Associated Press

Will Wade’s work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college.

It wasn’t a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year’s draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years.

“Now you can play the long game a little bit more,” Wade told The Associated Press, referring to how college players can look at their futures. “Look, I can get paid the same I would get paid in the G League, the same I would get paid on a two-way (contract), some guys are getting first-round money.”

And more money is on the way.

It’s been four years since college athletes were permitted to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), opening the door for athlete compensation that was once forbidden by NCAA rules. Next week, on July 1, marks the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement.

For Wade, that led to signing Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams after 247sports’ fifth-ranked transfer withdrew from the draft.

“Basically now if you’re an early entry and you’re not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,” the new Wolfpack coach said.

It’s all part of a seismic change that has rippled through college athletics since the pandemic, its impact touching the NBA. Players willing to “test the waters” in the draft before returning to school now have a lucrative option to consider against uncertain pro prospects.

And it shows in the numbers.

“With all the money that’s being thrown around in NIL, you’re having a lot less players put their names in,” Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. “You’re having pretty good players pulling their names out.”

Declining number of early entrants

This year’s drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic’s aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an “early” entrant.

But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they’re now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL’s July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries.

As a result:

— Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA’s list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5);

— Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19;

— Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19;

— And only 46 remained, down from 77 in 2024 and 83.8 from 2016-19.

More college players weighing options

Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a “legitimate gamechanger.”

“Hopefully it allows players to decide what’s truly best for their game,” Scheyer told the AP. “It allows them to analyze: ‘Am I actually ready for this or not?’ Where money doesn’t have to be the deciding factor. Because if money’s the deciding factor, that’s why you see kids not stick. The NBA’s cutthroat. It just is.”

The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions.

Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft.

“There’s no substituting the money you’re going to make if you’re a top-15, top-20 pick,” said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. “But if you’re not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?”

College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool

Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too.

His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday’s second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality.

According to the NBA’s 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee.

A minimum first-year NBA salary? Roughly $1.2 million.

“These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,” Langdon said. “These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.”

Current NBA players offer insight

Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart Isaiah Hartenstein, who both played in the seven-game NBA Finals that ended Sunday, illustrate Langdon’s point.

They were back-to-back second-rounders in 2017 (Bryant at 42, Hartenstein at 43), pushed down a draft board featuring early-entry college players in 33 of the 41 picks before them.

Bryant played two college seasons at Indiana before stints with five NBA teams, including Denver’s 2023 championship squad. Would the ability to make college money have changed his journey?

“To be honest, I see it from both sides,” Bryant said. “If you’re not going to get drafted, you understand that a kid needs money to live in college and everything. So, I understand where they’re coming from on that end.

“But for me, I took the chance. I bet on myself, and I believed in myself, and I worked to the very end. And the thing about me is that if I went down, I was going down swinging. I hang my hat on that. For some, it might not be the same case.”

The American-born Hartenstein moved to Germany at 11 and played in Lithuania before being drafted. As he put it: “I think everyone’s journey is different.”

“I think you should have the right people around you to kind of guide you,” said Hartenstein, a newly minted NBA champion. “I mean, I was lucky that my dad, who was a professional before, kind of guided me. Depending on your circumstances, it’s hard to turn down guaranteed money. If there’s an opportunity to get in a good situation in the NBA, you do that. But it’s a hard decision.”

College now can be more of an allure

At N.C. State, Wade’s pitch to Williams included a leading role and a shot at boosting his draft stock.

The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.1 points with multiple big NCAA Tournament performances as the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight, nearly beating eventual champion Florida.

“He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would’ve gotten as a second-round pick,” Wade said, adding: “We certainly talked about that. We went over that. We went over the math of everything. We went over the plan on how to accomplish that.”

That’s not to say it’s easy at the college level in this new landscape. Roster management is tricky, including a balancing act of maintaining financial resources to potentially land one player while risking missing out on others.

“It’s the way life works, it’s the way it should work,” Wade said. “If there’s no risk, there’s no reward. The riskiest players, in terms of waiting on the money and waiting them out, are the best players. That’s why they’re in the draft process. We’re not going to be scared of that.”

Nor should he, not with the allure of campus life these days.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

The PWHL’s Sirens scored big with the top overall draft pick last year in Rookie of the Year shoo-in Sarah Fillier.

Now, after a second straight last-place finish and the hectic movement around the league’s expansion process, they’re back with the No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s draft. 

Unlike with Fillier, there is no consensus No. 1 pick this season. 

The conversation about the No. 1 pick revolves around three college standouts: Colgate forward Kristyna Kaltounkova, Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien and Clarkson defender Haley Winn. 

Other top prospects to watch include Nicole Gosling, Natalie Mlynkova and Rory Guilday.

When is the 2025 PWHL draft?

The 2025 PWHL draft takes place on Tuesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. ET in Ottawa, Ontario. The league’s eight teams, including the two expansion teams, will select 48 players during a six-round process. 

The Sirens are followed by the Boston Fleet, Toronto Scepters, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost. PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle participate in a random draw to determine their first-round order of selection. After the first round, the two expansion teams will alternate positions while the other six maintain their order.

In addition to the No. 1 pick, the Sirens have the No. 9, No. 17, No. 25, No. 33 and No. 41 picks. 

What’s the state of the Sirens roster?

The Sirens lost top goal-scorer Alex Carpenter and first-string goalie Corinne Schroeder to PWHL Seattle after leaving them unprotected in the exclusive signing window for expansion teams. Later Jessie Eldridge was selected by PWHL Seattle, with Gabby Rosenthal headed to PWHL Vancouver in the expansion draft. 

Since the expansion draft, New York has re-signed Taylor Girard, Lauren Bernard, Kayla Vespa and Savannah Norcross to one-year contracts. They also picked up Jincy Roese, an alternate captain for the Ottawa Charge for the last two seasons. 

Teams can continue signing players on expiring contracts and completing trades, which may include 2025 draft picks, until the signing period pauses on Friday, June 27 and re-opens on July 8.

Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust has expressed confidence in the back end with defenders such as Ella Shelton and Micah Zandee-Hart, who were protected from expansion teams along with Fillier. With this, an emphasis may be placed on drafting forwards to complement Fillier. 

Who could the Sirens pick at No. 1?

Kristyna Kaltounkova: The former Colgate forward is on paper a perfect pick for New York. Not only did she play at Colgate under current Siren’s head coach Greg Fargo, but she also comes with solid stats and international experience playing for her native Czech Republic. During the collegiate season, she ranked No. 6 in goals per game (0.70), and at Colgate holds the records for most goals in program history (111), most game-winning goals (19) and most power-play goals (37). 

“[Kaltounkova] is built for the PWHL game,” said Casey Ditzel, play-by-play announcer for Clarkson, Colgate’s rival in the ECAC. “She’s a big-body player, a physical forward that can dominate puck possession but also has 50-goal scorer capabilities. … She really dominated in college.”

Casey O’Brien: O’Brien is the reigning Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in college hockey. A three-time national champion and two-time First Team All-American with Wisconsin, O’Brien led the country with 88 points and 62 assists. 

Haley Winn: If the Sirens go defense, Winn figures to be the pick. The First Team All-American out of Clarkson can play both ends of the rink and ranked No. 7 nationally this past season in assists per game (0.84). She also helped the USA win gold at April’s World Championships.    

“I think Haley Winn is a generational talent,” Ditzel said. “She is a player that has a skill set that has not been seen very often or at all in women’s hockey. She has the skating ability to contend with forwards from a defensive position. She has a shot that Pierre McGuire touted as an NHL-caliber shot, which is something that’s never seen in women’s hockey. … A player who is likely going to wear the ‘C’ for Team USA in the future and is going to be the face of women’s hockey when we look down the road in 10 years.”

Who are some possibilities for the Sirens’ No. 9 pick? 

Michelle Karvinen: Under the radar compared to the draftees coming straight out of college, the 35-year-old Karvinen enters the draft as an established star in Europe. The forward is a three-time Olympic bronze medalist for Finland, a four-time SDHL Champion and a Russian League Champion. 

Jenna Buglioni: The forward was a two-time national champion and captain for the Buckeyes. She tallied 70 goals and 94 assists in her career while becoming the program record-holder for game-winning goals. She is small, though, coming in at 5-foot-3.

Nicole Gosling: Another stellar defender from Clarkson, Gosling is also a part of the Canadian national team. While unlikely to get out of the first round, she could be a steal at the No. 9 pick.  

“Gosling is a building block that’s going to be sturdy on the defensive end,” Ditzel said. “She showed over five years at Clarkson that she can play big minutes. She can take power play roles and penalty kills. She has the ability to run a blue line.”

Ella Huber: Minnesota standout Abbey Murphy elected not to enter the 2025 draft, but the Golden Gophers still have a solid prospect in Huber. Known for her hockey sense and skating, she was tied for No. 6 in the nation in assists and No.12 in points. 

What about a goalie for the Sirens?

After losing Schroeder, the Sirens may look to free agency to find a new No. 1 goalie. But they might add a developmental goalie in the later rounds of the draft to pair with the young Kayle Osborne, who remains on the roster. 

The Amarillo Wranglers have recently shared some exciting news over the past month naming Matt Hill as the new head coach of the Wranglers as well as adding a new NAHL3 team to the franchise.

President and owner of the NAHL Amarillo Wranglers Austin Sutter recently announced the acquisition of a North American 3 Hockey League team. The N3 (as it’s affectionately known) is a tier 3 junior league that is owned and operated by the North American Hockey League. The West Texas Wranglers will play all of their home games at the Amarillo Ice Ranch with a few opportunities at the Budweiser Bullpen. 

Long time Amarillo native and hometown hockey player Brit Brookes will be the general manager of the organization. Brookes brings a litany of executive experience as he was working behind the scenes for the Amarillo Wranglers as a scout and in various executive roles. Brookes’ extensive playing history in our community and his complete understanding of what is needed to succeed in the Amarillo ADI will only enhance and compliment this new organization.

Austin Sutter, President of the Amarillo Wranglers, was recently announced as the head coach of the WTX Wranglers. Sutter’s coaching history in our community is legendary and is certain to bring a competitive advantage to this startup organization. 

Not only will this team help the Amarillo Wranglers as a farming system, it will also provide next level hockey opportunities for local and regional players. Recently the WTX Wranglers held a camp with over 50 players in attendance. These players came from all over the region, including Amarillo, Odessa, as well as New Mexico, Oklahoma, etc. Homegrown hockey players are making an impact as we are now seeing local players drafted in both the NAHL and NA3L.

For decades Amarillo has been a destination spot for world class hockey players. Now it is becoming a developmental spot for world class hockey players as our home-grown players now have accessibility to world class coaching, facilities, and some of the best hockey fans in the country. As Timbuk 3 used to sing “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.”

Michael Hill has been hired as the new Head Coach of the Amarillo Wranglers. Previously the Associate Head Coach for the Shreveport Mud Bugs, Hill will take over the head coaching duties for the Wranglers in the 25/26 hockey season and beyond. Hill will be the fifth coach in four seasons for the Amarillo Wranglers franchise. With a wealth of North American hockey League coaching/playing experience, Hill is considered a “hot prospect” within the junior league hockey coaching space. 

He began his NAHL career with the Wichita Falls Wildcats as a shooting sniper. He also played two seasons for the Topeka Roadrunners and was involved in one of the most controversial fisticuffs that occurred at the Budweiser Bullpen between the Amarillo Bulls and the Roadrunners. He played his college hockey at Saint Norbert College. He had a brief stint in the professional ranks playing in the ECHL and SPHL.

Hill began his coaching career with the Texas Junior Brahmas, GM and head coach in the North American 3 Hockey League (a tier 3 Junior league). He also acted as the Lone Star Brahmas strength and conditioning coach. His NAHL coaching journey began with 3 seasons as an assistant coach for the Aberdeen Wings, winning a Robertson Cup. Most recently, coach Hill held the position of Associate Head Coach with the Shreveport Mudbugs for the last 3 seasons.

I asked Coach Hill what type of a team can we expect for the 25/26 season? He answered succinctly and in a concise manner by saying “A very structured team that’s going to be battling at every second of the game.” He went on to say that the blue-collar style of hockey would be on full display.

The volatility in the head coaching position with the Amarillo Wranglers has been quantifiable. With the experience, attitude and Texas swagger that coach Hill represents, this volatility should subside. The future looks extremely bright for the Amarillo Wranglers with this coaching hire.

Former Wranglers head coach Cory Wogtech and assistant coach Ryan Seavy in what is being described as a “mutual agreement” have parted ways with the Amarillo Wranglers. 

Please listen for Tommy Tee‘s weekly recap of the Amarillo Wranglers hockey on the “Drive at Five” with Lance Lahnert every Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. exclusively on 102.9 FM the Panhandle Sports Star. 

In terms of culture shock, Greg Cronin is in for a doozy, going from the sunshine, beaches and traffic of Southern California to the relatively quiet winter weather and flat landscape of Des Moines, Iowa.

But on the hockey rink, the new head coach of the Iowa Wild — Minnesota’s top minor league team — should feel right at home. On Monday, the Wild made it official, naming Cronin, 62, their new head coach after he was dismissed from his NHL job running the Anaheim Ducks shortly after the regular season’s conclusion.

Originally from Massachusetts, with a background in college hockey and with USA Hockey, Cronin coached the Ducks for the past two seasons and led them to their most successful campaign in nearly a decade but failed to produce a playoff entry.

“We are thrilled to have a coach of Greg’s caliber behind the bench in Iowa,” Iowa Wild general manager Matt Hendricks said in a statement. “He brings a thorough, detail-oriented approach and an extremely high understanding of the game of hockey. With (his) extensive background in player development and a proven track record of leading winning organizations, we are excited to bring Greg’s passion for coaching to our organization.”

The Iowa gig will be Cronin’s third stint as an AHL head coach, having previously guided the top developmental teams for the New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche. He was an Islanders assistant coach for nine seasons, and spent a year as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well.

The change in Des Moines comes after Brett McLean was named an assistant coach on the staff that Adam Foote is putting together since being named the new head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. McLean, 48, had spent the previous eight seasons as a member of the Wild organization, coaching Iowa to a 27-37-6-2 record last season. They finished sixth in the AHL’s Central Division and missed the playoffs in a year where the NHL club was routinely calling up players because of injuries.

The Iowa Wild have been Minnesota’s AHL team since 2013, when the franchise relocated the Houston Aeros to Des Moines. They play in the 15,000-seat Wells Fargo Arena in downtown.