Ummmm what?!? How do they make a pull like this:
Chicago State
- Thread starter lunker35
- Start date
Odd situation and I haven't seen an explanation of it yet. They were 5-stars as sophomores and were among the first to go to Overtime Elite, earning 7 figures for a two-year contract. So, professionals, right? Wouldn't that burn their college eligibility? Apparently Chicago State found a loophole, but nobody has reported on what that is. Also, how did two 5-stars drop to the point where Chicago State is their best option? Sure, there's an AAU tie there, but players like this have relationships with lots of coaches all over the country at national programs. So did they underperform in a garbage league?
I am also confused as to how these kids, paid professional basketball players for the last couple of years, can still have ncaa eligibility. It looks like maybe they have paperwork that pretends the salaries and "scholarships".
Perhaps I’m reading your last sentence wrong, but Overtime Elite seems on its way to become a legit way to the NBA. The Thompsons went 4 and 5 in the NBA draft earlier this summer.
Maybe they weren’t paid *salaries*, they were just Overtime Elite NIL endorsers. Or maybe they were only paid in TikTok followers.
My meaning is that the quality of play is not good, from what I've seen. I'm not sure the Thompsons were particularly challenged. Maybe I'll be proven wrong--won't be the first time--but they might well have made it to the NBA without OTE. The Bewleys were really high-profile signings, put two years in, and were eligible for the draft (I think). So there's that.
Every article I read about the Bewleys said they were paid a salary--$500K per year for two years. NIL revenue sharing is reportedly part of all deals. It's possible that was BS and that they went OTE's scholarship route instead, which allows players to keep their eligibility and receive $100K to support financing school. I don't know how this option squares with NCAA regs, and maybe OTE's compliance officer didn't know either and they were just winging it.
So maybe the Bewleys were stuck with nowhere to go and decided to give college a try. And maybe a lot of major programs felt that the NCAA would rule them ineligible so why bother offering, while Chicago State said LOL why not, what do we have to lose?
It's a lot of maybes. I'd be interested to learn more.
Agreed. They were like top 10 players in the class of 2023 two years ago and now they’re not even in the top 150. What happened? That is a crazy drop. Based on stats, they did fine at Overtime Elite. It’s odd.
I believe once players leave high schools or prep schools, they may still get star ratings but no longer are included in rankings for their high school graduation year.
Remember the good ol days of college hoops in Chicago - the 80s - when DePaul, Loyola, UIC, Northern, and even us (for one year anyway) were all really good at the same time? That included Chicago State. I forget which year, must have been early 80s, right before good ol Bob Halberg left Chicago State for UIC.... but Halberg went on quite a run with Chicago State and in their best year they went 28-2 and got snubbed by both the NCAA and NIT. That's when Halberg bolted for UIC, and Chicago State went into the toilet for decades. I'll never forget that.
Boy, that shows you what can happen with memories over a long time. I coulda sworn....
I rarely side with the NCAA but will in this case, seems like they got paid a salary and are now trying to say "actually it was NIL!"