As word of college basketball’s deepening scandal spread Friday like an infectious disease, it became inevitable for many who love the sport to ponder, along with its problems, its value and its future.
It occurred to me to ask some of those who love the sport, who’ve expressed that affection for college basketball in exchanges with me through Twitter, what they think should be next for the game. It was a simple assignment, to answer this question...
What do you want college basketball to be?
MORE: Latest news, reactions from FBI investigation
Many of their answers revealed how deep these passions run, how long they’ve been burning, and why the resolution of college basketball’s current issues does matter. These are the thoughts they shared with Sporting News.
From Doug Smith, a Cincinnati fan
What really bothers me about the game today is the relationship between administrations and coaches. It seemed — and I may be looking back with rose-colored glasses — coaches and schools were one and the same when I was growing up in the 80's and 90's.
But today, coaches are ready to jump for dollars being dangled by the same institutions that will fire them the first time they go .500. There is no loyalty, patience or commitment at all. In fact, the only commitment is the complete lack of commitment by both parties. All the while, kids are required to "commit" to a college and coach while still in high school. They are asked to "commit" to a weightlifting program. To "commit" to playing defense. To "commit" to their teammates. And the parties demanding these commitments have no commitment to anyone or anything outside of money.
From Chris Lengquist, a Kansas fan
I want college basketball to be what it is, and that is best version of the game. And I want college basketball to get how it treats the athlete right this next go-around.
I'm not one that demeans the value of a college education and the experiences these kids share for the rest of their lives. I think for most athletes that will continue to be a very fair trade. That said, it is time to allow these athletes to have the same freedoms any other student has, and that is to market themselves and, if need be, to seek out and receive counsel from someone they trust or someone they pay to look after their best interests.
MORE: Attorney responds to report about Arizona's Deandre Ayton
It is increasingly difficult to enjoy the game while trying to ignore the lack of integrity one suspects is going on, quite probably at nearly every school in the Power Five conferences. I want to be proud of my school and know "my" coach isn't lying to me. I really feel for Arizona fans right now. I would be both embarrassed and angry.
From Angi Forsythe, a Kentucky fan
Growing up in Kentucky, loving basketball was not really optional for me. My whole family would watch games. Talk about the Twin Towers during Sunday lunch was a mandatory. It was fun for us. We watched Bowie, Turpin, Hardin and Walker dominate. On my walls hung pictures of my idols — except they weren’t rock stars or actors. They were Kentucky players.
Life was hard as a military brat, even harder as a kid in a divorced home being raised by a single mother. A dad who I rarely saw was growing more distant. There were times dad and I had quiet moments in the car. I learned one way for the conversation to start: Talk Kentucky basketball. Basketball helped save my relationship with my dad. Basketball gave me an escape from being alone a lot of my youth.
Basketball allowed me to see the greatness of young athletes pushing themselves to the limit for their school. Basketball allowed me to be inspired by players who rallied from injuries. Basketball allowed me to see a state show up in the thousands at the airport when their team lost in the Elite Eight. I learned that day that it was never really about wins and losses. It was about pride in your state.
BENDER: Big-time programs left with "to play or not to play" question
College basketball needs to inspire our youth. For a young girl that would never see millions in the NBA, it still had a profound impact on my life. You don’t have to dream to play it for it to be effective in your life. College basketball needs to be about the student-athlete who can be looked up to by the fans. The kids can look at the players for inspiration and pride.
College basketball needs to be [a place] where a community of people can lay down their differences and unite for a period of time. I have seen liberal and conservatives hug each other and cry as their team went to the elusive Final Four for the first time in 13 years. That’s what college basketball should be.
From Sean Kroger, a Kentucky fan
I would like to take college basketball back to the days of the early to mid-80’s, when coaches stayed at a school for 8-10 years, and players like David Robinson, Steve Alford and Kenny Walker stayed four years and actually wanted to get a degree and then go chase their dreams. A time when freshmen had time to develop and didn’t feel like a failure if they stayed after a year. A time when your blue-bloods dominated the landscape, but an Ed Pinckney-led Villanova team knocked off "Hoya Paranoia." When referees didn’t try to steal the spotlight in crucial matchups with overemphasizing a charge or turning their backs to a player looking for an explanation.
Hometown Kentucky kids like Rex Chapman playing for their home state school — don’t get me wrong: I love players like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and what they brought to UK, but their six-month layover had me trying to figure out who the next crop of kids coming in were.
I want the shoe companies to still be here but not to have the stranglehold they have on a program and its coaches — allowing shady runners on the campus and in the gyms soliciting kids so mom and dad can get a nice payday. There are too many AAU teams and events; these kids play year-round and have their lives turned upside down by people trying to squeeze into their circle.
MORE: NCAA has to know problems if it wants to try fixing them
Amateurism no longer exist in today’s game. Let the players use their likenesses to profit from while in college. Go to any bookstore and you’ll see the star player’s jersey for each team for sale. Allow them to get loans based on future potential earnings so they don’t feel like they have to leave or the money won’t be there next year.
Let the kids transfer without sitting out a year since the coach that sat in their living room promised he’d take care of their son, but all of a sudden, he’s accepted a bigger payday, and in most cases, the kids are lucky to get a text saying goodbye. Let’s make the sport fun again before everyone had their handout and do right by the ones that are making it succeed: the players.
Mark Johnson, a Memphis fan
I first started following the Tigers when I discovered Jack Eaton on the radio doing Tiger basketball game broadcasts at night, and I would listen in bed. We were awful under Moe Iba, and "Big Jack" was the biggest homer of all time. I didn't care that we were awful; it sounded magical on the radio, and I loved my Tigers.
I went to every basketball and football game from 1975-2015, when I became disillusioned with the athletic department. I consider myself a very knowledgeable college basketball fan. The biggest single thing wrong with college basketball right now is no one knows the players on high-major teams. The second thing is the revenue disparity — despite non-Power Five schools overachieving.
MORE: Shaq's son Shareef O'Neal decommits from Arizona amid scandal
Here's is what I would like to see — very radical, but it would double college basketball TV ratings, in my opinion.
1. High school seniors have a choice: Go to college for four years or until you graduate, or go overseas, NBA G league or straight to the NBA. College basketball is being used by the NBA to its detriment. Let it not be a one-year layover on the way to NBA. When fans begin to see the same players on their teams for 3-4 years, they can identify with their own team and their rivals.
We might miss out seeing some truly great players under this scenario, but at least we will know and see good players develop into great players instead of sitting at the end of a lowly NBA team’s bench or the G League team. I have gotten to the point that I only watch a few games each week because I only know a few players. ESPN sells the coach as the main attraction. Most fans don't tune in to watch the coach.
2. There has to be more equal sharing of revenue, because all the metrics are biased towards Power Five schools. I think we are missing the middle of the pack conferences, those rated 6-10. Those conferences usually have a sizable basketball budget, and I think revenue sharing should resemble the NFL for the top 10 conferences in basketball. It could possibly be based on NCAA Tournament history for the past 25 years and given to the conference they are currently in.
3. The NCAA and its members do a horrible job scheduling TV games during the regular season. Do as college football does and cover nearly every day of the week and have many more flex games so the great games are spread out more.
From @SalimsHeadband, an Arizona fan
I want the sport to be honest and fair to the athletes. If that means paying them, pay them. If that means using the Olympic model, so be it. The current system is classist, arguably racist, perpetuated and defended — ironically — by capitalists who have made themselves very rich doing very little.
Allow the players to earn a living and the black market disappears. Let the free market decide.
From Dan Cellitti, a Marquette fan
When I think about what I want college hoops to look like, true amateurism is the first thought that comes to mind. I consider myself a basketball purist, and I appreciate the authenticity and spontaneity which the college game provides today. Where's the fun in watching NBA players make every open look? Seeing a college player brick an open 15-footer makes the sport great.
If one-and-dones are going to exist, I can live with that. However, with the amount of revenue coming in now, there are greater risks to that amateurism than ever before. Something needs to be done to mitigate it, and I don't know the right answer. I'd like the archaic rules around free meals and travel for family removed. I'd like the penalties for taking money to have a substantial impact on the teams and individuals that facilitate it.
Overall, I just want college players to be committed to their team and to care about winning a national championship just as much as getting an NBA contract. Lastly, although their significance has declined greatly with conference realignment, it's imperative for mid-majors and Cinderellas to stay relevant. Their inclusion in the tourney is what makes college basketball truly unique, and it's a large reason why non-sports fans are attracted to March Madness.
