NAIA versus NCAA Basketball
What's the Difference Between the NAIA and the NCAA?
THE CONTINUING DEBATE
Step into any Mid-Central Conference gymnasium and you will hear debate about the NAIA versus the NCAA. I have heard it thousands of times; I bet we could beat this NCAA team or that NCAA team.
Back in 1999 Bethel beat Valparaiso, but Valpo went on to reach the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA national tournament. Last season, Huntington played three NCAA D1 Schools. Although the Foresters lost in each case, the games were close and anyone who attended knows that they deserved to be on the same floor with IPFW, Valparaiso, and IUPUI.
BASIC DEFINITIONS
Before I go any further, some basic terms may require an explanation. If you haven’t been around basketball a lot, you may be wondering what this discussion is about.
The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) are two different athletic associations. Major state universities belong to the NCAA, which has 992 schools playing men’s basketball: 321 in Division I (D1), 289 in Division II (D2), and 382 in Division III (D3).
The NAIA, on the other hand, has 250 men’s basketball teams competing in two divisions; 98 in D1, and 152 in D2. In addition to size, the two associations are quite different by nature of their membership. Over 80% of the NAIA schools are private (and over 70% are Christian).
WHAT ABOUT THE DIVISIONS?
Unlike high school, school enrollment does not determine one’s division in college sports. Rather, one’s division is determined by the amount of athletic scholarship money that the school provides its athletes.
NCAA D1 schools can give the equivalent of 13 full-ride varsity scholarships in basketball; NCAA D2 schools can award the equivalent of 10 full-rides; while NCAA D3 schools grant no athletic scholarships at all, but can and do award any number of scholarships on the basis of economic need and/or academic ability.
In the NAIA, D1 schools are allowed 11 full-ride basketball scholarships, while D2 schools (like Huntington) can give no more than 6 full rides. To further the gap, Huntington University provides just 3 full rides within its budget. Any additional HU scholarship funds must come from donations and fundraisers like the dinner and golf outing.
In summary, Huntington University provides about 23% to 30% of the varsity basketball scholarship funds of NCAA D1 and D2 schools, and only 27% of that provided by
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NAIA D1 schools. None of this includes money for a JV program (which does not even exist at Huntington) and the athletic scholarships schools give JV players. After looking at these numbers, it is unbelievable that the Foresters are able to compete against the more affluent and “up-scale” division schools, but they do.
ON THE COURT
Beyond the financial differences between NAIA D1 and NCAA D1 and D2 schools, one will notice a difference in the type of players that appear on those teams.
Forester Alex Kock has played successfully at both NAIA and NCAA schools. Alex was a starter at Wright State (in the NCAA D1 Horizon League) before he transferred to Huntington last fall.
Alex says, "On average, NCAA D1 players are simply bigger, stronger and faster than NAIA players; however, they often lack the fundamentals that players on NAIA teams have."
Huntington proved last year that they could play with the bigger schools, "The top two or three teams in the MCC could compete night in and night out with teams in the Horizon league," says Kock.
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Alex Kock in Branson
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THE ATMOSPHERE
While the level of competition on the court may be similar, the atmosphere of the game can be different. Larger schools simply have larger facilities, more students and more fans. When asked about this element, Alex responded, "We had about 6,000 people a game at WSU, but the gym held 15,000. Even though Huntington doesn’t have half that number of fans, the atmosphere is better because the stands are always full." Anyone who has attended a Forester game can attest to that observation.
As usual, the Foresters have a tough schedule. Although they play just one NCAA D1 team this year in IPFW, they will play the “Duke” of NCAA D2 basketball in Kentucky Wesleyan, an eight-time NCAA D2 National Champion. Huntington also plays NAIA D1 powerhouse Georgetown (KY), along with 3 NAIA D1 teams in the Chicago area.
Even though Huntington might not have the advantage in numbers, I’m sure Coach wouldn’t trade his team for any of those he takes the floor against this year.
- by Ryan Thwaits
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