jf wrote:

Could form an all-school all-star team with Bamisile and Brayon Freeman.
Don't know if Bamisile hit 8 schools w/high school, but we know Freeman had 4 high schools in 4 years.
So at least a dozen teams between them.
The absurdity of this is stunning. 
Would personally petition the NCAA to extend the portal deadline for people like Bamisile, just
for the sheer amusement of it.

Imagine if you wanted a complete collection of his replica jerseys. Not sure they would all fit in my closet.

Last edited by GW Alum Abroad (5/31/2024 11:44 am)

Ladies and gentlemen, the show is over.  We can wax nostalgic all we want about the past, but we are never returning to the previous economic order.  Sure, the NCAA tournament is alive for ten more years, but that's also a purely economic decision about mass nationwide appeal and TV $$$ in March.  I'm sure all of the analytics are going into just quickly they can jettison the non-power conferences and sustain the football model with roughly 80 schools at the top.  Like all new economic orders, time, experience, and the bottom line will be the ultimate arbiter of how things shake out.    

Heck, forget the Joe Bamisiles of the world, we've only scratched the surface of where we might be headed in this new economic order. 

The next phase of college sports we are likely to experience is the re-introduction of former college athletes who went pro and now pursue additional degrees or graduate studies. I can't imagine that there's an enforceable rule left today that would prohibit a former pro from playing in college. And what coach in a highly competitive setting wouldn't consider taking a tested 25 year old man to play for his team over an inexperienced 18 year old kid? 

This applies to MBB, football, and baseball.  My guess is that this will become most prevalent in baseball.  For example, a 28 year-old baseball player drafted out of high school but reaching the point of where the show is just a pipe dream could achieve a lot by going back to school. How many professional football players never finsihed college and still have the physical capacity to play? Minor league baseball should feel as threatened as basketball mid-majors as colleges have the potential to consistently put a AA or even triple AAA product on the field. 

Oh, have we even mentioned private equity ownership of college teams and conferences?

For those looking for rules, I don't believe any consistent rules can be applied until we resolve employer-employee status, accept collective bargaining, and perhaps achieve the remote prospect of congressional action that establishes statutory rules of the road.  We'll leave tax and not-for-profit issues--as well as private v public school issues until another day. 

Bottom Line: Enjoy the 2024-25 GWMBB basketball season since it will likely be the last one that resembles something close to what we've experienced in the past. 
   

 

Last edited by Merrick (6/01/2024 1:39 pm)

Merrick wrote:

Ladies and gentlemen, the show is over.  We can wax nostalgic all we want about the past, but we are never returning to the previous economic order.  Sure, the NCAA tournament is alive for ten more years, but that's also a purely economic decision about mass nationwide appeal and TV $$$ in March.  I'm sure all of the analytics are going into just quickly they can jettison the non-power conferences and sustain the football model with roughly 80 schools at the top.  Like all new economic orders, time, experience, and the bottom line will be the ultimate arbiter of how things shake out.    

Heck, forget the Joe Bamisiles of the world, we've only scratched the surface of where we might be headed in this new economic order. 

The next phase of college sports we are likely to experience is the re-introduction of former college athletes who went pro and now pursue additional degrees or graduate studies. I can't imagine that there's an enforceable rule left today that would prohibit a former pro from playing in college. And what coach in a highly competitive setting wouldn't consider taking a tested 25 year old man to play for his team over an inexperienced 18 year old kid? 

This applies to MBB, football, and baseball.  My guess is that this will become most prevalent in baseball.  For example, a 28 year-old baseball player drafted out of high school but reaching the point of where the show is just a pipe dream could achieve a lot by going back to school. How many professional football players never finsihed college and still have the physical capacity to play? Minor league baseball should feel as threatened as basketball mid-majors as colleges have the potential to consistently put a AA or even triple AAA product on the field. 

Oh, have we even mentioned private equity ownership of college teams and conferences?

For those looking for rules, I don't believe any consistent rules can be applied until we resolve employer-employee status, accept collective bargaining, and perhaps achieve the remote prospect of congressional action that establishes statutory rules of the road.  We'll leave tax and not-for-profit issues--as well as private v public school issues until another day. 

Bottom Line: Enjoy the 2024-25 GWMBB basketball season since it will likely be the last one that resembles something close to what we've experienced in the past. 
   
Well said Merrick.   I have been saying for a while now that the Atlantic 10 (and other comparable conferences) are becoming "AAA" to the power conferences 'major leagues".   This is just one more nail in the coffin.