NCAA Basketball: The answer to the coaches pimping their schools via SI Andy Staples

Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples called NCAA Basketball Coaches pimps and has a great idea to solve these issues discovered by the FBI investigation; NCAA Agents.

Andy Staples, Sports Illustrated, made some excellent points and had an enlightening idea which supposedly he had brought up six years ago on deaf ears. Let NCAA Basketball and highly coveted college athletes have college agents that turn into pro agents down the road. You are shaking your head right now, but it is a fascinating proposition and could be a great solution to corruption and parity in the NCAA.

Staples called these coaches who operate by doling out bribes to players however they accomplish getting a recruit to commit, pimps. Can you believe it? He is right though. “The NCAA’s rules, created for the entirely noble purpose of leveling the playing field, had the entirely unintended effect of enabling a generation of pimps,” Staples wrote.

Staples attributes the greed and incentives to the billions spent on broadcasting rights to “CBS and Turner for billions.” He explains it this way, “Money poured into the system, but the rules stayed the same — Since more money couldn’t go to the people with the actual playing talent, it had to go somewhere.” And that’s when he says the black market emerged.

Not only does the money come from television rights, it comes from shoe companies and starts in high school.

Unbelievable, that’s all I can say. But is it really? I heard from an insider whose son played on the highest level that needs to stay anonymous, that all the top schools are involved in this pimping or getting specific players extra money to play at the school. This parent suggested that some schools and coaches (like on the east coast) are just better at hiding the trail, better and more experienced at what I call “Recruiting with benefits.”

Kansas University now being investigated:

Nike now being investigated:

Will Cain on the Ryen Russillo show this morning asked the questions we have all been wondering and makes an excellent point in asking the questions. It just seems it has to be vastly widespread because the players probably knew that their teammates before them got benefits from their commitment. Not ALL players, but may be key players who were led to believe this is how the system works.

Cain asked Russillo the following two questions:

• This is where it starts, where does it end?
• How many schools ARE NOT doing something like this?

So let’s just assume this is widespread, that the tip line the FBI has set up is ringing off the hook. That players, families, opposing coaches who didn’t get what they thought they should or couldn’t recruit the players they wanted and other competing shoe companies who couldn’t wait to sing to the Feds are calling.

Instead of firing all the coaches in the NCAA, which just may start happening now that Rick Pitino and his AD who wouldn’t fire him were relieved of his duties, something needs to change. Staples suggests to “Create a system that gets the money in the hands of the people with the actual skills the market values.”

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Why not allow players to have agents for college? They already do, don’t they? Their parents, their family, their family friends, their high school coaches, their trainers, their AAU coaches who are paid by shoe companies for the most part. All of these people help players decide on the school to go to, and continue to influence the player post-college and into the professional world.

Staples says that college baseball players are allowed to have “advisors” which kind of are agents. He suggests fees and loans to athletes as a method to get the money to the athlete:

"The most important reason why the schools should consider allowing agents is that it finally would give the schools some power over them. Charge them to apply to an NCAA agent registry. Give them a strict set of rules to follow. In my original column, I suggested letting them loan players money as long as the loans were done in a transparent manner and logged with the NCAA.No player would risk his eligibility by dealing with an agent who wasn’t certified by the NCAA. Losing that certification would be professional suicide for an agent. That would offer a powerful incentive for the agent to follow the schools’ rules."

I would add that maybe only for players who are good enough. The athlete would need an agent to navigate the tryouts, the visits, the fit, the needs of the player and more. The Agent would have rights to the athlete for one year after graduation. Obviously, the NCAA would have to institute an organization that investigates if the NCAA agents are only getting these standard fees.

The NCAA agents, who would have to be certified according to Staples (good idea) could serve as the middle person and maybe even help the coaches make sure the players walk the straight and narrow line. Another perk.

In my opinion, this doesn’t get money into the hands of the athletes. I would suggest adding an incentive plan for the athlete. Kind of a savings account. If they attend class they get money, if they get a certain GPA, more money, if they make a big play more money, performance overall during the season, more money, great teammate or performs charity, bonus! Pattern the incentive payouts like European Basketball contracts (some incentives based on stats), but only allow them a portion of the money while in school, the rest they will have to wait and make goals for.

Steve Kerr spoke to the media, and when asked about the NCAA, said, “There’s a reason I coach in the NBA.”

Must Read: More on Arizona Basketball from ZZ..

Whatever happens, the investigation is going to go on and on, and it seems the NCAA and the schools are not going to wait and will have to do something to show they are on top of the situation. Brace yourselves Wildcats fans, thank goodness we have a second head coach on staff in Lorenzo Romar, but he would have to be clean as well. We are not saying it will come to this, but you never know. The NCAA landscape will be changing, and I think that Andy Staples is brilliant, let’s do it, NCAA Agents. We would love to hear your ideas!