Pitino concerned for future of NCAA

[Halldan1]

Rick Pitino concerned for future of NCAA, St. John’s with ‘lack of rules’ in NIL era

Rick Pitino sounded the alarm for the future of college basketball, and St. John’s in particular.

nypost.com

By Zach Braziller

Rick Pitino sounded the alarm for the future of college basketball, and St. John’s in particular, after Saturday’s loss to No. 1 Connecticut, raising concerns about how difficult it is now in the Name, Image & Likeness and transfer portal era to build a program.

In discussing the state of the Johnnies after their fifth loss in six games, he went off on a tangent about the future.

“It’s our first year. Every first year I’ve had, I’ve never had a great team. But I will tell you, I am worried about it,” Pitino said after the 77-64 setback. “It’s very tough to build. So many football coaches are getting out, so many basketball coaches are getting out. It’s tough to build a program.

“You have to really innovate, get creative and understand these rules right now — or lack of rules.”

Upon taking over for Mike Anderson last March, Pitino remade the roster, keeping only Joel Soriano and Drissa Traore. He brought in five fifth-year players who will need to be replaced this offseason

“It’s a very difficult time in college basketball because it’s free agency and now I think what’s going to happen is [the NCAA is] going to say everybody can transfer,” Pitino said. “If they don’t like it, they’re going to take them to court. I think the NCAA enforcement staff should be disbanded, not because I dislike them, but they’re of no value at all.

“The enforcement staff needs to go away. We need to stop all the hypocrisy of NIL. Need to stop it because they can’t stop it. Whether I’m for or against it, it doesn’t matter.

“For us, we can’t really build programs and culture because everybody leaves. We did it with five fifth-year guys. They’re all going to leave and we need to replace them with new free agents.”

Saturday’s game was a sellout, St. John’s first since beating Villanova on Feb. 17, 2019.

St. John’s 3-point shooting continues to underwhelm.

It sank 4 of 14 attempts Saturday and has made 27.7 percent from long distance over the last six games.

 

[PJVegas]

So sad for Little Ricky. 😰

 

[HallGuy23]

So sad for Little Ricky. 😰

We’re in the same exact position….

 

[lloyde dobler]

Anyone else sick of the NY media making this guy out to be the conscience of college basketball?

When it comes to what he thinks, my view, to borrow from Seton75, is WGAS.

 

[hallwins]

He bought his entire roster. Kicked to the curb, players that had been in the program for years, over recruited the roster and now, because the results are not what he expected, he is whining about fairness. RIDICULOUS.

 

[Jerry1992]

He bought his entire roster. Kicked to the curb, players that had been in the program for years, over recruited the roster and now, because the results are not what he expected, he is whining about fairness. RIDICULOUS.

Agreed. He makes some good points but he should be last one complaining based on how he handled this years roster.

 

[shu09]

A master of distraction. Anything to take minds off of their fifth loss in six games.

 

[Piratz]

Pitino is always concerned with Pitino.

They should convert NIL to contracts. Formal commitments and duration.

 

[Gohall129]

He’s not wrong, but it’s amusing watching him complain about what he did for years

 

[shu09]

He’s not wrong, but it’s amusing watching him complain about what he did for years

I also saw Rick yell at an official about a call today. Back in Omaha, he said he considered that a form of cheating. LOL.

 

[CL82]

Agree, he's not wrong. It's even worse in football.

 

[Piratz]

I also saw Rick yell at an official about a call today. Back in Omaha, he said he considered that a form of cheating. LOL.

Terrific coach, terrific BSer.

 

[ivyhillparkk1963]

Sounds like he's justifying his resignation

 

[PJVegas]

“Used to be” a Terrific coach, “still” a terrific BSer.

“fixed” that for you. 😎

 

[hbkmyr]

Has Pitino ever gotten through a media session without a whoa is me rant?

 

[TheHall87]

Anyone else sick of the NY media making this guy out to be the conscience of college basketball?

When it comes to what he thinks, my view, to borrow from Seton75, is WGAS.

I think it's mainly his water carrier doing that. The Knicks being good has stubbed out what little relevance college basketball has retained in NYC for the time being.

As others have posted, I'd be more inclined to side with him if he didn't recruit a competitive team out of the transfer portal.

10 years ago he would have kept guys like Alexander and Addae-Wusu and whoever else he showed the door -- or if he did push them away would have had to try to find freshmen and JUCOs to replace them.

Look at what happened to Lavin after inheriting Norm Robert's players -- he had to start over in year two. Then he left after the second NCAA bid and left Mullin in the same hole.

 

[jack 1970]

Pitino is probably right but he's also telling SJU Alums that they need to pony up.He's not at UK oe LVille anymore.

 

[shupat08]

Man so many people here have Pitino Derangement Syndrome it's hilarious how triggered you all get.... 3 of the top 7 threads here about Pitino/StJ. 😂

His comments are 100% correct, btw.

 

[Hall Is Life]

Are we talking about the same coach who cut all but two players from last year’s roster? Or are we talking about the coach who used escorts to recruit players?

 

[hallgrad80]

Pitino no longer has the credibility he once had and his effort to become the spokesperson for the Big East among the coaches has not gained traction. He’s certainly no Jay Wright in that regard.

 

[hallball]

He's correct. The Big Ten - SEC getting together to "address" issues is a harbinger of things getting worse. Pitino's farewell to the infractions arm of the NCAA is too narrow in focus. Soon it will be farewell to the NCAA and hello to the P5 football world which will control all intercollegiate athletics that generate revenue. The non-revenue generating sports will be gone to the world of independent clubs.

So sad.

 

[Seton75]

Pitino should use his bully pulpit to get zack to help him shout it from the mountain tops, not use it to take minds off his team's loss. But of course he is right. NIL/P4P and free agency is madness. It will hurt us more than any other because we are a small school and we lack huge boosters and it seems to me our fans are not buying into the supporting so called NIL.

That Pru signs on with Rutgers is telling. FB rules. Even shitty FB. If the top FB schools fall out and make a new assn, how does the public handle it and how does it play out in hoops?

Is March Madness really so popular because of the st Peters type teams. Many non high D1 schools certainly are terrific in hoops. But does a tourney missing the biggest schools remain at the level of Madness. I never hoped I'd die before I get old but i am glad most of my life as a fan didn't have to deal with the incredibly weak decision making.

 

[shu67]

I'm not a fan of slick Rick but he makes good points and probably a lot of coaches feel the same.

 

[HallGuy23]

Pitino is always concerned with Pitino.

They should convert NIL to contracts. Formal commitments and duration.

It won’t be long.. it’ll start with the 5* recruits at first and then dwindle down to all the others. You think these boosters are going to keep throwing money at kids just to watch them underperform and then transfer after a year? Nope

 

[HallGuy23]

Pitino no longer has the credibility he once had and his effort to become the spokesperson for the Big East among the coaches has not gained traction. He’s certainly no Jay Wright in that regard.

Just say you don’t like him…. He obviously has the credibility. ESPN and the NY Post publish every word he says..

You think ESPN has an overwhelming need to cover St Johns otherwise?

 

[Seton75]

Click

 

[radecicco]

Only answer is some sort of CBA type arrangement. Anything else perceived as limiting players flexibility will be challenged in court.

 

[Hall91]

He’s got a big NIL donor there bankrolling their team. We are the ones who should be concerned.

 

[PJVegas]

Man so many people here have Pitino Derangement Syndrome it's hilarious how triggered you all get.... 3 of the top 7 threads here about Pitino/StJ. 😂

His comments are 100% correct, btw.

A broken clock gets the right time twice a day too. 🤣

 

[walshtrips]

Rick Pitino concerned for future of NCAA, St. John’s with ‘lack of rules’ in NIL era

Rick Pitino sounded the alarm for the future of college basketball, and St. John’s in particular.

nypost.com

By Zach Braziller

Rick Pitino sounded the alarm for the future of college basketball, and St. John’s in particular, after Saturday’s loss

Rick's preparing SJU fans for a huge letdown. Ringing the alarm bells is his way of placing the blame elsewhere.

 

[Piratz]

 

[Section112]

I like it! Numbers seem rich but if they can agree to a cap and make these kids employees we are on the right track.

 

[walshtrips]

View embedded media

$1.5MM to $2.0MM cap. Four times more than a G-League player makes and more than a NBA late first round draft pick makes. The cap would need to be lower to make sense for the small private schools.

 

[lloyde dobler]

$1.5MM to $2.0MM cap. Four times more than a G-League player makes and more than a NBA late first round draft pick makes. The cap would need to be lower to make sense for the small private schools.

I disagree … does there really need to be 362 (and growing D1) schools? If they can’t afford it, maybe they shouldn’t be D1. As it is, so many of them have elevated for a share of the revenue, but what have they contributed in return?

 

[chickenbox]

Sounds like Rick wants to go the Dartmouth model of having players be employees and unionize so they could enter into collective bargaining regarding his proposal.

 

[Halldan1]

Pitino says college basketball needs salary cap

St. John's coach Rick Pitino said the sport needs a salary cap and a new hierarchy to thrive after a ruling allows players to unionize.

www.espn.com

Rick Pitino says college basketball needs salary cap​

Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer

A day after a historic ruling that could change collegiate sports by allowing NCAA athletes to unionize, St. John's coach Rick Pitino said the sport needs a salary cap and a new hierarchy to thrive.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled Monday that Dartmouth men's basketball players, who had petitioned to be recognized by a local union, are employees of the school, a ruling that could allow NCAA athletes to unionize and negotiate work conditions, among other aspects of their employment.

Pitino tweeted Tuesday that the major conferences in college basketball should join forces and create a salary cap of up to $2 million. He did not specify if that number would include name, image and likeness payments or funding directly from schools.

"For basketball, have the Power 5 [and] Big East conference commissioners get together and create a salary cap between [$1.5 and $2 million]," Pitino tweeted. "All contracts delivered to the league and school offices."

While Pitino didn't suggest that the major conferences should split from the other schools, he said the cap should be different for those leagues.

"All other conferences establish their own salary cap," he tweeted. "I would never exclude anyone from the NCAA tournament. Obviously, football is a different sport entirely and some of their talent makes more than NFL players. More solutions to follow in the coming days."

After the NLRB ruling, Pitino joked that his players had asked to "work on their shooting," but he told them he didn't want them to exceed their hours for the week. The NCAA has been adamant that athletes are not employees.

Dartmouth can appeal the NLRB's ruling, but the decision is another potentially groundbreaking event in a stretch that has rapidly reshaped collegiate athletics. NCAA president Charlie Baker has called for a "new tier" of college sports for the richest schools, which could then pay their athletes an annual stipend through a trust fund. The Big Ten and SEC, the two richest conferences in college sports, recently created a joint committee to discuss the future of collegiate athletics. And multiple lawsuits in recent months have challenged NCAA rules on transfers and NIL deals.

"We all want solutions to preserve our great game," Pitino tweeted.

 

[SPK145]

$1.5MM to $2.0MM cap. Four times more than a G-League player makes and more than a NBA late first round draft pick makes. The cap would need to be lower to make sense for the small private schools.

That's not an individual cap, that's a program cap. Are caps legal if they are not tied to revenue and/or a collective bargaining agreement?

And the average G-League player makes well less than $100,000.

 

[Piratz]

Slick Rick coming in 🔥

 

[Section112]

Not a bad thing that Pitino is getting some press mentioning the BE with the Power 5 conferences in basketball in the same sentence. We belong and it's good someone is carrying the torch for the league. Without Jay Wright leading the BE coaching fraternity, he may not be the logical guy but he knows how to get eyeballs and reactions.

 

[Seton75]

Not a bad thing that Pitino is getting some press mentioning the BE with the Power 5 conferences in basketball in the same sentence. We belong and it's good someone is carrying the torch for the league. Without Jay Wright leading the BE coaching fraternity, he may not be the logical guy but he knows how to get eyeballs and reactions.

Like him or not no one in the league has his juice (source, get your mind out of the gutter, this is serious).

What he is saying sound like positive suggestions, Glad he is speaking up.