, who has declined comment on any subject since a few days after Bias’ cocaine-induced death June 19, read from a prepared text and would not comment on other issues or take questions.

Slaughter has declined to give any athletic officials a vote of confidence, including Driesell, who has coached Maryland’s basketball team for 17 seasons.

Driesell also said that 79% of his players who entered their senior year at Maryland have graduated. But Slaughter said the issue was not the graduation rate but the quality of the education.

Starting point guard Keith Gatlin said the changes will both help and hurt the Terrapins. Other Atlantic Coast Conference teams “are going to have game experience, and we’re going to have practice experience,” he said. But “everybody thinks it will do some good. Maryland is faced with a problem, and everyone here has been very supportive in trying to correct it.”

Slaughter, who also heads the reform-minded Presidents Commission in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., would not address the issue of what impact his changes would have nationally, saying they were done solely because of the situation at Maryland.

But Bob Atwell, president of the American Council on Education, saw Slaughter’s move as a forerunner of national change.

“That is truly amazing,” Atwell said of Maryland’s unilateral action. “It indicates a level of seriousness that’s really an encouraging example for others to follow. It will have substantial impact.

“We’ve heard complaints about length of season in basketball for years. But NCAA legislation has gone the other way. Now a single institution, not even a conference, takes that kind of leadership. You have to be hopeful that it will lead others to do likewise and maybe get a proposal through the NCAA.”

An NCAA Council subcommittee is studying proposals by the Rev. Timothy J. Healy, president of Georgetown University, and from the Southwest Conference to begin practice Nov. 15 and start the season after Christmas. Healy also proposes reducing the regular season limit on games from 28 to 24.

Maryland he plans to drop two games in the MCI tournament in Baltimore and a road game against Marist. It has rescheduled West Virginia for Jan. 21, and a Dec. 6 game against Wake Forest will be rescheduled by the ACC. Maryland plans to reschedule nonconference games against Fairleigh-Dickinson and Winthrop during the semester break. The fall semester ends Dec. 22, and classes in the spring semester begin Jan. 26.

Maryland was scheduled to open the season Nov. 28 and would have played five games in 11 days during the two weeks before final exams.

However, no games were scheduled between Dec. 15, two days before final exams are scheduled to begin, and Dec. 27.

Dull said the three canceled games would cost the athletic department $75,000-$100,000 in lost revenues, but said, “The value to the student-athlete clearly outweighs the cost.”

Dull predicted the changes would have no short-term effects on the team competitively. “We will be as competitive as we were last year,” he said. “But, if we’re not, so what?”