As we head into the fall season, popular winter sports are beginning to emerge, one of which is collegiate basketball. College teams all across the nation are jumping into preseason routines and prepping for a strenuous season ahead. This year, the collegiate basketball scene may be vastly different due to the newly added NIL (name, image, and likeness) policy, giving popular players a chance to profit from their popularity.
Furthermore, this season will likely be one of the most entertaining ones we have ever seen yet due to some of the powerhouse programs that have received some of the nation’s highest-ranked high school recruits. The Memphis Tigers collegiate basketball team led by Penny Hardaway received six nationally ranked recruits, including Emoni Bates and Jalen Duran. Bates and Duran are both the first and second-ranked recruits in the nation. The Memphis Tigers aren’t the only program with scary-looking rosters; Gonzaga, Tennessee, Duke, and LSU are also among the schools with extremely highly rated basketball recruits on their current rosters. That said, most of these players will go through with the “One and Done” college experience, meaning they are only enrolled for one year of collegiate play and then move on to professional leagues such as the NBA, G League, etc.
Popular players from last year’s NCAA season, and more specifically its highly coveted March Madness tournament, have already found themselves on professional rosters or have returned as seasoned veterans to their collegiate team. Players like Josh Christopher, Jalen Green, Cade Cunningham, and Davion Mitchell are on NBA rosters taking on challenging roles, trying to learn the ropes of the NBA. Others like Drew Timme and UCLA standout Johnny Juzang are returning to their teams with their sights on the National Championship. The national start date for the 2021-2022 season is November 25th, this year’s college basketball scene will be something we have never seen before.