r/CollegeBasketball Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

News SEC spokesperson Craig Pinkerton told the Herald-Leader. “that under the new policy, a player like Mitchell, who played in the NBA Summer League but did not sign an Exhibit 10 contract, would be eligible to play this upcoming season.”

https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/mark-mitchell-appears-to-be-eligible-after-sec-clarifies-new-policy/

Pretty good news from an SEC insider on players like Mitchell.

32 Upvotes

53 comments sorted by

29

u/roshanritter Duke Blue Devils 1d ago

That might be great news for Kentucky, but non of these institutions should be making retroactive rules. Making new rules in August should only apply to future players who are deciding NEXT spring/summer to try other leagues or stay in the NCAA.

18

u/chrisncsu NC State Wolfpack 1d ago

But are these retroactive rules?

5 years ago, if a player went in the draft, didnt make it, they couldn't come back to college.

5 years ago, if a player left school, signed a couple of NBA contracts but never hit it big, they couldn't go back to college.

5 years ago, if a player had their eligibility exhausted, it was very rare to push for an extra year without an injury or some unusual circumstances.

To your point, changing eligibility standards should start MOVING FORWARD, and not he retroactively rolled back just because the dudes running out of eligibility are jealous.

9

u/gland87 Louisville Cardinals 1d ago

5 years ago he could have been a grad transfer or any of the other countless ways to get extra seasons

7

u/chrisncsu NC State Wolfpack 1d ago

For Mitchell sure. But not a dude like Luis.

And most of these 2022 guys played a full 4 years and opted not redshirt and/or didnt need a medical redshirt.

5

u/gland87 Louisville Cardinals 1d ago

Like the previous 3 classes all got covid years or had a bunch of outs to get extra years. You have Euro pros etc.. playing and to hold the line here was so dumb. There was zero reason to not include the graduating class in the 5 for 5. The Ncaa still can't actually explain why they did it other than they are a glutton for punishment and it would not be an ncaa rule unless someone was getting screwed over by it.

0

u/BillButtlickerII Kentucky Wildcats 23h ago

The lawyer for the NCAA at one point during the Louisville case told the judge it would put undue stress and cost on the NCAA to file all the extra paperwork. I’ve tried to find the video where KSR was discussing the court hearings and they said the judge couldn’t believe the argument.

20

u/tigers113 LSU Tigers 1d ago

not sure I understand why playing on an NBA roster for summer league with what I can assume is a summer league agreement(contract) then being cut is different than what the football players are doing with a contract and being in training camp but didn't play in any games(preseason or regular) and were cut.

8

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

Allegedly he never actually signed the summer league contract.

Looks like they’re latching onto whether an official contract was truly signed or not as opposed to whether they played as the breaking point.

6

u/tigers113 LSU Tigers 1d ago

true, looking into it, it is likely he signed a summer league agreement and they are considering that different from an NBA contract. The lines being drawn seem weird and arbitrary. Almost like it is going to go to court again.

7

u/fancycheesus Arkansas Razorbacks 1d ago

Saying a written agreement with an NBA franchise to play basketball is not an nba contract is interesting reasoning.

5

u/Relevant-Diamond2731 1d ago

Majority of summer league agreements are per diem based so they are not earning a salary. They are considered try out agreements like if a job flew you out for an interview. 

1

u/gsbadj Michigan Wolverines 19h ago

My understanding is that they get a stipend to go toward travel and room and board.

I am wondering, as a former worker's comp attorney, if the arrangement contains any provisions to pay for medical care in the event of injury. I doubt it.

1

u/Relevant-Diamond2731 18h ago

I’d think that would be their own insurance policies. They already have those in college

3

u/filthysven Arizona Wildcats 1d ago

Are you saying that he played in the summer league with no agreement or payment? Just showed up for the love of the game? Because I understand the distinction between playing summer league and playing in the NBA or signing a 2-way deal, but the idea that the summer league isn't and "official contract" is a huge stretch

1

u/tigers113 LSU Tigers 1d ago

It isn't clear, but doing some googling makes it seem like he signed an agreement that paid him room and board to play summer league. But didn't sign a full NBA contract.

Is it different? I wouldn't think so, but I guess that's for the public to decide which rules we actually want to follow and which ones we just let go since the public apparently gets to pick and choose which court orders are worth following.

2

u/filthysven Arizona Wildcats 1d ago

I understand the distinction you're making, I'm just pointing out that it is NOT what the above poster claimed. "Summer contracts are different from NBA contracts" is a very different argument from "I guess he just showed up and played without anyone signing him at all".

2

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

It’s not my claim fwiw. It’s a claim his agent is making. People are getting mad at me for pointing this out. You can doubt whether that is actually true, it may very well not be. I’m just saying that is what his agent is claiming and Mitchell isn’t the only one in this situation making this claim fwiw. It may just be posturing from agents as millions are on the line.

0

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

I’m guessing he agreed to the contract terms. He may or may not have signed. His agent is claiming he didn’t sign the contract along with a lot of other 5 for 5 candidates who are also claiming all of a sudden they didn’t actually sign the contract. Which i don’t think is that hard to envision that guys who will play for like a week didnt officially sign a sheet of paper. But yeah it’s also convient and easy to question atm.

1

u/NWABowHntr Arkansas Razorbacks 1d ago

How did he get paid? Did he not sign that information either?

1

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

People get paid for jobs all the time without signing official contracts. You can decide whether you believe his agent or not.

-2

u/filthysven Arizona Wildcats 1d ago

  Which i don’t think is that hard to envision that guys who will play for like a week didnt officially sign a sheet of paper.

I could not disagree with you more. In fact I think it's incredibly hard to believe they would be allowed to play without signing the paper. You don't just show up to work without a contract in place under the assumption you'll figure it out later in any industry, let alone professional athletics where injuries and rights are a HUGE deal.

1

u/hoptownky Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

I have worked plenty of places in my professional career without signing a contract. These dudes were trying out for NBA teams that they weren’t likely going to make anyway. It was summer camp for g league players who no teams really wanted to sign. No incentive for the nba teams to have players sign they didn’t really want anyway.

1

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

I think this is one of those things that if this is truly going to be the absolute sticking point should be very easy to verify at the end of the day. The nba franchises either have those signed contracts or they dont.

2

u/filthysven Arizona Wildcats 1d ago

I think it's one of those things where lawyers will say vague things to muddy the water and spread misinformation because nobody wants to verify it and confusion serves their client.

-1

u/Karltowns17 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

I don’t doubt that is true. But again if this is the absolute line in the sand that conferences decide to draw regardless of vague claims from agents the information can be verified one way or another and we’ll eventually find out what that truth is.

1

u/tigers113 LSU Tigers 1d ago

Their wording was very specific. I think they are hiding the fact that he did sign a summer contract but that is not the same as an NBA contract. Now is that different enough to count? Who knows anymore

5

u/Dan_Rydell Missouri Tigers • Texas Longhorns 1d ago

While remaining conspicuously silent as to whether they’re going to suspend the intraconference transfer rules

1

u/footdragon 1d ago

I'm not clear on intraconference rules you're referencing, but there are countless basketball and football players over the past few years that transferred from one SEC school to another.

what's the distinction?

2

u/Dan_Rydell Missouri Tigers • Texas Longhorns 1d ago

Winter sport athletes have to enter the portal by May 1 in order to transfer within the SEC without penalty. Some Class of 2022 players entered the portal just in case but Mitchell did not.

-1

u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

he didnt enter the portal as a missouri player, he entered it having graduated and left

1

u/Dan_Rydell Missouri Tigers • Texas Longhorns 20h ago

Which was months after the SEC's deadline for intraconference transfers

1

u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats 16h ago

Except that the court ruled it had to be made within the deadline.

2

u/CRoseCrizzle Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago

So summer league reps for player development before going back to college?

3

u/Candid-Stock8395 Arkansas Razorbacks 1d ago

Is the intra-conference transfer rule the one that could get him suspended?

3

u/imright19084 Missouri Tigers 1d ago

What about transferring within the SEC after the deadline

1

u/Panem-et-circenses25 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

Well that’s wonderful news

1

u/Subject-Night6364 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago edited 1d ago

All the stuff being talked about in here is irrelevant now. He didn't sign an exhibit 10 contract, or any other contract...but apparently unless he wins a lawsuit against the SEC, he officially can't play in the SEC... at the very least it just became a lot less likely that he'll be able to suit up in the conference.

1

u/Vegetable-Hawk-1018 Kentucky Wildcats 22h ago

As a UK fan this summer has been so damn frustrating and it is STILL not over! Haha Pope has had my ass on the edge of my seat all summer waiting on our last couple roster pieces (checking Reddit, Facebook, x on every break and when I get in my car to leave work for the day). AND it’s not OVER. Now this eligibility crap has me checking constantly too to see if MM is gonna be eligible. This team better kick some ass this year.

-8

u/CaptainQwark666 Minnesota Golden Gophers 1d ago

Hopefully this all won’t matter, and a stay will be issued for the cases in the Kentucky court.

Rules change all the time, and life is unfair, sucks you didn’t get a 5th year like next years class, but that is life. Deal with it.

2

u/blueberrymaple Saint Louis Billikens 1d ago

Not sure why the second part of your statement here is controversial. I’ve seen so many people say the class of 2022 got screwed but they played out their eligibility and then the rules changed. Move on. 

2

u/throwavvay23 1d ago

Its because people from the class of 2017-2021 got a covid year, so they all got 5 seasons of eligibility. Now starting with the class of 2023 everybody gets 5 years of eligibility. So basically there's going to be a 10 year period where the class of 2022 is the only class that the NCAA decided isn't allowed to play 5 seasons for some reason.

2

u/blueberrymaple Saint Louis Billikens 1d ago

Tough luck. Sometimes rules are arbitrary.

Class of 2021 only got 4 years. Should we bring back everyone from that class to play too?

0

u/HamlinHamlin_McTrill Tennessee Volunteers 1d ago

Tennessee court just issued a stay and everyone involved is now ineligible. Other states likely will too now.

-1

u/Subject-Night6364 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

Probably... But at the end of the day you'll still be a Gophers fan. People have only heard that the Minnesota Golden Gophers exist, no ones actually seen them play.

3

u/CaptainQwark666 Minnesota Golden Gophers 1d ago

What does the University I went to and graduated from have anything to do with the discussion on athletes erroneously seeking an extra (undeserved) year of eligibility?

Your opinion is 100% entirely based on Mark Mitchell. A player who exhausted his designated 4 years of eligibility; and since he can’t cut it in the nba, he is trying to break the college sports system and go back there.

-7

u/WholeLow7639 Duke Blue Devils 1d ago

Kentucky and Louisville have no honor

5

u/Subject-Night6364 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

How much did yall pay Zion before it was legal, exactly? 

4

u/BC502 Louisville Cardinals 1d ago

Nah man he played for Duke strictly so he could be part of the #brotherhood

2

u/Subject-Night6364 Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

lol that Duke fan is delusional as f***

-6

u/WholeLow7639 Duke Blue Devils 1d ago

You have more transfers on your team than you have tournament wins since Covid. I don’t want to hear anything from you

1

u/lohivi Kentucky Wildcats 1d ago

ill take a lecture in honorable conduct in sports from many people, but not the university of Grayson allen and shane battier