College Headlines
NBA Prospect Walker Makes Debut for Gators
On Tuesday night, Billy Donovan unleashed Chris Walker, the much-hyped, potential month-and-done NBA prospect. The freshman had finally gained clearance from the men and women behind the curtain in Indianapolis to compete after missing the first semester due to academic issues.
Walker wasn’t the best player on the floor during his debut in No. 3 Florida’s 68-58 win over Missouri in Gainesville. But he helped. And if he continues to progress, the addition could be significant for a Florida team that can compete for the national championship without him.
He didn’t force things. He tried to blend in — as much as one who hovers above the cylinder can realistically blend. He caught a few lobs. He blocked a few shots. But he essentially watched his teammates maintain Florida’s spot atop the SEC and extend its winning streak to 14 games from the bench.
The NCAA adopted a sweeping series of policy and rules changes Wednesday that it hopes will clean up college basketball, which has been engulfed by an FBI investigation and other corruption over the past two years.
Among the significant changes that were adopted by the NCAA’s board of governors and Division I board of directors are allowing elite high school basketball recruits and college players to be represented by agents who are certified by the NCAA; allowing eligible underclassmen to enter the NBA draft and return to school if undrafted; introducing more rigorous certification requirements for summer amateur basketball events; and imposing longer postseason bans, suspensions and increased recruiting restrictions for coaches who break rules.
“These changes will promote integrity in the game, strengthen accountability and prioritize the interest of student-athletes over every other factor,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “We remain committed to promoting fairness in college sports and creating an environment that will champion the success of student-athletes.”
Source: Mark Schlabach of ESPN
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association’s conversations on eliminating the one-and-done entry rule have centered on lowering the minimum age requirement no sooner than the 2020 draft, league sources told ESPN.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts have discussed scenarios to end the requirement for American players to wait one year after high school graduation to enter the NBA draft, but no formal agreement could be reached before the NBPA’s executive committee, including president Chris Paul, gather for a meeting at the end of the NBA playoffs in June.
Silver and Roberts have both expressed a desire to change the rule, but it remains to be seen how the process of negotiating a rule change between the league and players will unfold.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN
DEAR SPARTAN NATION…
DEAR SPARTAN NATION…❤ pic.twitter.com/iZaijMnfL0
— Jaren Jackson Jr. (@therealjnari_) April 2, 2018
Source: Jaren Jackson Jr. on Twitter
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