Associated Press

Stanley Borden, the final basketball player still in college to have played for Mike Krzyzewski, has announced he is transferring to UTSA from Duke.

The 7-foot Borden was a walk-on for the Blue Devils, joining the team in 2021 — the last of the Hall of Fame coach’s career. He stayed for four years and despite not getting on the court much at all, he had fond memories of his time under Coach K.

“Everything that everyone has heard or said in terms of aura and energy is all there,” Borden said Thursday in a phone interview from Istanbul, where his family lives. “He jokes a lot and cusses a lot and you never knew if he was joking or being serious. Learning from the best as an 18- or 19-year-old at the end of his career was something I’ll never forget.”

Borden had one year of eligibility left after he didn’t play his junior year because of injuries to his elbow in the preseason and a finger that needed to be re-attached after a weight room accident. He wanted to find a school that he could play at in his final season of college basketball so he entered the portal.

“I was talking to a bunch of schools late in the process and many of them were starting their summer workouts right now,” said Borden, who had a few dozen schools interested in him. “There’s opportunity to compete for time and also develop. They want to help you get better and make you a better player.”

He played in three games for the Blue Devils this past season, grabbing a rebound and blocking a shot. He’s still looking for his first points in college, having played in five games total during his career at Duke. Still, he learned a lot in his time at the school where he earned a degree in computer science and played with some of the best players in the country at practice every day.

“Being around Dereck Lively II, Paolo Banchero, Cooper Flag as well as other great college players made me immensely better,” Borden said.

Despite not playing, Borden was a glue guy on the team and fan favorite. He made a name for himself as a sophomore when he wowed the Cameron Crazies during their midnight madness-type event. He walked onto the stage in sunglasses and a trench coat which he opened to reveal a saxophone. Borden borrowed the instrument, which he learned to play when he was younger, from the marching band. He put on a show much to the delight of the crowd and his teammates. The performance went viral.

Borden said he didn’t know if UTSA had any kind of opening event to start basketball season, but he’d be happy to come up with another musical number if the school did.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Remember when college basketball felt like a stepping stone that elite prospects couldn’t wait to skip? Those days are officially over, and the shift has been more dramatic than watching your favorite streaming service suddenly become unwatchable after they raised their prices for the third time this year.

The numbers don’t lie, and they’re telling a fascinating story about how college hoops clawed its way back to the top of the NBA development food chain. We’re talking about a complete reversal of fortune that has international players flying halfway around the world to play in places like Provo, Utah, instead of staying in prestigious European leagues.

Egor Demin’s journey perfectly captures this seismic shift. Picture this: A talented 19-year-old guard from Moscow deciding to leave Real Madrid – one of Europe’s most prestigious basketball organizations – to play for BYU, a school he’d never even visited. That’s like turning down a guaranteed spot at a five-star restaurant to try a food truck you heard about on social media. Crazy? Maybe. But it’s working.

The numbers tell an incredible comeback story

Let’s break down what’s really happening here, because the statistics are absolutely mind-blowing. Between 2015 and 2022, college basketball was cruising along with an average of 12 players from the top 14 lottery picks. Nothing too crazy there – college was doing its job as the primary pipeline to the NBA.

But then something weird happened. The past two drafts combined featured only 17 college players in the entire lottery. That’s not a slight dip – that’s a cliff dive. International leagues, Overtime Elite, and the G League Ignite were suddenly eating college basketball’s lunch, and it looked like the traditional college route might become obsolete.

This year changes everything. ESPN projects 12 college basketball players will get picked in the lottery, which would tie for the second-most since 2015. That’s not just a recovery – it’s a complete resurrection of college basketball’s dominance in NBA development.

What makes this comeback even more impressive is the diversity of talent flowing through college programs. You’ve got Duke’s Cooper Flagg representing the classic one-and-done route, Colorado State’s Nique Clifford as a fifth-year senior proving experience matters, and BYU’s Demin showing how international players can thrive in the college environment.

NIL money changed the entire game

Here’s where things get really interesting: Name, Image, and Likeness deals didn’t just give college players some spending money – they completely revolutionized the entire development landscape. When programs started offering million-dollar packages to elite prospects, suddenly college basketball wasn’t just competing with international leagues; it was outbidding them.

Demin’s situation is the perfect example. BYU didn’t just offer him great coaching and development – they backed it up with a seven-figure NIL package that made the financial decision easy. When you can get paid like a professional while still experiencing March Madness and building your draft stock, why would you choose anything else?

The ripple effects have been enormous. The G League Ignite program? Gone. Overtime Elite? They’ve shifted focus to high school players because they can’t compete with college NIL deals. International teams are watching their best young prospects get poached by American universities offering better money and clearer paths to the NBA.

One NBA agent summed it up perfectly: Most kids would prefer to go to college and play in March Madness if all things are equal financially. Well, guess what? Things are now more than equal – college programs are often offering more money than alternative development paths.

Programs are becoming NBA laboratories

The real genius behind college basketball’s resurgence isn’t just the money – it’s how smart programs have completely transformed their operations to mirror professional franchises. BYU’s Kevin Young didn’t just hire a bunch of assistants; he created an entire ecosystem designed to prepare players for the NBA.

We’re talking about everything from nutrition programs and analytics staffs to workout regimens and film study sessions that replicate what players will experience in the pros. Young brought his brother on as general manager, hired multiple assistants with NBA or G League experience, and built a support system that gives players a legitimate head start on their professional careers.

Illinois has become another fascinating case study. Coach Brad Underwood has sent every type of prospect to the NBA – from international players like Kasparas Jakucionis to transfers like Terrence Shannon Jr. to homegrown talents like Ayo Dosunmu. The common thread? They all bought into a professional culture that prepared them for the next level.

The attention to detail has become incredible. Tennessee’s Rick Barnes talks about teaching players where to stand during timeouts because NBA scouts are watching their body language and engagement. That’s the kind of comprehensive development that alternative programs simply can’t match.

International players are choosing American campuses

Perhaps the most shocking development is how college basketball has become attractive to elite international prospects who previously would have stayed in European leagues. Jakucionis left FC Barcelona for Illinois. Demin abandoned Real Madrid for BYU. These aren’t small programs poaching unknown players – these are major European clubs losing their best young talents to American universities.

The adjustment period is real, though. Demin talked about adapting to American basketball’s physicality and pace, which is significantly different from the European style. But that’s exactly why college has become so valuable – it’s the perfect bridge between international basketball and the NBA.

Programs have also figured out ways to work around NIL complications for international players. While the rules are more complex for foreign students, creative athletic departments have found loopholes that allow them to offer competitive packages. When you combine that financial incentive with superior development resources and March Madness exposure, the choice becomes obvious.

Veterans are getting respect again

One of the most interesting aspects of college basketball’s resurgence is how NBA teams are rediscovering the value of experienced, mature players. During the height of the one-and-done era, being 22 years old as a draft prospect was considered ancient. Now it’s seen as an advantage.

The new collective bargaining agreement has created financial incentives for teams to draft older, more polished players who can contribute immediately rather than expensive young prospects who need years of development. Second-round picks can now be signed to deals that make them attractive options for teams looking to add depth without breaking the bank.

Darrion Williams from NC State represents this trend perfectly. He could have declared for the draft last year but chose to return to college for another season of development. His reasoning? He wanted to work with coaches who had NBA experience and could help him address specific weaknesses that scouts had identified.

The blue bloods are losing their monopoly

Here’s where the story gets really fascinating: The traditional powerhouse programs aren’t dominating this resurgence. Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA might not have a single first-round pick for the first time since 2004. That’s absolutely stunning when you consider how these schools used to monopolize top-tier talent.

Instead, prospects are choosing programs based on fit, development resources, and coaching staff experience rather than brand recognition. Players want to know they’ll get playing time, work with coaches who understand the NBA, and have access to the same kind of training and analytics that professional teams use.

This shift has created opportunities for programs that might not have the traditional prestige but can offer superior development environments. BYU, Illinois, NC State, and other schools are landing elite prospects because they’ve invested in the infrastructure needed to prepare players for professional basketball.

Looking ahead at the new landscape

The transformation of college basketball into the premier NBA development option represents more than just a cyclical change – it’s a fundamental shift in how elite prospects approach their careers. When you can earn significant money, play in front of massive audiences, and receive professional-level training all while getting a college education, the value proposition becomes irresistible.

Programs that embrace this new reality and continue investing in NBA-level infrastructure will continue attracting the best talent. Those that try to operate the old way will find themselves left behind as prospects choose schools that offer comprehensive professional development rather than just traditional college experiences.

The G League and international alternatives will still exist, but they’ll be fighting for scraps rather than competing for the top prospects. College basketball has reclaimed its throne, and it’s not giving it up anytime soon. The combination of NIL money, professional-level development, and March Madness exposure has created a package that alternative paths simply can’t match.

For players like Demin, who took a massive gamble by leaving Real Madrid for BYU, the payoff has been everything he hoped for and more. His journey from Moscow to Provo to potentially the NBA lottery represents the new reality of basketball development – one where college campuses have become the most attractive destinations for prospects with professional dreams.

In a landmark moment in college athletics, one university has filed suit against another for the poaching of a college football player under contract.

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective filed a complaint in state circuit court on Friday against the University of Miami over alleged tortious interference, according to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports.

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In a first-of-its-kind and, perhaps, a precedent-setting move, Wisconsin is seeking unspecified damages, transparency and accountability from Miami for allegedly interfering with a binding revenue-share contract between Wisconsin and Xavier Lucas, a former defensive back who left the program in January to compete at Miami. It was a groundbreaking decision in which Lucas transferred without entering the portal (it had already closed) and after signing the contract with the Badgers.

The lawsuit details what transpired in the winter among the three parties: Wisconsin, Miami and Lucas. Wisconsin claims that Miami communicated with Lucas despite knowing he had entered a contract with the school, something it terms as “intentional” interference that “was not justified or privileged” and caused Lucas to “breach” his contract.

“Miami interfered with UW-Madison’s relationship with Student-Athlete A (Lucas) by making impermissible contact with him and engaging in tampering,” the suit says.

Wisconsin released a statement to Yahoo Sports on Friday, saying that it “reluctantly” filed the suit and that it is “committed to ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.” The university is not bringing legal action against Lucas.

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The Big Ten Conference is supporting the suit against Miami.

“We stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement said. “In addition to our legal acton, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.”

The case is poised to set precedent in the ability for schools to enforce tampering clauses within revenue-sharing agreements that were contingent on the House settlement’s passage. The settlement, the mechanism introducing athlete revenue sharing, was approved June 6.

Over the last several months, dozens of schools have signed players to revenue-share deals contingent on the settlement’s approval. Universities are intending these rev-share contracts to be binding documents that eliminate tampering and slow transfer movement.

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The suit strikes at the heart of one of the festering issues within the industry: schools tampering and, ultimately, poaching athletes from other programs. While against NCAA rules, the enforcement of tampering has drawn little to no action from NCAA investigators who are hamstrung by court orders.

However, inside this new world of college sports, contracts stand to prevent such behavior by including specific clauses. Tortious interference describes the act of interfering with a person or entity that signed a binding agreement.

Wisconsin and Lucas struck a two-year revenue-share agreement that, like all of them, was set to begin July 1, the first date that schools can begin directly compensating athletes. Because of the agreement, Wisconsin refused to enter Lucas’ name into the portal after he requested a transfer.

A freshman last season, Lucas withdrew from classes and enrolled academically at Miami in January — a move to skirt NCAA rules requiring athletes to enter the portal to communicate with another school. Lucas enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester but was reclassified to Spring 2025.

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Lucas’ attorney, Darren Heitner, told Yahoo Sports in January that he planned to file an antitrust lawsuit against Wisconsin if Lucas was unable to complete his move to Miami. He accused Wisconsin of blatantly violating NCAA rules by not inserting Lucas’ name into the portal as he requested and questioning the legality of the NCAA’s transfer portal in general.

The revenue-share agreement, a Big Ten-issued template form, binds Lucas — and all players who sign — to that specific school and grants that school a player’s non-exclusive rights to use and market their name, image and likeness. The agreement prohibits the player’s rights to be used by any other school while permitting him or her to sign outside marking agreements, according to those familiar with the template.

Lucas, who signed last year as a four star-rated high school prospect from South Florida, played in 11 games with 18 tackles in 2024. He requested a transfer after learning while home over the holidays that his father suffered a “serious, life-threatening illness,” Heitner told Yahoo Sports in January.

Lucas’ move, though not a first, shined a more public light on the enforceability of the transfer portal. In a statement to Yahoo Sports in January, the NCAA said, “NCAA rules do not prevent a student-athlete from unenrolling from an institution, enrolling at a new institution and competing immediately” — an expected but jarring statement for those within the industry.

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In order to transfer, a player is required to submit a transfer request inside the designated transfer portal window for his or her sport. Entering the portal is necessary as it then permits schools to contact and communicate with players. Schools are prohibited from communicating with those not in the portal as they risk violating NCAA rules related to tampering.

At the time, this was the first known public dispute between a player and school related to a revenue-share contract. As part of the NCAA and power conferences’ landmark settlement of the House antitrust case, schools are permitted to share millions in revenue with their athletes starting July 1. The revenue-share agreements are contingent on the settlement’s approval — a key clause that could make the contract unenforceable, some legal experts claim.

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The NCAA’s transfer rules have been in the crosshairs for years now.

The association, a voluntary membership group where school leaders make the rules, has made significant changes over the years to provide athletes with more freedom of movement, some of them a result of court decisions.

For instance, a judge in the case “Ohio v. NCAA” prohibited the NCAA from enforcing a long-standing rule that required athletes to sit a year before playing at their new school.

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of possible portal changes ahead. A group of power conference administrators are exploring ways to eliminate one of the two portal windows.

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Syracuse University basketball player who worked recently for Sean “Diddy” Combs as a personal assistant testified at the music mogul’s sex trafficking trial on Friday that Combs got “extremely creative” when he was on drugs.

Brendan Paul, 26, was arrested last year at a Miami airport with cocaine he says belonged to Combs, and he testified with immunity about what it was like working for the hip-hop entrepreneur for a year and a half. Paul was arrested in March 2024 — the same day federal agents conducted multiple searches related to the Combs’ investigation.

Prosecutors are winding down their case after six weeks of testimony from an array of witnesses ranging from ex-girlfriends and former employees to male sex workers and the rapper Kid Cudi. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, even made a surprise appearance at the courthouse.

The prosecution seeks to convince the jury that Combs oversaw a sprawling racketeering enterprise for two decades that relied on obedience by employees willing to do anything for him, including buying drugs when necessary.

Defense lawyers say Combs did not commit federal crimes, although they acknowledge that prosecutors have exposed domestic violence during the trial. After pleading not guilty following his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel, Combs has been held without bail at a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

Prosecutors were expected to rest their case by Monday. A defense presentation is expected to last from two to five days.

Paul said he bought drugs for Combs between five and 10 times, spending up to $500 for drugs including cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana.

He said he only did drugs with Combs once, when Combs asked him to try “tusi,” also known as pink cocaine, to see if it was good.

Paul said he did so because he “wanted to prove my loyalty” and said he thought it was good.

“We continued on with our night,” he told Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavic.

Paul said that prior to his arrest, he had forgotten about the cocaine after collecting it while “sweeping” Combs’ room that morning and had accidentally left it in a bag he carried as he prepared to go on vacation with Combs and other aides. The charges were dismissed after Paul completed a pretrial diversion program.

Under questioning by defense attorney Brian Steel, Paul said his “heart dropped” when he realized that there was cocaine in a travel bag after telling officers at the airport that everything in the bag belonged to him.

Steel asked Paul if Combs was generally happy and didn’t hurt anyone when he was on drugs.

“He got extremely creative,” Paul responded.

At another point, Steel asked the witness: “You would not work for a criminal, would you?”

“Absolutely not,” Paul responded.

Slavic, though, elicited Paul’s mixed feelings about Combs when the prosecutor asked him just before he finished his testimony: “Sitting here today, how do you feel about Mr. Combs?”

“It’s complicated,” he answered.

Paul, originally from Cleveland, was a 6-foot-2 guard who walked on at Syracuse University and came off the bench in 16 games over two seasons, playing a total of 17 minutes and scored just 3 points. He later transferred to lower-tier Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he played for two more seasons.

Arkansas head coach John Calipari made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday afternoon and covered a wide array of topics in the 10-minute segment. Some of the discussion revolved around Calipari-coached players and the upcoming NBA Draft, but the Hall of Fame coach was also asked to give his thoughts on the current college landscape.

Calipari has never been shy when it comes to sharing his opinions on recent changes to college athletics, especially when it comes to the transfer portal or NIL. McAfee had three-time champion and 20-year NBA veteran forward Udonis Haslem on the show, and Haslem asked Calipari about the money aspect with recruiting and building rosters today. In his response, Calipari offered a familiar “humble brag” about his approach.

“There will be coaches that would pay more than I would be willing to pay,” Calipari said. “But I’m telling kids, ‘You don’t wanna trip over nickels trying to get to 200 million. And you pick the right school. Don’t let it overwhelm you with the money. Can I throw a humble brag out there? My guys have made $6 billion in the NBA. So, when I say that, if you’re willing to take an extra $800,000 to go (into the portal), and you’re telling me you wan to be a pro, have at it.

“I don’t begrudge anybody. DeMarcus Cousins told me back in the day, he said, ‘What should I do? Should I put my name in the draft?’ I said, ‘If you wanna do what’s right for you and your family, you put your name in that draft. If you wanna do what’s right for me and my family? Why don’t you stay here?”And so this thing, I just wish they could not transfer.” 

Calipari explained that he agrees it’s important for players to be able transfer at least once or twice. He cited coaches lying to players with tantalizing promises of playing time, role and usage to land a commitment, without any plans to actually follow through on those promises. 

In those cases, Calipari is completely fine with players having the ability to move on. However, when players are jumping to a different team every year, that’s when he believes it starts to cross a line. Both Calipari and McAfee agreed it tends to set a bad precedent and example for players. 

“I understand once or twice without penalty, but after that, don’t tell me, ‘Well, we’d get sued.’ A kid transferred four times,” Calipari said. “One, it’s not good for him. Two, he has no chance academically to do anything, and I think we’re still academic institutions. Take it to court. You can win that. But if we get that in order, I think the NIL stuff would be fine.”

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