New rules regarding basketball practice have NIU’s coaches trying to become more organized.

Last year, in response to charges that college basketball was leaving too little time for student-athletes to study, the NCAA moved back the first practice days for collegiate basketball to Nov. 1, instead of the traditional Oct. 15.

Since both NIU’s first official games, for both men and women, are set for Dec. 1, Huskie men’s coach Brian Hammel and women’s coach Jane Albright-Dieterle have only four weeks to teach what they used to teach in six.

“In the end it’s going to make you more organized as a coach,” Hammel said. “You’re going to have to trim the fat, make sure there is no wasted time in practice.”

Albright-Dieterle agreed with that assessment. “(The coaches) have to decide what our priorities are,” she said. “What are we going to leave in, what are we going to leave out of practice?”

Both coaches said that the new rule is going to affect all universities. However, the rule is going to affect the men’s program more than the women’s.

“(The lack of practice days) affects the teams who have a lot of new players coming in,” Hammel said. The men’s team will have eight new players this year.

Albright-Dieterle said she is less concerned because she has a veteran team returning.

Despite the fact the first day of practice has been moved back players have long been hard at work, Albright-Dieterle said.

“My assistant Jonelle Polk has been in charge of pre-season conditioning, and she has done a great job,” Albright-Dieterle said. “We should be in the best condition we have ever been in and with our (up-tempo) system you have to be in top physical shape.”

Hhammel said his players, too, have gone through a rigorous pre-season conditioning program. In addition, he has encouraged the players to work on fundamentals on their own so that the team can get into game situation practices quicker.

“(The men’s team) won’t do a lot of drills, we’ll be scrimmaging after three or four days,” Hammel said.

Both basketball teams will begin their exhibition seasons with games against the traveling Czechoslovakia Select Teams. The men play on Nov. 17 and the women the following night.