Friday's vote by the Board of Control of the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association to loosen the restrictions on the ability of public school coaches to guide teams of players from their school in the offseason may actually have more of an effect on inseason play than the summer.

The measure, which goes into effect this summer, redefines what constitutes an out-of-season team in such a way as to permit regular-season coaches to coach as many players from one school as they want during the summer.

In previous years, a coach could only have 80 percent of a starting lineup on an offseason roster, meaning, for instance, a basketball coach could only have four players on a summer-league team.

The 80 percent restriction remains in effect for teams who play during the school year during their offseason, say a fall baseball team, and out-of-season teams still can't have any official connection with the school either during the school year or in the summer.

The re-interpretation of the out-of-season rule would appear to give high school coaches more control over their players during the summer, which has been a concern among many who feel the summer process has had a negative effect on a number of sports, particularly basketball.

However, a number of administrators have expressed concerns that, with the change, the tryout period for most sports will be rendered meaningless for any kids who don't make the summer team. The vote allows local administrators to interpret the rule as they deem necessary, meaning some jurisdictions may limit more than others.