The NCAA is at a crossroads when it comes to player eligibility. The latest trend is seeing players who signed NBA contracts return to college basketball. This is happening despite NCAA President Charlie Baker recently stated that players who sign NBA contracts will not be eligible for college.
Alabama will have Charles Bediako suit up for the Crimson Tide on Saturday after receiving a temporary restraining order from a judge on Wednesday to be eligible. Bediako, who has signed three NBA contracts, is one of several players currently transitioning from professional basketball to the NCAA.
After his team’s victory against Texas on WednesdayKentucky head coach Marc Popespontaneously, gave his point of view on the situation.
“I’m going to take a minute to talk about this just so you guys have our say on what’s going on in the NCAA right now when it comes to eligibility,” Pope said. “We all shake hands, being like that is incredibly creative. I’ll give you my two cents, just so you have it. At any given time, I have no hard feelings toward anyone who makes a decision, because every college program and every college coach is the most competitive people in the world. They’re going to try to find any way they can to find an advantage. That’s what we’re paid to do. That’s what we do.”
Proposing NCAA Tournament Selection as a Solution
Mark Pope has a solution to the problem of professional players coming to college basketball. He wants to put it in the hands of the NCAA tournament selection committee.
“The only stopgap that’s spreading right now that maybe has some legs is kind of a last stand,” Pope said. “The NCAA decides who gets to play in the NCAA Tournament. It’s up to them. They have that power. At one point, they were very, very clear about the rules they’re going to try to enforce. They may lose in court, but they can still decide which games count toward the NCAA Tournament.”
The Pope said it clearly. He does not want to “penalize any team”.
“I say this because, at some point, it’s important that we take a stand and regain a little shred of sanity,” Pope said. “Until someone tells me otherwise, I still believe that the NCAA has complete power over who plays in the NCAA Tournament and what games they count toward your NCAA Tournament bid. At the end of the day, that’s what motivates us all.”
The Pope preached “common sense” by offering his two cents. He also spoke about the importance of the NCAA tournament.
“I hope we take a stand there and clean this up for everyone, for everyone, because right now everyone is chasing their tail,” Pope said. “I think this is a place where we can take a stand. I hope we do. This game matters too much. The NCAA tournament is too extraordinary a deal. These high school players, and these young players, and all these players matter too much. College basketball matters too much. It’s just time to take a stand, to bring some common sense to this deal, to say it publicly.”
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