Young college athletes can finally look forward to the beginning of the basketball season. In a recent announcement, the NCAA Division I council gave the men’s and women’s seasons an official start date, November 25. There are still many rules in place, but ultimately, college basketball is going to get played this year after all.

After Thanksgiving

The plan from the NCAA Division I council is to have the basketball season for men and women resume as soon after Thanksgiving as possible. In fact, it starts the day after.

There were fears that college basketball wouldn’t be on the agenda this season with health concerns for student-athletes being the main issue. The idea of the November 25 start date comes with the knowledge that over 75% of Division I schools will have sent their students home following the fall semester.

Using The Time Wisely

Many of the general student population in Division I colleges are going to be at home for over a month through December and early January. That leaves a six-week window for the college basketball season to play as many games as possible.

Rule Changes

There are some changes to the rules for this unusual season, with the maximum number of games a team can play being reduced. Men’s teams will be allowed to play a maximum of 25 games, while women’s basketball teams have a max of 23, plus one multiple-team event, to qualify for the championships.

The minimum number of games any Division I team needs to qualify for the championships drops to 13 games, a reduction of 50%. There will also be no preseason scrimmage games allowed, with teams playing their first full games on day one.

It’s going to look a little different, but the 2020 NCAA basketball season will happen. The NCAA even has plans to host its championship tournament in March and April with 68 teams fighting for national glory.

The world we live in today is dynamic. Social media and crypto seemed to have democratized the two things that remained elusive: fame and money. Right now, college basketball is evolving with an impression unprecedented before, and the person leading the charge? Percy Miller, aka Master P. How, you may ask? Let’s find out. 

Depending on Daddy dear

Back in the day, Master P was a low-level basketball player and had a college scholarship. Today, his son, Hercy Miller, is considered a three-star guard and has received interest from solid basketball college programs before settling for Tennessee. But here’s what matters: He managed to get a $2.5 million endorsement deal because of his dad. 

One can argue that not every athlete would have a father to help them cut a deal. Not everyone is that that lucky. However, that does not take away anything from the deal’s significance, especially since Miller junior will attend an HBCU. 

Is it a fair world?

The question now is simple: If this is the new norm for college athletes, what kind of value would players like Chet Holmgren and Emoni Bates draw? It hardly seems fair for players who are talented but lack the connections. Though both of them have picked Gonzaga and Michigan state respectively, now their glass-ceiling for income may be shattered. Most of the international leagues and the G-League will have to gasp for cash to compete with that. 

Just ferry on the thought-train a little more and imagine what the NCAA tournament was worth to Baylor’s Johnny Juzang and Davion Mitchell. Don’t just stop at their possible NIL incomes. How have their profiles changed over the past few months of performance? The bottom line is, bringing NCAA fame and NIL rights together will bring forth many lucrative opportunities for athletes.