Sharing Coach K’s Skeptical Views on Lucrative NIL Deals, Veteran NCAA Coach Drops Harsh Truth Bomb: “It’s Off the Rails”

Published 11/09/2023, 9:31 AM EST

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A collective concern is casting shadow on the college basketball circuit. Already many coaches have raised their voices about it. And now, a retired court marshal has joined the bandwagon. The reaction came a month after Duke’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski aka Coach K pointed out the lack of effective leadership in college basketball. The genesis of this growing grouse lies in NIL deals.

The usual concept of ‘Pay-for-Play’ has been sucked out of college basketball ever since the NIL deals have been considered. That’s why Coach K pressed upon the concept of a free market and how it’s creating confusion and the absence of rules in a crystal manner. A celebrated college coach doesn’t dispute the doyen’s declaration.

Veteran NCAA Coach Endorses Coach K’s NIL Take

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On NIL deals, veteran NCAA Coach Josh Pastner has minced no words, “NIL is really pay for play. It’s gone past what it was supposed to mean. The theory of NIL was great… But now it’s taken a whole new turn. It’s all about recruiting. It’s all on the front end. And it’s off the rails.”

The theory of NIL has taken a 180-degree turn from where it started. Coach Pastner stated that it has bounced from the back end to the front. Basically, the deals were stretched out to athletes performing well in their game and having established themselves well-known to the world, so brands would ask them to make a quick social media post to endorse their products.

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But amid this din, college stars like Angel Reese and Bronny James are already making a massive moolah from these deals.

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Narrowing down to the specifics, Angel Reese’s NIL valuation in totality is around $1.6 million, which is the sixth-highest among college athletes. However, topping the list is Bronny James, who has an NIL valuation of $5.9 million.

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Coach K in a recent discussion in Field of 68 gave some pretty skeptical remarks on the NILs, stating, “Look, it’s pretty much pay-for-play right now. They don’t want to say that, but it is. More power to them. But how is it equitable? In the NBA, and NFL, they all have the same rules, they have a salary cap. Can that ever be done in college?”

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Written by:

Dimple Gupta

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Dimple is an NBA content writer at EssentiallySports. She has always been a sports-oriented person, and grew up with a strong interest towards basketball. More than playing, it's also about understanding the sport as a whole.
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Edited by:

Bilal Handoo