New NCAA Rules For Contact Likely Won't Sway De Smet's Nolan Berry

Under a rule change that just went into effect last week, NCAA basketball coaches are now able to call, text and social media message recruits who have completed their sophomore years of high school.

The switch means schools which have in the past been penalized for being fast loose with the rules don't have to worry about them anymore, which also frees up time for NCAA enforcement officials who are trying to keep up with ever-changing trends in communication.

The move likely won't have much of an impact one of the area's top recruits, senior-to-be Nolan Berry,

Berry's mother, Meg, told Patch the family heard from Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens last Friday, the first day the new rules went into effect. "We all exchanged some jokes about how we'd be texting all the time but honestly, none of us are like that," she wrote via email earlier this week. "Coach likes to check in with us but don't really need our hands held through this process. Nolan hasn't wavered at all from his Butler decision and no one else is bugging him. I think the other coaches feel like he made the right decision for himself," she said.

The earliest Berry can make his verbal pledge official would be the November signing period.

Recruits have always been allowed to contact coaches at any time. The new rules may make it easier for a coach like Stevens, who is often linked to higher-profile coaching openings each offseason, to stay in touch with recruits. Of course, it could also open the floodgates for competing programs to try and convince him to rethink his decision.

Some media outlets, like USA Today are speculating that the softened stance on social media will make it easier to get to know players, and possibly prevent player transfers down the road.

ESPN.com is reporting that college football coaches are lobbying for the same reform.