The New Overtime Elite League Is Not Fucking Around - Already Signed 4 Different 5-Star Players, Deals Expected To Top Seven Figures
This isn't a death to the NCAA or anything like that because as I've always said. We cheer for laundry. It doesn't matter the players as much as we always cheer for laundry. But here's the thing. This has to be a wakeup call to the NCAA to pass name, image and likeness. You have four guys, pretty weird they are both twins, who are five stars, top-25 recruits deciding to pass college. Not a big number sure, but it's a growing number each passing year. More and more people are willing to pass college, especially if the Ignite guys don't lose draft stock this coming year.
I blogged about this Overtime Elite League a month ago or so, but here's essentially what's going on (h/t 247):
Overtime, a multimedia sports company, is planning to launch a semi-professional basketball league that will provide compensation for high school basketball prospects, multiple sources tell 247Sports. The expectation is that Overtime will announce the league this month with the goal to begin competition September of 2021, sources told 247Sports.
The aim of the league is to field up to eight teams of the top high school basketball prospects in the country with the vision of providing a new preps-to-pro alternative — with salaries expected to be well within the six-figure range, per sources. Upon graduating, the next step for these prospects would likely be for the G League or other overseas opportunities.
It is currently unclear as to how this will impact college eligibility but the prevalence of club basketball teams competing during the high school basketball season due to COVID-19 restrictions has created an interest in this type of environment.
The prospects competing in this league are expected to no longer attend their local high schools or participate in scholastic events but to compete on the Overtime Select league while receiving coaching and training from former NBA athletes, coaches and trainers and academically receiving non-traditional education.
We still don't know what's going to happen with the NBA getting rid of the rule that you have to be removed from high school for a year. But if they get rid of that, this league actually has a chance to make a ton of sense. They are getting 'non-traditional' education which means they should in theory have a degree. They also are getting coached by people who were in the NBA. Remember, this is their job. To go a little bit like Cardale Jones, why not go to school for basketball? That's what your career is going to be, it makes sense to start learning about the training, the financials, building a brand, etc.
And now we're seeing it pay off so far for Overtime Elite. Landing four top-25 guys as your first four signings is huge. Also the fact that Woj is reporting the two-year deal is expected to top 7 figures? Uh, how do you pass that up if you're goal is to play in the NBA? That's a damn promising deal.
Like I said, this isn't death to the NCAA or anything like that. They are going to get a ton of prospects obviously. They will be just fine. But the point is this. Why wouldn't we want to see the best players in college basketball? What's the argument against that? Let these guys get paid whatever people dictate their name, image and likeness are worth. Again, the whole thing I want is to keep seeing the best players in college basketball. The sport is better with guys like Anthony Davis, Zion, Cade Cunningham, etc. Let's not take any risk in losing those guys until the NBA changes its draft rules.