BACKGROUND

Last January, the Black Coaches Assn. emerged as an influential player in collegiate politics by threatening to boycott some basketball games to protest the NCAA’s reduction of men’s basketball scholarships and increased freshmen eligibility standards.

The boycott, scheduled to coincide with games played on Martin Luther King’s birthday, was averted after the Justice Department offered to mediate. The mediation has led to better communication between the BCA and college presidents, but differences remain on the eve of the 89th NCAA Convention, which begins today in San Diego.

With the help of the Congressional Black Caucus--and in particular, Rep. Cardiss Collins (D-Ill.)--black coaches have mobilized their efforts as a powerful special interest group to counter the Knight Commission, a body of past college presidents and scholars that advocates increasing score requirements from such standardized tests as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) exam.

At issue is whether these tests are the best ways to determine whether a student will succeed in college. The BCA wants to eliminate freshmen eligibility and let the students concentrate on academics the first year. The coaches say freshman grades would better indicate how a student will perform the rest of his or her college career, and eligibility should be based on that, instead of a test that some consider culturally biased.

Many college presidents and administrators say by increasing the entrance requirements, athletes will enter the universities better prepared. They say athletes will rise to the challenge.

The NCAA will consider six proposals on the issue in what is expected to be the convention’s most heated debate. The body is expected to vote on the issue Monday.