In a dream scenario I’d take Jaden Hardy over Adam Miller even though he’s probably not quite as good of a fit for the roster as Miller. He’s more of a SG than PG but he’s about as elite as they get. His shooting numbers and splits were very impressive both volume and efficiency and he was playing up in EYBL the last two years.
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I’m a bit confused though. Juwan is a potentially great recruiter who was gonna land 5-stars (sure seems like it), but now presumably the 5-stars are gonna start skipping college. Can’t Juwan still land the next best players in each class if he’s a great recruiter?
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High 4* are the new 5*. College basketball honestly won’t look that different. Just gotta adjust.
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4* are the new 5*. This will be interesting to watch play out in conjunction with free, get out of jail transfer.
I like the new development of G league paying Hs players to go pro directly out of Hs. Need to see how it plays out and evolves, but it has good possibilities.
I’m not sure the NCAA will adjust. They might allow the players to profit from their NIL, but they were considering that anyway. They’re not going to start paying kids big amounts of money to play college basketball. When high school kids could leave directly for the pros, it didn’t hurt the college game. I don’t think this will, either. But I do think the top 15-20 kids in a given class every year are going to be very interested.
I am curious why you would think G League players who “fizzle” out wouldn’t take advantage of the educational benefits they get as part of their contracts. Careful.
Because they would have to stop playing? Unless they suffered a career ending injury, I’d expect them to keep their NBA hopes alive, maybe by playing overseas. They might eventually come back to school, but that gets harder over time.
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Like swinawer said, they likely will continue playing basketball in some capacity. How many are going to be willing and able to not work or work part time at the age of say 30 or 35 to go back to college and on top of that nearly 60-70 percent of the population does not obtain a bachelors degree regardless of the situation. I’m not saying it isn’t a nice carrot to dangle, and it is exactly what the NBA should be offering, but there is some risk is all. Going to college for kids provides them with (in many cases) an outstanding network for post-college careers, gives them an opportunity to leave college with zero debt, and still affords them up to 4 or 5 years to make their dreams a reality in the NBA. Last point, D1 athletes graduate at a rate of around 90%, whereas the national average for most students entering college is far lower, somewhere around 50 or 60% if I recall correctly. So my point is simply there is at least some risk in bypassing college for athletes if they aren’t in that top 5 to 10 caliber where they are almost surefire NBA draft picks.
You aren’t getting a college degree as a one-and-done prospect or in this G-League program. Having a $125k scholarship is a nice luxury in the G League program. But anyone who is getting signed to this program is going to end up playing basketball professionally for a while – even if it is overseas or anywhere else.
A degree isn’t really on the table in either situation unless it comes later (i.e. go back to school).
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I think the “scholarship” plays two ways: 1. Appease parents who may be on the “education is most important” tip or “you’re an injury away from not having an athletic career.” 2. Public perception - “Hey, we’re not taking kids away from college, in fact we’re helping them have the same opportunity!”
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I really think part of the reason some of these leagues, like the mlb and now g league offer these aggressive education packages is because its a cheap selling point for them. Its seems like a lot money but the vast majority of these “scholarships” will never even be used because the players will have long enough pro careers that by the point they’re done the majority of players will have little interest in going to school and using the scholarship.
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I agree with this, my original point was there is risk with being exposed in the G league. There is risk in college but probably not as much as being on a team with 12 other HS stars and playing against grown men every night. If you go to college you get the benefits of the university network and a chance to either leave early if you’re great or stay, get a college degree (IE Charles Matthews) and then pursue a pro career with zero debt.
Edit: I wouldn’t question any kid who wants to go the g league route, they all have a plan that makes sense to them.
Playing in the G league will also give you G league connections though. Plenty of NBA players and people near the league operate businesses, they’re just as likely to hire from that pool without a degree, assuming a former g leaguer has the requisite skills.
All of these are largely non-responsive to my point. At some point, basketball ends—some very soon, others longer—but “fizzle out” certainly implies the short end of a career. The $125K remains on the table for school.
Wasn’t responding to you at all. Was responding to post that athletes are somehow missing out on a college degree when in reality they were never going to get an undergrad degree at this point in time.
If Isaiah Todd went to school, he would have only been there for one year.
Sure, I’m not saying there won’t be opportunities regardless of path. Not begrudging anyone who chooses the g league path as their best option. This is just a non scientific opinion of my own, a guy who goes to say a big ten university to play not only has the connections in the basketball world but also throughout the athletic department and its alumni network. It’s just something to consider when weighing their options. I know a kid who wasn’t going to play college sports even though he could have played d2 or walked on at some d1 schools and then Columbia came knocking. That network he will have is invaluable in my opinion.
That’s Michigan’s selling point often - the lifetime benefits of being a beloved member of the community.
That’s a huge selling point for a guy like Adrien Nunez, Eli Brooks or Terrance Williams but it isn’t nearly as applicable for a guy who would be in line for a G League Select deal.
You could make an easy case that having access to unlimited around the clock coaching over the next year is significantly more important for their overall career earnings.
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People fail to realize that everyone doesn’t love Michigan, or even the college experience the same. If a sure fire pro gets one of these deal, they would be crazy not to go
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I think they will all make the decision that’s best for them and their family. For some the G League select deal is a great deal and makes a ton of sense. And for others they will see value in the college route. My original point was simply there’s some risk for guys in going the G-League route, particularly if they aren’t guaranteed a big G-League contract (sounds like some are bonus ridden). Probably minimal risk for guys who are top 5 or 10 nationally, but certainly some risk for guys who are in that 10 to 20 range. I actually think the G-League taking the top 10 or 15 guys will have minimal impact on the college game (from a fan perspective) and may help it as you might get more Trey Burke type guys who are solid players freshman year but still return for a second year.