Basketball: Explaining draft-eligible players and NCAA-approved agents
The HillTopics connected with national basketball analyst Corey Evans, who gave insight on how NCAA-approved agents play a role in NBA Draft-eligible athletes.
The NCAA now allows college basketball players to test the NBA Draft and be represented by agents who are NCAA-approved. That representation allows college student-athletes to return to college if they choose not to stay in the draft but also experience life with an agent regarding important professional decisions.
Per the NCAA, athletes can be represented "by an NCAA-certified agent after they have requested an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee." SMU has two athletes who have declared for the NBA Draft in forwards Isiaha Mike and Feron Hunt, and while neither have agents currently, it is an option.
NCAA-approved agents will be even more important now that the NBA Draft Lottery and NBA Draft Combine, both scheduled for this month, reportedly have been indefinitely postponed because of COVID-19. To get more information on NCAA-approved agents, The HillTopics reached out to Corey Evans, national basketball analyst for Rivals.com, for a quick Q&A.
For those unaware, can you simply explain the new rule regarding the NCAA-approved agents?
For those that enter the draft, they can withdraw their names even after hiring an agent, as long as the agent is on the NCAA-certified list. If he's not, and an agent is hired, then the student-athlete is immediately entered into the draft and is not eligible to return to school for another season.
How does this change the game regarding draft-eligible entries, in your opinion?
It doesn't change a whole lot, honestly, outside of prospects getting the chance to go through the draft process without losing eligibility and being able to rely on someone like the agent and his or her vast background on mentoring someone through such a situation. In all, it just allows for better, more educated decisions by the prospect whenever it comes to keeping their name in the draft, or withdrawing.
What's the difference, if any, in the regular agents and NCAA-approved agents?
The only difference is that some agents actually took the NCAA mandated tests so that they could represent such student athletes. Others didn't feel they had a need to go through such a process, seeing that they have been representing draft potential prospects for years.
SMU has two names in the draft. What would be the protocol if they choose to stay in the draft ... and if they choose not to stay in the draft?
If they decide to stay in the draft and had already hired an agent, then they remain status quo. They've already completed all the proper work and will remain on track towards being drafted later this summer. As far as pulling their names from the draft, they must contact the proper powers that be and also break off all contact between themselves and the agent, if he or she was hired.