As head of the NCAA's ethics committee, Michigan basketball coach John Beilein was involved with shaping the July recruiting period. Conference commissioners have recommended the NCAA eliminate the period altogether.

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One of them was the way the July recruiting period operated.

“The July period is not perfect, but we’ve made so many great strides with that evaluation period over the past five years in enforcement, compliance, ethical conduct,” Beilein said Thursday. “I think that’s what I think about, that the whole area of July has really improved greatly in the past several years.”

Now, it’s possible the effort and strides he and his coalition have made could go away.

The Conference Commissioners Association recommended the NCAA Division I Board of Directors create a proposal to eliminate the summer recruiting period for college basketball, perhaps as soon as 2011.

The summer period, coaches said, is the easiest recruiting period in college basketball to police. Coaches are everywhere, so if some were implementing illegal recruiting tactics, it would more than likely be seen by others.

Eliminating the summer period could take the effort of Beilein and his committee and lessen the effect.

“It would be just a tremendous blow,” Eastern Michigan coach Charles E. Ramsey said. “More than anything, it would open up more corruption. We could keep things above board.

“Now, if you take it away, you open up different avenues for people to do things.”

Ramsey said the portrayal of summer basketball as an anything-goes world where lawlessness rules is inaccurate.

If anything, recent years have brought more policing of coaches amongst themselves. That, combined with an increased effort by the NCAA in enforcement of potential NCAA violations, has led to a cleaner recruiting season.

“The climate is not as bad as it is perceived,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches board. “But that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter to some of the decision makers right now.”

Among the suggestions Brey has if the NCAA does keep coaches on campus by eliminating the summer period is to allow them time to work with the players. Currently, there is no basketball-related contact between coaches and players allowed unless there is a foreign tour scheduled, like Michigan went on this year.

“If we do lose all of summer and can’t get some of it, I sure hope they would consider giving some access to work with our kids,” Brey said. “Since we are here and we can be the teachers we are supposed to be when our team is around in the summer and especially our freshmen, you’re really starting to nurture them.”

Michael Rothstein covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein