Leading off today: For the time being it's only a proposal for men's college basketball -- and it's one that wouldn't take effect until the 2008-09 season.

   But it's hard to imagine that the three-point line in boys and girls high school basketball won't be getting moved back in the not too distant future -- if for no other reason than to avoid having a ridiculous rainbow of three-point lines painted onto courts that are used for multiple levels of play.

   The discussion will have to start now that the college men's basketball rules committee has approved a proposal that would move the three-point line back one foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.

   The proposal has to be approved on May 25 by the NCAA playing rules oversight committee in order to take effect in 2008. It would mark the first major change to the three-point shot since its introduction in 1986-87. The proposed new line is in the vicinity of the international distance (20-6) but short of the NBA standard of 22 feet at the baseline and 23-9 above the top of the key.

   For now, the college women's committee and the National Federation of State High School Associations are sticking with the traditional 19-9 line. Spokesmen for both say the organizations haven't met to consider the change. Something has to give if the NCAA men make the change in three weeks.

   Courts from Madison Square Garden down to junior colleges across the country can conceivably play host to pro (including minor leagues), college and high school games on consecutive nights. Three sets of lines so close to each other will make for difficult officiating and aesthetic anarchy.

   My opinion is that both the NCAA women and all high school basketball should follow suit and move the line back in the men's committee approves the change. It would make the transition from high school senior to college freshman that much easier for the thousands of players who make that jump each year, and it wouldn't hurt my eyes when I'm trying to watch a ballgame in person or on TV.

   Health and safety: The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is about to wrap up a six-month tour of the state to do workshops related to concussion management.

   NYSPHSAA Assistant Director Lloyd Mott will be leading sessions in Section 9 on Tuesday and then Section 2 on Thursday to complete a tour of New York that began in mid-November.

   The goal of the training is to remind administrators, coaches and athletic trainers of the minimum standards they should be following -- relying upon objective benchmarks rather than subjective observations -- in order to be sure that athletes safely return to the field after suffering blows to the head.

   The NYSPHSAA and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association have embraced the University of Pittsburgh's ImPACT Program, which begins with online testing of athletes during the preseason. If an athlete in the program suffers a concussion during the season, he/she can then be re-tested and have the results measured against the baseline evaluation.

   When used in conjunction with proper post-injury treatment by the athlete's physician and as part of the school's overall process for dealing with injuries, it helps prevent athletes from returning to the lineup prematurely.

   The Pitt medical team says most athletes can recover completely from a concussion after sitting out anywhere from one to 10 days of contact sports. But a second injury during the recovery period can make the brain vulnerable to more severe or permanent injury.

   Twenty-four NFL teams, 16 Major League Baseball teams and many of the country's major auto racing organizations make use of the ImPACT testing program.

   All in the family: If it's not a record, then it's got to at least be close. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that the Hyde Park FDR crew program includes 15 sets of siblings this spring.

   Extra points: Senior Steve McQuail pitched a perfect game with 13 strikeouts for MacArthur, ranked seventh in Class AA by the NYSSWA, in a 9-0 win over Bellmore JFK on Wednesday. Newsday says this is McQuail's first season on the mound. . . . Abby Harpp added a seven-inning no-hitter to her previous five-inning perfect game so far this season as Pine Plains beat Millbrook in softball, 1-0. Harpp, who struck out nine and walked one, also shared another five-inning perfect game this spring.

   We've received a couple reports of huge recent hitting performances in the aftermath of Thursday's blog item on grand slams. We'll try to catch up on them tomorrow. . . . McQuaid coach Bill Bowe won his 300th career game Thursday as the Knights defeated School of the Arts, 15-2. Bowe, in his 17th season overall, won his first 240 games in 14 seasons at Canandaigua.

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