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In the latest Missouri State High School Activities Association questionnaire a question was posed on whether to limit the number of contact days a coach can have with his or her players during the summer months.

The amendment passed overwhelmingly and beginning in the summer of 2010 coaches will be allowed only 25 contact days with their players during the summer.

It is something that many of the basketball coaches in the area had no problems with.

"I think basketball is a different animal too," Winnetonka High boys coach Derek Howard said. "Carvel (Claggett) is in Vegas and Preston (Crouse) is in Vegas playing AAU. You are not getting some of your premier kids around. Some of the varsity kids I want to work with aren’t around all the time.

"Having one or two open gyms a week for individual development is better than doing three for me anyway and you are getting a smattering of kids you don’t know. I think scaling it back a little bit ups the importance. It allows you to make them more significant. The kids are getting enough basketball to where it will probably be enough."

There is also the issue with how AAU basketball fits in when it comes to contact days.

"Almost every guy in my program is playing AAU," Howard said. "Some of the kids that played freshman are playing AAU. We have probably 20 kids playing AAU. That is a big number for us, and it is also something I need to keep in mind because I don’t want their legs to get tired over the summer.

"They are going to play between 30 and 50 games in the summer. I think with the contact dates next year, maybe we scale back open gyms a little bit. That is where we really focus on individual development. Instead of having three open gyms a week, maybe we do two. I think that the contact rule is a blessing because it will cut back time for the kids that double up between our program and AAU."

Staley boys basketball coach Pete Gaskill said he needs to look into the ruling a little more, but he has no problem with it at first glance.

"I haven’t really sat down with it yet," Gaskill said. "I think it will mean probably a few double days where we do practice and team stuff in the morning and come back for a league game that night.

"It will probably help free up the guys some. They are pretty busy. I am not one that wants to gobble up their time and make them do all this stuff. I want them to enjoy their summer, too. I have to sit down and wrap my head around it. I really haven’t thought about it yet."

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