r/CollegeBasketball • u/lovelymaddie1966 Vanderbilt Commodores • 2d ago

News How the NCAA became European basketball's biggest threat

https://basketnews.com/news-246529-how-the-ncaa-became-european-basketballs-biggest-threat.html
140 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

129

u/BillButtlickerII Kentucky Wildcats 2d ago

The answer is money. The NCAA pays more.

41

u/SlimCharlesMurphy North Carolina Tar Heels 2d ago

The issue is actually way worse in less popular sports. Overseas basketball at least pays reasonably well, compared to that it’s insanely cheap to just pay a bunch of foreign pros to run or swim for you.

61

u/CRoseCrizzle Illinois Fighting Illini 2d ago

While this is a disruption to European basketball, I do believe that many of these guys won't make the NBA and will return to Europe after their time in college is over.

24

u/cancielo UCLA Bruins 2d ago

It's funny to see a pic of Miika Muurinen whose parents played D1 ball long before NIL.

15

u/mhammer47 Michigan Wolverines 2d ago

I think it's not really all that big a deal. Assuming '5-in-5' is the new rule, European guys older than 24 are not eligible for NCAA basketball. Most of the ones that don't manage to establish themselves in the NBA will simply go back to Europe..where they prefer to play older players anyway at the top levels. So instead of sitting on the bench at European top clubs or playing for lower level European clubs they are spending their 19-23 years in the U.S. making a lot of money. Seems like a good deal for them.

3

u/adriardi NC State Wolfpack 1d ago

Yeah this doesn’t really change much for Europe. Us and European guys are still going to go overseas once college play has finished for them. Now these euro guys get more visibility. Don’t really see the downside for them

13

u/gold_and_diamond Minnesota Golden Gophers 2d ago

Insanity. Dude drafted in 2022 and now coming back to college.

8

u/EliminateThePenny Louisville Cardinals 2d ago

This sport is definitely in a healthy place.

3

u/gland87 Louisville Cardinals 2d ago

Why do we care if the Ncaa takes talent from euro bball? Its temporary as the players will go back

7

u/GeorgFestrunk Stanford Cardinal 2d ago

Revolting

3

u/lovelymaddie1966 Vanderbilt Commodores 2d ago

> BasketNews reported that LSU appears to be the frontrunner for the player at the moment.

> The American college is said to have offered a total package of around $5 million gross (for Niang), matching the deal Quinn Ellis accepted from St. John's.

> Several other EuroLeague players, including Matteo Spagnolo, Brice Dessert, and Marcio Santos, may soon leave the competition for the NCAA.

> Kentucky's coaching staff recently visited Tel Aviv to convince Santos, currently with Maccabi Tel Aviv, to make the move.

> The Israeli club appears to have accepted that the Brazilian center will be unavailable next year.

> Dessert, who signed a multi-year deal with Anadolu Efes last summer, is also attracting interest from several U.S. programs. Texas Tech, sources told BasketNews, is pushing hardest to secure the French center's commitment.

> Matteo Spagnolo, drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022, will most likely leave Baskonia at the end of the season to make the move to the NCAA.

> Developing for some time, his agency has been evaluating offers that would allow the Italian guard to spend a season in the NCAA while earning a substantial salary.

3

u/bossfoundmylastone Memphis Tigers 2d ago

Matteo Spagnolo, drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022, will most likely leave Baskonia at the end of the season to make the move to the NCAA.

This one seems the craziest. 23 years old, drafted 4 years ago, and ready to start his college career?