Coronavirus Updates

 

The WBCA will provide updates relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the association and the sport on this page. Links to updates from the sport's governing bodies will also be provided here. Please check this page frequently.

General resources

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NCAA Eligibility Center

NCAA Division I

  • DI COVID-19 Q&A Guide (PDF)
  • Actions Related to Division I Regulations and Policies Impacted by COVID-19 (PDF)
  • COVID-19 Actions for Consideration – 2020-21 academic year (PDF)
  • Blanket waiver — virtual recruiting activities — permissible callers (PDF) **12.2.20**
  • Blanket waiver — CARA requirements after competition (PDF) **11.24.20**
  • NCAA Legislative Relief Blanket Waiver — Basketball Noncoaching Staff Members Participation in Managerial Duties and Women's Basketball Practice Players — 2020-21 Season (PDF) **9.10.20**
  • Division I schools may apply for waiver to use noncoaching staff in on-court practice activities. The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff has received multiple inquires related to noncoaching basketball-specific staff members engaging in on-court practice activities.  The personnel legislation does not permit anyone other than countable coaches and student managers to engage in any on-court practice activities. In their most recent meetings, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Oversight Committees discussed situations regarding expansion of noncoaching basketball-specific staff responsibilities to permit limited involvement in on-court practice activities (e.g., managerial duties) with student-athletes during summer access and out-of-season activities due to the impact of COVID-19.  For example, institutional policies that prohibit student manager participation in practice activities. At this time, both the Men's Basketball Oversight Committee and the Women's Basketball Oversight Committee support managing such issues through the established NCAA Division I Committee for Legislative Relief waiver process on a case-by-case review based on the specific needs and circumstances at each institution.  The committees also agreed to monitor the volume and type of waivers requested for potential consideration of a blanket waiver in the future. Questions about the waiver process or analysis should be directed to Jenn Samble (jsamble@ncaa.org). **8.25.20**
  • NCAA Q&A on livestreaming of non-scholastic events **7.17.20**
  • DI transfer waivers update (login to LSDBi required) **6.26.20**
  • DI Council extends recruiting dead period through Aug. 31 **6.25.20**
  • NCAA Division I Council Approved Updates to NCAA Division I Committee for Legislative Relief's Undergraduate Four-Year Transfer Waiver Directive. On May 20, the NCAA Division I Council modified the NCAA Division I Committee for Legislative Relief's waiver directive pertaining to undergraduate four-year transfer waiver requests for student-athletes seeking immediate eligibility during the 2020-21 academic year. Effective immediately for the forthcoming 2020-21 academic year, these modifications will be used by NCAA staff and the Committee for Legislative Relief to analyze the following circumstances when asserted through the four-year transfer waiver process:
    • COVID-19. The existing transfer waiver guidelines (e.g., student-athlete injury/illness, financial hardship) will continue to be used in evaluating cases for student-athletes transferring to a new Division I institution due to COVID‐19; however, staff will also exercise discretion and sensitivity when the prescribed outcome of the guidelines or case precedent impacts the health or safety of the student‐athlete or an immediate family member.
    • Spring Sport Student-Athlete Otherwise Exhausting Athletics Eligibility. Transfer waiver requests will be approved for spring sport student-athletes who would have exhausted eligibility at the end of the 2019-20 academic year, but for the COVID-19 pandemic impacting their spring season.  Specifically, this waiver is available to those spring sport student-athletes whose previous institution either does not renew the student-athlete's athletics aid or will no longer offer the student-athlete an opportunity to participate on the previous institution's team during the 2020-21 academic year.
    • Detrimental Reliance. Transfer waiver requests that solely assert detrimental reliance on the working group's original concept pertaining to a one-time transfer waiver guideline will be denied. **6.1.20**
  • Blanket Waivers, Recruiting Flexibility. The DI Council Coordination Committee has approved a number of blanket waivers and adjusted recruiting regulations to provide flexibility during the COVID-19 dead period. Click here for more information. **5.6.20**
  • NCAA Division I Committee for Legislative Relief Previously Approved Waivers Checklist (login to NCAA LSDBi required). Changes to the previously approved waivers checklist include:
    • A graduate student transfer who has met degree requirements, but not yet graduated from the previous institution does not meet the graduate student transfer participation previously approved waiver criteria and the certifying institution must submit a legislative relief waiver in RSRO; and
    • Allow institutions to provide actual and necessary expenses to a student-athlete for travel with the team to away-from-home competition(s) while the student-athlete is serving an academic year of residence. **5.6.20**
  • Transfer Waiver Process. The DI Board of Directors agreed to lift the moratorium on transfer legislation for the 2020-21 legislative cycle but recommended to the DI Council that changes to the waiver process as suggested by the Transfer Waiver Working Group are not appropriate at this time. Board members recommended the waiver process be sensitive to student-athlete well-being, especially those impacted by COVID-19 in the interim period.**4.30.20**
  • Council Coordination Committee Actions Related to the Impact of COVID-19 on Countable Athletically Related Activities. The NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee took the actions noted below related to the impact of COVID-19 on countable athletically related activities. These actions are effective April 20, 2020. The Coordination Committee will evaluate the application of the waiver provisions during a teleconference in mid-May to determine whether they should be extended or other action should be taken.
    • The Coordination Committee confirmed that, because all sports are considered to be out of season, countable athletically related activities are prohibited from one week before the start of the institution’s final examination period for the applicable academic term through the conclusion of the institution’s academic term. The Coordination Committee adopted emergency temporary legislation to apply the same standard in football.
    • The Coordination Committee approved a waiver to permit, through May 31 [except as prohibited in (a) above], all sports to require up to eight hours per week of virtual nonphysical countable activities (e.g., film review, chalk talk, team meetings) and, for each sport, to require an institution to provide student-athletes at least one day off per week (rather than the legislated requirement of two days off per week outside of the season). In football, this waiver applies regardless of whether this period includes weeks designated as student-athlete discretionary time. **4.16.20**
  • NCAA Memo on Agents, Tryouts and the WNBA Draft (PDF) **4.8.20**
  • Eligibility Center Statement on Distance/E-Learning Programs (PDF) **4.7.20**
  • National Letter of Intent signing resumes April 15 Q&A (PDF) **4.3.20**
  • DI Council Coordination Committee April 1 Teleconference Summary of Actions **4.3.20**
  • Report of the March 30 DI Council Teleconference (PDF) **4.3.20**
  • Institutional Financial Aid Agreements. Consistent with legislation to establish a temporary recruiting dead period for all NCAA Division I and II sports and the suspension of all National Letter of Intent signings until at least April 15, 2020, legislation was adopted March 18, 2020, to prohibit institutions from issuing institutional financial aid agreements to prospective student-athletes and to preclude prospective student-athletes from signing such agreements at least until April 15. **3.27.20**
  • Advisory on implications of decisions with regard to COVID-19 **3.13.20**

NCAA Division II

  • 2020-21 DII COVID-19 Q&A Guide (PDF) **updated 8.24.20**
  • DII Administrative Committee Summary of Approved Actions (PDF) **updated 9.2.20**
  • 2020 DII COVID-19 Q&A Guide (PDF) **final update 6.26.20**
  • Division II extends quiet period through Aug. 31. The Division II Administrative Committee on Wednesday extended the division’s quiet period for all sports through Aug. 31.During a quiet period, a college coach may have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents on the college’s campus. Coaches also may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time. **7.15.20**
  • Division II extends quiet period through July 31. The quiet recruiting period began June 1, after a dead period. The extension of the quiet period was supported by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This extension aligns with the WBCA and NABC’s previous support for extending the Division I recruiting dead period through July 31, which Division I approved for all sports May 27. Division I and II coaches will not be able to recruit off campus during that time. **6.10.20**
  • Quiet Period Implemented June 1-30. Adopted emergency legislation to implement a quiet period June 1through June 30, 2020. It is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period. **5.13.20**
  • 2020-21 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Recruiting Calendar (PDF) **5.8.20**
  • DII Administrative Committee addresses recruiting, voluntary workouts. The Division II Administrative Committee on Wednesday addressed policies and regulations pertaining to recruiting, playing and practice seasons, two-year college transfer requirements and financial aid. The committee’s actions continued its effort to assist Division II schools and student-athletes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more. **5.6.20**
  • Men's Basketball 3-Point Line Delayed. The Playing Rules Oversight Committee has delayed moving the 3-point line in Division II and III men’s basketball programs for for a year to mitigate the financial impact on athletics budgets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. DII and DIII men's basketball 3-point lines wer
  • e scheduled to move to the international distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches for the 2020-21 season. Instead, the rule change will be delayed until 2021-22. The rule was in effect for Division I men’s basketball this past season. **4.30.20**
  • Division II University — Release of 2020-21 Coaches Certification Curriculum. The 2020-21 Coaches Certification Curriculum has been released and is available on Division II University through the Single-Source Sign-On application. If you have technical issues accessing the courses, email lmshelp@ncaa.org. **4.8.20**
  • Eligibility Center Statement on Distance/E-Learning Programs (PDF) **4.7.20**
  • National Letter of Intent signing resumes April 15 Q&A (PDF) **4.3.20**
  • DII Administrative Committee Summary of Approved Actions (PDF) **4.3.20**
  • Institutional Financial Aid Agreements. Consistent with legislation to establish a temporary recruiting dead period for all NCAA Division I and II sports and the suspension of all National Letter of Intent signings until at least April 15, 2020, legislation was adopted March 18, 2020, to prohibit institutions from issuing institutional financial aid agreements to prospective student-athletes and to preclude prospective student-athletes from signing such agreements at least until April 15. **3.27.20**
  • DII membership webinar (video via YouTube) **3.27.20**
  • Advisory on implications of decisions with regard to COVID-19 **3.13.20**

NCAA Division III

NAIA

Two-Year College

Scholastic