Arizona Basketball: NCAA is committed to change college basketball

A lawsuit against the NCAA may change rules on athletes getting paid for likeness

According to the latest Jall Wall St. Newsletter, there is a lawsuit that may get the players more money while in school:

"U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken will hear the case of Martin Jenkins (former Clemson football player) v. NCAA in December and determine if the NCAA’s system of capping the value of athletic scholarships promotes competition between schools or stymies the market for student-athlete services (i.e. would the value of a scholarship increase if it could be used as a recruiting tool?)."

This could go one of two ways. The best outcome for the athletes is that the ruling mandates they get paid for their likeness. But what Wall suggests is that it could go south for them as well. He thinks the students would benefit from an Olympic Model or an open market where “Schools can offer whatever it takes to land a recruit.” In an open market there could be, “a resolution that would allow for student-athletes to be compensated for the use of their name, image, and likeness; while maintaining their eligibility”

Wow! I think some prominent Arizona Wildcats would love that, and it would make recruiting interesting as well.

College programs have been spending their money on training facilities and locker rooms to attract recruits along with scholarships, room, and board. But if they could have more of an open market then it would probably help Arizona given the alumni who have excelled in their professional careers.

International and US  professional basketball leagues are expanding and gaining more prominence. There will be leagues in the US that will be for players who do not wish to go to college, and didn’t get picked up by the G-League, NBA or International team and want to stay at home and play in pro-am leagues. The talent globally is getting better and better and they are not as apt to fly in and take care of US Players. The NBA is drafting International players

Hold on to your seats, Wildcats fans, it’s going to be a roller coaster ride. Let’s just hope the student-athletes best interests are number one priority. But from what it looks like, the NCAA is protecting itself and it’s colleges from getting in trouble, the best basketball players will get their shot, the players who don’t live where coaches can find them or aren’t invited to the NCAA camps, they will have a much harder time to get a offers. That is unfortunate.