The NCAA recently announced new rules which will heavily impact the NBA Draft process for its basketball players.
The most notable rules are the following:
- “Elite” prospects will be eligible to hire NCAA-approved agents
- Players that go undrafted in the NBA draft may return to school
These are fairly monumental changes. The NCAA used to view the NBA draft process as a necessary and official journey for professional players to undertake. This is no longer the case.
The organization made a good move by allowing undrafted players to go back to college. Players shouldn’t have to risk eligibility if they want to go through the drafting process despite having a small chance of making it onto an NBA team.
Teaching prospects what the draft process entails will also help them to prepare more in a more professional if they decide to return to school, as they will have a better idea of what NBA scouts want.
However, the organization caused many to raise their eyebrows by allowing “elite” prospects to hire agents. Many are apprehensive regarding the possibility of college players, who are supposed to be “amateurs,” hiring agents.
Players have long hired agents under the table anyway. At least the process will now be better regulated. The fact that agents must be NCAA-approved means that, theoretically, fewer college kids will be burned or scammed by shady agents.
However, these new rules raise the question: what makes a prospect elite? How many high school and college athletes will be eligible to hire agents? Who will determine which players make the cut?
Supposedly, the NBA and USA Basketball were not included in the NCAA’s decision.
It feels as though the NCAA is taking a step in the right direction for its athletes, many of whom are not ready to be in a position to make such huge decisions for themselves.
Featured Image via Flickr/Beaverbasketball
