I like this. I do fear that too many kids will chas the easy fast money and end up broke with no education 5 years later.
^^^^ I would also imagine many of these possible kids that miss out on an education might not have lasted in college either way. If they were not wanting to go through college in the first place then they probably would have dropped out or left early at some point. If this league works it gives players another option. I like the college baseball model better and keeping kids in college for three years that want to be there will help college basketball in the long run.
I always wonder why no one ever likes "the football model", which is the most popular sport around. I'm glad I was around for a "golden age" of college basketball when all the great players had a stint in college basketball. Before long, future NBA (I know, NBA is a bad word for many of you) players will be rare in college basketball. When that time comes, I'll still follow the Gators, but I can't say I'd ever be bothered to turn on a game involving any other schools in what will have become a B-league, college sports. I generally watch sports (NFL, NBA, Olympics, PGA, ....NCAA not involving the Gators) to watch the best of the best play. For college sports' sake (and those big TV contracts' sake and those multi-miilion-dollar school budgets' sake), I hope I'm in the minority.
Interesting. Matt, Ryan Bewley become first Overtime Elite signings as five-star prospect twins choose upstart program
2 more Floridians we ain't gettin................ I wonder what the game will look like in 5 more years?
Not that I disagree, but if they are truly talking about paying an 18 year old 100k because "he looks the part" I am not sure this will work. It is still the minor leagues and you have to have 1) fans who will ultimately pay the freight and 2) an arrangement with the big leagues to be the incubator for their future stars. Baseball, soccer and hockey have this arrangement. I just don't see it in the US and basketball. Minor league pros are called oversees leagues. Nothing wrong with the current arrangement IMO.
There will still be great college basketball. This new league, even if it survives, isn't going to sign every kid capable of playing D1 basketball.
I think this is overall a good thing. These one and done kids never wanted to go to college anyways and to be honest, I wouldn’t either if I could make money doing what I love.
The NBA has to create a development league to control this. Don’t want others taking advantage of 18 year olds paying $100,000 and perhaps signing a licensing agreement in the contract process. League May only last a year and you have lost college (and ability for university to help you graduate later), potentially not get drafted, and the $100,000 is gone in max of 2 years. Most kids need time to develop. Need to play against best competition, have good coaching, and work on game (defense, free throw shooting, ….). Will that happen in this league? Did they sign away marketing rights for future?
NCAA is not going away, nor will college sports. If anything, it will be a step toward restoring some integrity. Everyone wins. Money needy or hungry kids get paid and college sports are played by students.
College baseball has done just fine, even though baseball players can go straight from high school to the pros. It's been that way for more than a century and America hasn't collapsed.
Since this topic came back I looked it up. Here is the entry from the MLB website on the draft... First-Year Player Draft Rules Certain groups of players are ineligible for selection, generally because they are still in school. The basic categories of players eligible to be drafted are: High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college; College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed So I was mostly right. Juco players can go straight to MLB, but it looks like that if a player enters a 4-year college they cannot be drafted until after their junior year, OR if they are 21. And yes, this is what the NBA should do. Not draft players until after their junior year IF they go to college. OR do it right out of HS and send them to the minor leagues. IMO of course...
Another report on this. Elite twins Amen and Ausar Thompson skip college to join the Overtime Elite program