NBA to NCAA re New Rules: Say What?

Everyone know the college hoops world needs some sorta unsorting.

And who better than the NCAA to stir the muck until it settles.

That's when we all find out it's the same muck.

Really, you can't leave a task like that to amateurs, so who better than the guardians of purity in athletics to run with it?

 

If only.

Amid tales of scandal and corruption, the NCAA assembled a study group to determine how to best protect its most valuable resource: Money.

The head dudette and accompanying dudes did their job, too:

 

Frankly, the item omitted from that list was the most telling: the NCAA is pursuing an agreement with apparel companies regarding their involvement in youth basketball.

Why should those summer-hooping whippersnappers be exposed to all that tempting dosh in violation of NCAA rules when the NCAA could dam the flow by taking it for themselves?

 

Meanwhile, judging by the NBA's reaction, all this was clearly news to them.

Not necessarily welcome news, either.

 

Any assumption that the kajillion-dollar owners' ATM that is the NBA would get right on lowering their draft age to 18 is beyond starry-eyed. Why would it?

There's no reason for the owners to do anything before the current CBA comes up for discussion. The earliest that'd affect their draft is 2022.

 

Then there's the foisting of responsibility of deciding just who is an elite prospect on USA Basketball.

As if they want to get mixed up in decrees that aren't of their own making.

 

Even the all-knowing high priest of the way college sports should be run wasn't saw through the veneer:

 

It's actually effective window dressing if you're the NCAA.

After all, which players are their cash cows in college hoops?

 

Hell, as they say, the rest of 'em are going to go pro in something other than college, so why be concerned about recycling them?

At least that crowd realizes they've actually gotta take meaningful classes because they'll likely need their degrees to get somewhere after school.

 

Not too many LeBrons are ready for The League straight outta high school, so full marks to enterprises that have an alternative in mind like Australia's NBL Next Stars and even the G League.

Not so full marks for trying to make an entire league bend to one's will, and getting bent over instead.

 

How does a father do that to his kid?

Worse is how a group of adults does what they're doing to thousands of them.

Maybe the Northwestern Wildcats football team had it right a few years ago when they wanted to unionize. After all, that's what pros do to protect their best interests.

It's looking more and more obvious that no one else will.