By Brett Martel
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - The next LeBron James won't be able to jump from high school straight to the NBA if the National Association of Basketball Coaches has its way.

But they'll also have to figure out how to avoid being sued for loss of income - a matter association members admit they have yet to solve.

NABC executive director Jim Haney said Thursday his group is negotiating with the NBA and the NBA Players Association on a rule that might encourage more of the best high school basketball players to spend at least a few years in college.

The NABC supports a three-year waiting period between the time a player finishes high school and joins the NBA. Haney says the NBA is leaning more toward a miminum age limit such as 20.

"We think the NBA could benefit from kids maturing and from not being forced to consider taking an 18-year-old into the league," Haney said.

Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, who attended the group's press conference on Thursday, said he hopes someone can solve the legal problems that could be raised by preventing players from signing multimillion dollar contracts out of high school. He said coaches could use a little more stability on their rosters.

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HOME ADVANTAGE: The fact that Texas got to play its regional final in Texas and Syracuse in upstate New York - with both teams enjoying the overwhelming majority of fan support - has raised discussion whether NCAA tournament organizers should guard more carefully against scheduling that would create de facto home advantages.

At a Final Four news conference Thursday, NCAA president Myles Brand said he does not believe any team enjoyed a true home advantage.

"The home-court advantage means you can sleep at home, you don't have to travel, you're in your same old locker room, you're playing with the same old basket, you know where the creaky part of the floor is," Brand said. "Being in the same state is not a home-court advantage in that way.

"So I think the only difference is the ability of fans to see the games and that seems to be going over very well."

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BEER HERE: Brand did not allow beer sales at games on the Indiana University campus when he was the school's president, but as the new president of the NCAA, he's not yet prepared to impose that policy at all college games.

Beer commercials flood the airwaves during broadcasts of college sports. And beer will flow in the Louisiana Superdome during the Final Four this weekend, hosted by a city known for its party atmosphere and its healthy selection of drinking establishments - including daiquiri stands with drive-thru windows.

With binge drinking a common topic of discussion on college campuses, the NCAA has been criticized for allowing beer companies to sponsor its highest profile athletic events.

Brand said Thursday it is not clear how much beer commercials during college sports contests affects college students' drinking habits.

Brand said he favors more research on the matter, noting that students, like everyone else, see beer commercials on TV all the time, whether they watch college sports or not.

"At Indiana, we did not sell beer and wine in the stadium, but I must say it didn't prevent students from drinking outside the stadium," Brand said.

But while Brand won't end sponsorships by beer companies, he wants their ads to be tasteful, at least.

He noted that the NCAA had its contract with CBS stop Miller Brewing from running a spot in which two women engage in a "cat fight" over whether Lite beer is less filling or tastes great.

"There has to be some sense of decorum in commercials," Brand said.

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THE WAR: Although college students have been among the most active protesters against the United States-led war in Iraq, the NCAA has been having official statements read before tournament games in support of the U.S. military.

"The NCAA and me personally deeply support our soldiers abroad. We are Americans and we support our country," Brand said. "I'm never happy about war. Some wars are justified and must be fought, not just for our freedom, but the freedom of others. I hope the war comes to a rapid conclusion with as few deaths and injuries on the American side and all sides. But make no mistake about it, I fully support our men in uniform."

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TITLE IX: Opponents of Title IX, the federal law that requires equal opportunity in college sports for men and women, won't find support from Brand.

Some claim Title IX, which takes into account the amount schools spend on men's and women's sports, has caused the demise of some sports programs. Because football tends to be an expensive sport, schools sometimes must choose between dropping football or a number of other less expensive men's sports to make athletic spending equal for both sexes.

Brand said he does not believe Title IX is broken, "and should not be fixed." Nor does he buy the idea it would be fair to spend less on women's sports because women seem to be less interested in sports.

He noted the percentage of student athletes who were women has risen from 16 percent to 43 percent since Title IX took effect.

"The way the world works here is that interest is generated through opportunity, so I want to be assured there's adequate opportunity for women to participate, and I think that in turn will develop the interest," Brand said.