The institution of college basketball is in a rough place right now, as more and more information has come out regarding the FBI’s investigation into the more nefarious aspects of the game. Namely, the FBI’s investigation has focused on money in the sport from sneaker companies and how it can play an influence in recruiting.
It has also led to a widspread discussion about amateurism and whether players who help schools generate millions upon millions of dollars should get a cut. Plus there’s been a conversation about how the way basketball currently works in America lends itself to something like this, as high schoolers essentially must go to college for one year before heading to the NBA, so someone is theoretically going to pay them.
This has apparently gotten Australia’s National Basketball League, which famously offered current Thunder rookie Terrance Ferguson an alternative before the 2017 NBA Draft, thinking about offering an alternative to highly-regarded prospects who’d rather get paid legally. ESPN brings word of the “Next Stars” program, which the NBL recently launched to attract players.
After benefiting from the exposure of helping Ferguson reach the NBA, the NBL has formalized a rule that should make it much easier for future prospects in his mold to forgo college and develop in Australia instead. As part of its new “Next Stars” program, the NBL will be adding an extra roster spot next season intended strictly for draft-eligible players such as Ferguson, the league told ESPN. Sources told ESPN those players will be paid 100,000 Australian dollars gross guaranteed (approximately $78,000 U.S.), funded directly by the league.
There have been plenty of highly-regarded prospects who have played abroad instead of spending a year in college — Ferguson is the most recent, but guys like Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings also looked to foreign leagues. The difference is that the NBL is straight up advertising itself as an alternative to the NCAA in this scenario, which we haven’t seen anywhere outside of the league LaVar Ball claims he is starting.
The current stateside alternative to playing collegiately, going to the G League, isn’t exactly appealing, as ESPN notes salaries there are between $19,500 to $26,000. NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman told ESPN why he believes this is such an appealing opportunity to those with NBA aspirations, saying the NBL will deal directly with players and that “we will make sure the players get the development they need as part of the program with our clubs, giving them the best chance of success.”
If the NCAA has to go through impactful reforms and the one-and-done policy isn’t changed so players can skip college hoops, this could be an interesting alternative. Who knows if the NBL’s new program will ever become a more viable path — it’s certainly fair to wonder whether a program that makes American players go halfway around the earth to a place without much fanfare will work — but it’s certainly ambitious.
