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Will Wade and LSU

I would be proud to send my son to be coached by Will Wade (if I had a son). He seems like an even-keeled, upstanding member of the community.
 
By probably I mean for you want to watch real basketball you would rather come down to Broad Street if you are able to get tickets.

Don't have any interest in watching a team filled with recruits who were probably illegally paid to play. That isn't real basketball but to each his own.
 
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By probably I mean for you want to watch real basketball you would rather come down to Broad Street if you are able to get tickets.
I'd probably rather go to Charlottesville to watch real basketball than waste my time in Richmond.
 
All of these universities involved committed fraudulent activities while received Federal dollars. That is why the FBI is involved. Are there "more important" things for the FBI to investigate? You can argue that about any potential white collar case, but that is not how the FBI works.

As for Wade and VCU, the FBI was sniffing around him while he was at VCU for his recruiting tactics. What is outrageous to me is that Wade knew this and yet still proceeded with trying to pay players to come to LSU. He must be the stupidest SOB around.

Been away, sorry for the late reply.

But your post is total BS. The FBI was not "sniffing" around Wade at VCU. This entire investigation had NOTHING to do with college basketball at first. It was an investigations into other crimes (security law violations, I think?) and during a debrief a suspect/accused/witness mentioned he had possible information about corruption in college basketball. That is what started it. Then they went after Dawkins. They tapped HIS phone and that is when the coaches (at least two that we know about) were intercepted talking about paying players. This was after Wade left VCU.

And in conversations over the weekend, it is the general opinion of people in the know that one of the reasons Wade left so quickly was that he figured out the VCU AD was not going to put up this that type of crap.

If he paid any player to come to VCU, please tell me where they are. You don't pay 1-4 star guys. You play the top players, the five star guys. I don't see any of those at VCU. Never have. In fact, out best players over the past 10 years are the low or no ratings guys who are spotted by a smart coach and developed into good players.

This all may be a big plus for the non-P5 teams. Now all coaches have been put on notice. It might level the playing field a bit. With the changes coming to the rules in 2020, the day of the one and done players will come to an end. They guys that don't go straight to the NBA (or try) might be more interested in playing for a UR or VCU if they think that they will get more playing time, as opposed to sitting on the bench the first couple of year.
 
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Not surprising really. The wiretaps didnt give any evidence that he actually did what he was being accused of and I said back when it came out that if they didnt have more, he would be in the clear. The feds didnt have anything else obviously and what they had wasnt enough. Did he offer a player/players mom money to come to lsu, it seems like it,
 
Will Wade is not alone in this. The whole college system is broken. The players need to get paid and I don't even think they need to get paid evenly. Why should Zion Williamson at Duke, who plays every game on national TV, sells out arenas, and brings in money for merchandise left and right get paid the same amount as the 6th man on Iona. That is not how the real world or business works. And if you think these kids are still amateurs, that stopped a long time ago when the AAU circuit took over and kids now travel as much or more than most college teams beginning at 11-12 years old.
 
no, college athletes do not need to get paid. they're fixing the stupid one and done rule finally, so if you don't want to go to college then don't. go pro. if you go to college, you know what you're getting and it doesn't include more than a stipend.

and as long as the current rules are in place, what Wade clearly was talking about is illegal and he should be fired.

also, I'm so sick of AAU getting blamed for everything. what, because an elite handful of players might be getting something means the entire AAU system is corrupt? do you know how many kids play AAU?

AAU does more to get kids scholarships than high school coaches ever can. yet somehow we get Condoleezza Rice and her committee who don't know anything about AAU basketball getting involved and making rules that HURT the vast majority of high school basketball players chances of getting seen and earning scholarships.
 
no, college athletes do not need to get paid. they're fixing the stupid one and done rule finally, so if you don't want to go to college then don't. go pro. if you go to college, you know what you're getting and it doesn't include more than a stipend.

and as long as the current rules are in place, what Wade clearly was talking about is illegal and he should be fired.

also, I'm so sick of AAU getting blamed for everything. what, because an elite handful of players might be getting something means the entire AAU system is corrupt? do you know how many kids play AAU?

AAU does more to get kids scholarships than high school coaches ever can. yet somehow we get Condoleezza Rice and her committee who don't know anything about AAU basketball getting involved and making rules that HURT the vast majority of high school basketball players chances of getting seen and earning scholarships.
Agreed, For every Zion who brings in millions of dollars, there are a thousand swimmers, soccer players, cross country/track, every women's sports whose participation in sports actually costs University's money and for whom a full paid scholarship for a 4 year college education is a pretty darn nice reward that will pay huge dividends for their earning potential in life.

And really giving the Zion's of the world $5,000 a year for payment is not going to stop coaches, boosters, shoe companies from giving their families/intermediaries 100K plus to go to certain universities.
 
Agreed, For every Zion who brings in millions of dollars, there are a thousand swimmers, soccer players, cross country/track, every women's sports whose participation in sports actually costs University's money and for whom a full paid scholarship for a 4 year college education is a pretty darn nice reward that will pay huge dividends for their earning potential in life.

And really giving the Zion's of the world $5,000 a year for payment is not going to stop coaches, boosters, shoe companies from giving their families/intermediaries 100K plus to go to certain universities.

Exactly. Zion and power conf football and bball players are the 1%. They get 50k or more ships a year, COA stipends that are already 5k many places, and a platform to interview for the best jobs. And Duke was already selling out arenas, playing on national TV and selling merchandise. Duke created that not Zion.

Got to draw the line somewhere imo.
 
Will Wade is not alone in this. The whole college system is broken. The players need to get paid and I don't even think they need to get paid evenly. Why should Zion Williamson at Duke, who plays every game on national TV, sells out arenas, and brings in money for merchandise left and right get paid the same amount as the 6th man on Iona. That is not how the real world or business works. And if you think these kids are still amateurs, that stopped a long time ago when the AAU circuit took over and kids now travel as much or more than most college teams beginning at 11-12 years old.
Omg what you suggest would be a disaster. Might as well just shutdown college sports. Like we dont already have enough arrogant disrespectful athletes in the pro ranks.
 
Omg what you suggest would be a disaster. Might as well just shutdown college sports. Like we dont already have enough arrogant disrespectful athletes in the pro ranks.
What we currently have is a disaster. It’s an antiquated system, based on a lie of “student-athlete” that was a legal maneuver to avoid paying worker’s compensation.

The money made on the backs of college players is too exorbitant at this point for the players not to get some type of cut. That being said, I think there has been good progress in 4 year scholarships, bumps in stipends, etc.

However, the next step is lifting restrictions on players being able to make money off their likeness (aka marketing). The schools don’t have to (and I don’t think should) pay the players more than they already do. But let companies that want to use the kids for marketing, and pay them handsomely for it, do so.

Finally, the current rules restricting college athletes from signing an agent is absurd. Imagine anywhere else in life where we somehow allow people not to have legal/professional counsel when making any, never mind life changing decisions.

Like I said, the system is antiquated and broken, and it needs serious renovation.
 
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However, the next step is lifting restrictions on players being able to make money off their likeness (aka marketing). The schools don’t have to (and I don’t think should) pay the players more than they already do. But let companies that want to use the kids for marketing, and pay them handsomely for it, do so.
yeah, I'm fine with that.

Finally, the current rules restricting college athletes from signing an agent is absurd. Imagine anywhere else in life where we somehow allow people not to have legal/professional counsel when making any, never mind life changing decisions.
I believe they changed that already. you can sign an agent to help through the draft process. if you decide to go back to school, you must break ties though.
 
yeah, I'm fine with that.


I believe they changed that already. you can sign an agent to help through the draft process. if you decide to go back to school, you must break ties though.
I don’t think you should ever be forced to break ties. You should always be able to have legal/professional representation.
 
once you've pulled out of the draft and returned to your team, what do you need an agent for?
Advice on how to best ready yourself for next year’s draft, if it’s in your best self interest to transfer, what professional teams are looking for, etc. Essentially, personalized advice to help you be the most successful in your career from someone who (should) have your best interest at heart. Yes there agents that are slimey and suck, but the potential of bad representation shouldn’t bar people’s access to representation.

While coaches say they do this, they also have obvious conflicts in that a player leaving or preparing themselves for the pro’s can be counter to what’s best for themselves/the team/etc.
 
Advice on how to best ready yourself for next year’s draft, if it’s in your best self interest to transfer, what professional teams are looking for, etc. Essentially, personalized advice to help you be the most successful in your career from someone who (should) have your best interest at heart. Yes there agents that are slimey and suck, but the potential of bad representation shouldn’t bar people’s access to representation.

While coaches say they do this, they also have obvious conflicts in that a player leaving or preparing themselves for the pro’s can be counter to what’s best for themselves/the team/etc.
ok, but you're opening the door for every high school kid who gets a scholarship to sign with an agent. that likely causes problems.
 
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Advice on how to best ready yourself for next year’s draft, if it’s in your best self interest to transfer, what professional teams are looking for, etc. Essentially, personalized advice to help you be the most successful in your career from someone who (should) have your best interest at heart. Yes there agents that are slimey and suck, but the potential of bad representation shouldn’t bar people’s access to representation.

While coaches say they do this, they also have obvious conflicts in that a player leaving or preparing themselves for the pro’s can be counter to what’s best for themselves/the team/etc.

I don't think you are giving coaches nearly enough credit. Can you provide examples of coaches that selfishly tell kids to stay in school instead of turning pro? Seems like coaches always tell kids, especially the future first round picks that will get guaranteed contracts, to move on. Coaches would not get a lot of good recruits if they had a reputation of being selfish and keeping kids in college when they are ready to leave.
 
What we currently have is a disaster. It’s an antiquated system, based on a lie of “student-athlete” that was a legal maneuver to avoid paying worker’s compensation.

The money made on the backs of college players is too exorbitant at this point for the players not to get some type of cut. That being said, I think there has been good progress in 4 year scholarships, bumps in stipends, etc.

However, the next step is lifting restrictions on players being able to make money off their likeness (aka marketing). The schools don’t have to (and I don’t think should) pay the players more than they already do. But let companies that want to use the kids for marketing, and pay them handsomely for it, do so.

Finally, the current rules restricting college athletes from signing an agent is absurd. Imagine anywhere else in life where we somehow allow people not to have legal/professional counsel when making any, never mind life changing decisions.

Like I said, the system is antiquated and broken, and it needs serious renovation.
Paying college players to play should be fine. Paying college players to play at a specific school should not.
Verifying that difference may be difficult.
 
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I don't think you are giving coaches nearly enough credit. Can you provide examples of coaches that selfishly tell kids to stay in school instead of turning pro? Seems like coaches always tell kids, especially the future first round picks that will get guaranteed contracts, to move on. Coaches would not get a lot of good recruits if they had a reputation of being selfish and keeping kids in college when they are ready to leave.
No, because I’m not privy to those conversations. But do you disagree that a coach can have a conflict of interest with what’s best for a player?

Take for example Khwan Fore. I’m sure Mooney would never have told him it could be good for him to move on to Louisville. He should have the right to have someone who is in the industry, to be able to give him advice that is him centric. Maybe if he did, the agent tells him he’s better off professionally to stay at Richmond.

To me, the point isn’t whether coaches have given advice correctly to players or not. It’s that they clearly have conflicting factors in what is best for them personally, their team, and the player personally. I would hope that most of the time everyone would align, but the players should have he right to have someone who is in the industry that is 100% in their corner. They don’t have to all hire agents, but they should have the ability to.
 
ok, but you're opening the door for every high school kid who gets a scholarship to sign with an agent. that likely causes problems.
What problems?

And I’m saying anyone everywhere could have legal representation.

If you’re worried about slimy agents, then your issue is with the accreditation process for agents, not with the idea of representation.
 
Paying college players to play should be fine. Paying college players to play at a specific school should not.
Verifying that different may be difficult.
To be honest, I’m fine with Nike paying players to go to certain schools. And to be fair, it’s already happening.

However, I can see people’s trepidation with these issues, and I would say that is compliance issue, not a payment issue. Also, if all marketing compensation was allowed and therefore above board, it could be recorded and more easily viewed at for compliance issues.

Why do we want to keep payments under the table rather than out in the open? To protect the farce of amateurism?
 
What problems?

And I’m saying anyone everywhere could have legal representation.

If you’re worried about slimy agents, then your issue is with the accreditation process for agents, not with the idea of representation.
legal representation? granted a lot of sports agents are lawyers, but it's not a requirement. their legal services are only for contracts ... which we're not talking about here.

you think coaches aren't looking out for the best interest of an athlete, but a sports agent will? how does that agent get paid again? who's interest is he looking out for? of course an agent will want their client to go pro whether here or in any other country. they only get paid when the kid signs a contract. they get nothing if a kid stays in school.
 
legal representation? granted a lot of sports agents are lawyers, but it's not a requirement. their legal services are only for contracts ... which we're not talking about here.

you think coaches aren't looking out for the best interest of an athlete, but a sports agent will? how does that agent get paid again? who's interest is he looking out for? of course an agent will want their client to go pro whether here or in any other country. they only get paid when the kid signs a contract. they get nothing if a kid stays in school.
They make money the more money their clients make. It would be short sighted for an agent to tell a kid to go immediately pro if staying in school would gain the player more guaranteed money. This is basically Saban’s argument that came out the past month saying that kids who are drafted in the third round (and therefore are on third round money for the next 4 years) would be bettered by staying and then being drafted in the 1st round.
 
They make money the more money their clients make. It would be short sighted for an agent to tell a kid to go immediately pro if staying in school would gain the player more guaranteed money. This is basically Saban’s argument that came out the past month saying that kids who are drafted in the third round (and therefore are on third round money for the next 4 years) would be bettered by staying and then being drafted in the 1st round.
edit ... I realized you're talking NFL draft ...

but you're proposing sweeping changes for all college basketball players, which could do more harm than good, and your focus is on the handful of 1st round selections each year. you must be on Condi Rice's staff. NCAA basketball isn't just about the Zion Williamson's of the world.
 
The real answer is to let the “one and done” players go straight to the pros. They aren’t helping the college game in any way. The NCAA does not need to create “special handling” for such players. The people that support the “one and done” are typically the ones that want the college game to be more like the NBA. If I want to watch NBA basketball, I can - It is called the NBA and it has a ton of games.
 
Agreed, native. Not sure why anyone should be limited in their choices. If you think you're good enough to go pro from high school, go! You'll either makes it or you won't. The free market system will play itself out.
 
The real answer is to let the “one and done” players go straight to the pros. They aren’t helping the college game in any way. The NCAA does not need to create “special handling” for such players. The people that support the “one and done” are typically the ones that want the college game to be more like the NBA. If I want to watch NBA basketball, I can - It is called the NBA and it has a ton of games.

They could make it like football where you have to play 3 years in college before you can declare. Or adopt Baseball's rule of having the option of being drafted as a high school player but if you decide to go to college you must stay until at least your Junior year.

I don't know why this is not that difficult to change to conform with how two other major sport leagues handle this. The one and done rule is just a farce on the whole reason collegiate sports exist. One and done players basically have to attend 1 semester of college.

I think the NBA would be better for it as well. As they would get more mature players (both skill wise and life wise).
 
I don't understand any restrictions. you're an adult coming out of high school. if a pro team wants you and you want to get paid, you should be able to go.

if a pro team wants you after your freshman year, you should be able to go.
or after your sophomore year. what's the possible argument against this?
 
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