By Max Ivany
(Editor’s Note: Having navigated the world of AAU basketball for 25 years, Max Ivany brings a unique perspective to the world of amateur basketball. His D1 Ambassadors club teams (www.d1nation.com), which are spread across multiple states, have sent more than 300 players to Division I programs, more than many of the higher-profile, sponsored programs. His reach into big-time college basketball and the NBA is substantial. What follows is his highly qualified take on the fire that is now engulfing college basketball and what can be done to extinguish it.)
There are plenty of opinions going around as to what direction the NCAA should or will take with the treatment of athletes, especially those in the revenue-producing sports of men’s football and basketball. This is particularly relevant when put in the context of the multi-billion dollar gorilla that is the NCAA Tournament.
This column is not meant to be an expose or a condemnation of anything or anyone, but it is one man’s opinion on what are the REAL issues to be raised in the discussion. I am likely to alienate some long-time friends with my comments, but I’m not “naming names” in order that I don’t hurt anyone. However, I’m calling this business what it is, and that’s hypocritical. Laws are meant to be followed. And if they are broken then there are consequences. However, I’m questioning the validity of these laws, the unique cross section of young people and their families that bear the brunt of them and whether it’s time to end this sham of amateurism and the guise that the end game is to educate young people. That is certainly a well-publicized byproduct of this dance, but the reality is that education takes a back seat to the business of revenue-producing sports on a daily basis in multiple collegiate programs nationwide. The losing party is the athlete.
College Basketball’s Transfer & Proposed Compensation Situation
Here’s food for thought. I’m sure most people have caught recently-fired Memphis coach Tubby Smith’s rant about some 800 transfers this year. That’s 800 out of 4,200 Division I scholarship players or 19 percent. That figure doesn’t include the roughly 1,000 walk ons who are also counted as part of the transfer herd.
By contrast, of the 351 Division I coaching staffs, there are approximately 50 staff changes per season. Whether the head coach retires (a rarity), gets fired or takes another job, that is approximately a 14 percent turnover. I don’t have data on assistants who change jobs, but it’s a higher percentage than the head coaches.
It seems to me there’s not much disparity between the percentage of change, whether it’s the kids or the coaches. Why all the outrage against the young people?
Everyone makes mistakes or regrets their decisions from time to time. Why is that in a sport with a large percentage of minority teenagers, we hold them to this standard of “sticking with their decision.” We don’t hold children of ‘suburban sport athletes’ to this same standard, nor are they denied a chance to cash in on their likeness or to have endorsement deals. The revenue sports of football and basketball simply doesn’t want its bell cows transferring. That’s where the outrage truly lies. The laughable “one and done” has nothing to do with education. These studs enroll in the fall, have to pass 6 hours of the most dumbed down courses and then play through to March without ever attending a class after January 1st. Yet they are eligible to compete and have in turn been kept from making a living for one year. Where is the justice in this?
Let’s be candid, the raw numbers are deceptive as most transfer requests are granted happily as the coach “cleans house” of players who are not seen as helping him win. On the other hand, impact players like my daughter in law are given the run around and everything possible is done to discourage the transfer request and to stonewall the player. From first-hand experience I’ve seen players with potential transfer destinations denied their transfer until the athletic director knows most scholarship opportunities are dried up. Sometimes this is the system acting in slow motion but other times it’s simply done maliciously.
Proposed Solutions:
If the head coach leaves, then the player should be able to leave. Let’s be candid, although ideally an athlete should choose a school because it’s where he wants to be educated, the stark reality is that most kids are chasing their athletic dreams and bond with coaches, not the bricks and mortar of “State U.” When the coach leaves the player typically feels abandoned and disconnected.
Most recruiting is handled by the assistant coaches. It’s usually not until the deal needs to be closed that the head coach connects with the player. The exception to this rule is the blue-chip player and not the “average” roster player. If the school retains the assistant who was responsible for the player’s recruitment, then the player should be required to stay or if they decide to transfer, should be subjected to the current rules forcing him to sit a year.
Paying players is a tough one. I definitely believe there should be an improved stipend amount. Thankfully, the players are now well fed and have access to sufficient food 24/7. A player should be able to start a business without being penalized by being given the choice of closing up shop or giving up his scholarship. That’s currently not the case. Why discourage entrepreneurship?
Let the player cash in on his likeness if he’s got that kind of cachet. Let the market decide if he’s got extra value above and beyond his scholarship benefits. The recent mania caused by UMBC beating Virginia in the NCAA Tournament led UMBC to file trademarks so the school could cash in on the players’ performances. The players won’t see a dime of this new revenue.
Everything is done under the guise of education, yet a large percentage of the athletes isn’t getting educated. Graduation rates are lacking, and many of the [delete] fluff degrees leave the player unemployable. Why not have the school be on the hook for a lifetime degree program? If a player finishes his athletic eligibility and has time remaining to graduate, he’s unlikely to do so if he has to pay the freight at a later date. The light goes on at different times for all of us. Let’s say he’s 30 when he says, “I’ve got to get that degree.” Let him come back to school and have his room, board and tuition paid for until he graduates. That’s if it’s really about the student-athlete.
Let’s be candid. Many players are ill prepared or simply disinterested in college. Calculus and literature are not their cup of tea. Why not have the university share relationships with trade schools. One of the main components of post-high school education is to make someone more employable in the real world. We all have different aptitudes. Is apprenticing to be a plumber or carpenter a worthy direction to go? What about training at the police academy or fire department while playing collegiate sports. Yes, it’s a tough road to police the abuses, but is it any tougher than it is now where envelopes of cash are being handed off to an “uncle” or some other hanger on?
Injuries. Obviously, football is front and center with the discussions about concussions. But what if a player tears a hip labrum. Sure, he gets immediate medical care, but what if the condition cripples him when he’s 40? Some schools are telling kids during the recruiting process that they have a larger amount of insurance coverage for the players in case of injury. Shouldn’t it be mandatory for all schools to provide this same level care?
There’s nothing that compares to the pageantry of college athletics. It really is about the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. But the system is flawed. It’s time for a transparent discussion of the points I raise above. Keep in mind that the commodity is not widgets, it’s players and their lives. There’s too much money being made not to give more consideration to the players’ short-, medium- and long-term goals. If it’s really “about the kids” then it’s time for the folks in the ivory towers and the suits at the NCAA to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Coaches are saying all the right things, and then bolting for seven-figure contracts. Meanwhile the student-athlete is left holding the bag. I implore everybody involved in the current inequitable system to stop selling out both the players “soles” and your own SOUL.
