In Reply to: Have the expectations of players changed in the NIL era? posted by ClockBlocker on April 16, 2026 at 14:42:25
Of course the expectations have changed.
NCAA basketball is a junior pro league. You need to let your wistful notions of being good teammates and "giving 100%" go. That's very last decade.
Players go where they can get paid the most, and in some cases, they go to a program like Duke or Kentucky or UNC with enormous visibility and promotional opportunities. Period.
It's increasingly rare to see a team that is truly "team first," so it's impressive to see it at UConn, for example. Hurley is thriving in the NIL era, arguably more so than any other coach.
Old-school, unimaginative, haughty coaches like Cronin are getting left in the dust, and many of them will be unemployed soon.