Connect with us

NIL

Why RJ Gave Up Millions From NIL to Stay in the NBA Draft

After RJ Luis Jr., the second-team All-American college basketball player from St. John’s University, put his name in the transfer portal in late March, the offers came pouring in. Luis, a 6-ft. 7-in. junior, was the top player in the transfer market, and according to his camp, he received starting offers in the $3 million […]

Published

on


After RJ Luis Jr., the second-team All-American college basketball player from St. John’s University, put his name in the transfer portal in late March, the offers came pouring in. Luis, a 6-ft. 7-in. junior, was the top player in the transfer market, and according to his camp, he received starting offers in the $3 million to $4 million range to play for Kansas, Arkansas, North Carolina, Indiana, and other top programs. 

Before the NCAA began allowing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) four years ago, staying in college was considered a financial risk for basketball prospects. Any injuries suffered in school could imperil future professional earnings. Now, however, athletes can earn seven figures a season through sponsorship deals with third parties and pooled booster funds from a school’s alumni and fan base, known as collectives. And on June 6, a federal judge approved a court settlement that cleared the way for schools to directly compensate athletes themselves, rubber-stamping the end of amateurism in big-time college sports. For many players these days, it makes more sense to return to campus for a guaranteed payday. 

Especially for a player like Luis, who unlike, say, the consensus No. 1 pick Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, is by no means a top NBA prospect guaranteed to make more than $3 million in his rookie season. Luis’ final college game—a 3 for 17 shooting nightmare in a second-round NCAA tournament loss to Arkansas that, in a controversial decision by St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, ended with Luis on the bench—did his draft stock no favors. In fact, some mock boards don’t have Luis being drafted at all.

And yet on May 28 Luis’ agent revealed that he would be going against the 2025 athletic grain and staying in the NBA draft, which he had entered in March as well. To many, this decision came as a surprise. He turned down the transfer-portal offers, giving up those riches–Indiana and North Carolina declined to comment; Kansas and Arkansas did not reply by press time–and if he doesn’t get drafted, he can’t go back to college. But Luis insists it’s the right move.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a risk,” says Luis, 22, on June 11 from Charlotte, before conducting a workout with the Hornets, who currently have the fourth, 33rd, and 34th picks in the draft (the first round will take place on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while the second round unfolds the next day). “If I do what I have to do in the NBA, then I can make even way more money than that. So it’s not even about the money. Because if it was, I would have gone back to college. But it’s just trying to set myself up for the future, to be honest. I think I had an amazing year. What better time would it be to go to the next level and pursue my dreams of playing in the NBA?”

In other words, Luis is taking a gamble on himself. 

“That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life,” says Luis. “I’ve had countless people telling me what my limitations are. But I end up passing their expectations. So yeah, I’d say I’m betting on myself. I’ll always take me, 100%.” 

“You’ve gotta set up your plan, man, and stick with your plan,” says Reggie Charles Luis, RJ’s dad, who played professionally overseas in 10 different countries, including the Dominican Republic, Spain, Argentina, North Macedonia, and Germany. “And that’s what we’re doing.”

Luis grew up in Miami, where his mother Verito Luis, who worked at a community center, insisted he sample a variety of sports: soccer, basketball, tennis, baseball, karate. A self-described late bloomer, RJ Luis says he didn’t start taking basketball all that seriously until the summer after 10th grade, when he earned a spot on the Dominican Republic’s under-17 national team for a tournament in Puerto Rico, featuring teams from Central America and the Caribbean. Coming out of high school, he had offers from only a couple of lower-level Division 1 schools. He did a post-grad year at a prep school and earned a scholarship to UMass, a mid-major whose coach, Frank Martin, is known for his intensity. “I learned how to play some defense,” Luis says. 

After a productive freshman season for the Minutemen in 2022-2023, Luis leaped at the chance to transfer to St. John’s, located in the New York City borough of Queens, to play for Pitino, the Hall of Famer who had just taken over the program. “I’ve heard a lot of coaches say they work out their guys all the time,” says Luis. “To actually see Coach Pitino keep his word and actually do it, I was very intrigued.”

Injuries slowed him his sophomore season. Luis fractured his hand in preseason, and shin splints in both legs limited his practice time. “I was just very out of rhythm,” says Luis. Soon after the season—St. John’s failed to make the NCAA tournament—he underwent shin surgery and spent some three to four months in recovery. “The first month and a half, I couldn’t walk,” says Luis. “My dad actually had to carry me everywhere. I was in a wheelchair. It was pretty bad.” 

Once he could move about, Luis spent time in the summer working with his father trying to remove a hitch in his shot. The practice paid off. His junior season was spectacular. Luis improved his three-point shooting and led St. John’s to its first Big East regular-season title in 40 years and its first conference tournament championship since 2000. He was named Big East Player of the Year. 

Even more important than the individual accolades, Luis, Pitino—the national coach of the year—and the Red Storm revived a former national power that had been stagnating, in the media capital of the world no less, for decades. St. John’s packed Madison Square Garden throughout February and March. The Tonight Show featured the team.

So the early NCAA tournament exit was devastating, especially for the Red Storm’s long-suffering fans. St. John’s was seeded No. 2, in the West region: Arkansas, the 10-seed, upset the Red Storm 75-66, on March 22, in the second round. Luis had struggled throughout the game, but with 4:56 left, he made a pair of free throws to cut Arkansas’ lead to two, 64-62. Sometimes, seeing the ball go through the basket, even on foul shots, can help a shooter’s confidence. 

“That’s what my mind-set was,” says Luis. “Knocked these two free throws down. Cut it to a one-possession game, try to slow down myself. And, you know, anything can happen in five minutes. This is college basketball.” 

Instead, Pitino subbed out Luis after the second shot. And incredibly, he never put his All-American back in. 

The decision was especially baffling because it’s not like anyone else on St. John’s was making shots in Luis’ stead: the team finished the game shooting 2 for 22 from three-point range. “I was just shocked and just confused,” says Luis. “I was just trying to stay as calm as possible and not do anything or make it worse.” 

Luis had expected Pitino to give him a pep talk and put him right back in the game. After all, coaching players up is his job. “He’s done it before,” says Luis. “There have been other games where he’s spoken to me. Obviously I couldn’t make a shot. But the whole team, we were just off. Nobody could make a basket. So I don’t know.” But as the minutes ticked away, it became apparent that Luis’ incredible season was going to end with him as a bench spectator. 

Pitino has defended his choice. “It was the right move because of where he was mentally,” Pitino said on the VICE TV docuseries Pitino: Red Storm Rising, adding, “He was forcing shots, and it was affecting the rest of his game … 100% the right decision, not playing RJ Luis in that game, 100%.” 

Luis says he hasn’t spoken to Pitino since early April, around the time Luis informed him he was putting his hat in the NBA draft ring, while entering the transfer portal as a backup plan in case he changed his mind. While Luis, naturally, disagrees with Pitino’s decision to bench him, he declines to knock his former coach. “Just trying to take the high road and just end it on good terms,” says Luis, who tells TIME that if he had decided to stay in college, he would have returned to St. John’s. By putting his name in the portal, he was just keeping all options open. 

Meanwhile, Pitino has publicly touted Luis’ potential. “He’s going to be a great pro,” Pitino said before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees game in the Bronx in early June. 

When asked if the benching hurt his draft prospects, Luis pauses for seven seconds to consider his answer. “I mean, it probably just brought up those ‘what ifs,’” says Luis. “Not necessarily hurt, just trying to figure out, like, what did he do to get put in that position?”

Luis, who hopes to be the first Ecuadorian-American to play in the NBA—his mom was born in Ecuador, his dad in the Dominican Republic—has worked out for about a dozen teams over the past month or so: he says he’s performed best in front of the Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Detroit Pistons, and the Orlando Magic. He’s blocking out the mock draft boards that have all NBA teams passing on him. “All that stuff is speculation,” he says. “In the past, we’ve seen a bunch of guys, where they have them at a certain number, and they end up not even close to where they’re supposed to be. So I’m really just controlling what I can control.” 

He says teams tell him he’s likely to be a late first-round or early second-round selection. He believes he’s worthy of a first-round status. “One hundred percent,”  says Luis. “My game is more applicable to the NBA. Just the spacing and the speed of the game. I’m still working on my three-point shot, but I’m not worried about that. I know I’m going to get that down.” 

His message to NBA GMs who pass on drafting him: “They’re missing out,” he says. “And they’re going to have to face me one day.” And for all the hoops fans who think he’s making the wrong decision by going pro now and not cashing in on one more year of college? “Thank you for all the support,” he says. “Do not worry about me.” 



Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NIL

College athletics the way it was meant to be still exists at Barton

When he was named head football coach at the University of North Carolina, seven-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick proudly proclaimed that the Tar Heels would become the “NFL’s 33rd team.” It’s been reported that former Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg earned upwards of $28 million in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation and endorsements […]

Published

on


When he was named head football coach at the University of North Carolina, seven-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick proudly proclaimed that the Tar Heels would become the “NFL’s 33rd team.”

It’s been reported that former Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg earned upwards of $28 million in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation and endorsements during his one year with the Blue Devils.

And new N.C. State basketball coach Will Wade was investigated and subsequently fired for allegedly paying players during his time at LSU. With no trace of irony, his ability to pay players and construct a winning roster, primarily through the transfer portal, was cited as the primary reason for his hire by the Wolfpack.

To quote the famous line from Bob Dylan: “The times they are a-changin’.”

The NCAA that most of us know is virtually unrecognizable now. Terms like NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment and House settlement have forever altered the landscape of college sports. There is no question that we are looking at the professionalization of college football and basketball at the Division I level. The term “student-athlete” is nothing but a quaint reminder from the past, and the reality is that most football and basketball players are now more employees than students, and the whole enterprise has become transactional.

NIL legislation started with good intentions a few years ago. Student-athletes should be compensated for their name, image and likeness, especially now that college athletics has become a multi-billion-dollar business. However, NIL is a misnomer, as there were few guardrails put in place by the NCAA, and it quickly evolved into a recruiting inducement and pay-for-play system. To be clear, I don’t begrudge the athletes who are capitalizing; I wish NIL had been around in the 80’s when I played basketball at William & Mary. Back then, I was thrilled with an occasional post-game sandwich and maybe a pitcher of beer!

This new era of college sports is still wildly popular. Stadiums remain full, TV ratings go up every year and donors are spending millions to help build championship-caliber rosters. There is a never-ending chase for more money, and increased spending. And like many of you, I remain a fan and am still captivated by the College Football Playoff and March Madness (both of which are looking to expand, by the way).

I believe strongly in the power of sports to lift people up, to teach valuable lessons and forge lasting relationships. I know it because I lived it as a college basketball player and coach, and now as an athletic director. I know that coaches are educators, leaders, role models and mentors. I know the incredible value that a college degree holds, and the way it can impact a family for generations.

At Barton College, we approach athletics from a transformational standpoint, not a transactional one. We offer life-changing opportunities to our 700 student-athletes, and our focus is guiding them down the path of resilience and growth. You’ll see them not only on the field or court, but also serving as orientation leaders, resident assistants and research associates. While we play to win — and we do it a lot — the biggest “game” on the schedule is always graduation day. Athletics supports the mission and business model of the college, providing a positive and nurturing student-athlete experience, and competing to win in the classroom, in competition and in the Wilson community.

You can root for the Heels, Devils, Pack, or Pirates, but we are Wilson’s hometown college team, and we have no doubt you’ll root for the Bulldogs.

We have great coaches and staff, beautiful facilities, and talented student-athletes who compete at a high level. You know what we are? We’re what college athletics used to be, and what it was meant to be. We may have some navigate the transfer portal and a few Bulldogs dipping their toes into the NIL waters, but most of our student-athletes, including football and basketball players, are here to get a first-class education and to learn and grow as people.

Our games are affordable and many are free, and you can bring your kids onto the field or court after the game for a photo, no problem.

I look forward to seeing how Belichick and Wade do, and I’ll be rooting for Cooper Flagg.

But mostly, I’m proud to be part of the team, Wilson’s hometown team, at Barton College, where we still do it the right way.

Ken Tyler is Vice President and Director of Athletics at Barton College. A former NCAA Division I basketball player and coach in Divisions I, II and III, Tyler has spent over 30 years in college athletics. Prior to Barton, he served as Director of Athletics at the University of Mary Washington and West Virginia Wesleyan College. Tyler resides in Wilson with his wife Dr. Leona Ba Tyler.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

College Football Analyst Believes NIL Issues Aren’t the Only Reason James Franklin Lost Penn State’s Recruiting Battles

James Franklin has turned Penn State into a consistent winner, but one recruiting expert believes the Nittany Lions are falling behind in the battles that matter most. While Franklin’s 101-42 record speaks for itself, the question remains: why can’t Penn State land the elite recruits needed to compete for championships? Why Is Penn State Losing Top […]

Published

on


https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3bkUWY_12XBV9dC00

James Franklin has turned Penn State into a consistent winner, but one recruiting expert believes the Nittany Lions are falling behind in the battles that matter most.

While Franklin’s 101-42 record speaks for itself, the question remains: why can’t Penn State land the elite recruits needed to compete for championships?

Why Is Penn State Losing Top Recruiting Battles Despite James Franklin’s Success?

James Franklin left Vanderbilt after winning 61.5% of his games there. That performance ranks as one of the best coaching jobs of the last 25 years. No one wins that many games at Vandy, a school rich in academics but a football pauper.

When he arrived at Penn State, he encountered another, unexpected problem. Franklin needed to help distance the program from the Joe Paterno Era, which was filled with championships but also controversy.

Bill O’Brien succeeded Paterno, but you could still sense the ghosts of bad memories that overshadowed greatness. Franklin built the Nittany Lions into perennial winners. In 11 seasons, his teams finished with double-digit victories. Plus, the school keeps turning out NFL stars, like Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons.

However, in the NIL era, the school cannot get over the metaphorical hump. Recruiting expert Brian Smith stopped by the “Locked On Nittany Lions” podcast to discuss why the team cannot secure the best of the best in the new money period of the sport.

“NIL is a big part of it, but I think the biggest is still relationships. They just lost (recruits) to teams with excellent assistant coaches. Penn State will have some of the battles go their way. It’s just par for the course.”

Breaking down that quote reveals the real issue. NIL money matters, and when you share a conference with Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon, you must find a workaround or get creative. According to 24/7 Sports, Franklin’s Lions hold down the 15th spot in the 2026 rankings. In most conferences, that would guarantee a championship. However, the Big Ten is no ordinary conference.

What Can Franklin Do to Fix Penn State’s Recruiting Problems?

Jumping into the pool for four- and five-star recruits sounds good, but what’s the backup plan when they don’t arrive? Hitting the portal for above-average players isn’t always a guaranteed bonus.

Hiring great recruiters is something Franklin can fix. Recruiting remains the lifeblood of the college game. Building connections with area, state, regional, and national high school programs matters. Walking into a high school coach’s office and dropping your business card on the desk isn’t enough for Penn State. They are not Alabama.

RELATED: James Franklin, Penn State Lose 2026 4-Star QB Peyton Falzone to Auburn in Shocking Flip

One underdiscussed aspect of the recruiting issues is that Franklin’s name perennially appears as a candidate for just about every major coaching job. From afar, that hangs above the program. Is it a ploy to earn a raise or a more extended contract? Or does Franklin actively search for jobs?

Franklin can coach and run a top football program. His 101-42 record with Penn State solidifies that fact. However, at what point are 10 wins during the regular season insufficient?

Always the bridesmaid, the football program must find a way to break through. Getting to the CFP isn’t enough, nor is winning a few games. To cement his legacy, Franklin must bring a championship to State College. Can the team find a way to not only survive the conference grind but also catch fire in the playoffs?



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Amended college sports bill expected to be introduced in U.S. House of Representatives

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to introduce an amended college sports bill, a source told On3’s Pete Nakos. The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act could be introduced as early as Thursday. The bill – which codifies the House v. NCAA settlement – could easily pass the House […]

Published

on


Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to introduce an amended college sports bill, a source told On3’s Pete Nakos. The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act could be introduced as early as Thursday.

The bill – which codifies the House v. NCAA settlement – could easily pass the House of Representatives, but would need seven Democratic votes to pass the Senate. If introduced Thursday, the first subcommittee markup could come as early as next Tuesday, and a committee markup would happen by the end of the month.

Last month, Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) released a discussion draft of the bill. They described it as a “tri-committee effort to stabilize” the NIL marketplace.

“As a part of a coordinated multi-Committee effort to improve the student-athlete experience and preserve the educational mission of the institutions they represent, Energy and Commerce plans to consider a discussion draft to help address the broad set of challenges facing college athletics,” Guthrie said in a statement.

“NIL presents outstanding opportunities for student-athletes, but the volatility and frequency of changes have left both teams and players without a reliable foundation on which to plan. I want to thank Chairman Bilirakis for his hard work on this issue and this draft, and I am hopeful that upcoming conversations can build a strong coalition and make college athletics the best it can be.”

The amended version of the act, obtained by Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, would grant liability protection and preempt state NIL laws. It would also include an anti-employment clause and usher in regulation for agents. NIL deals would also need to hold a “valid business purpose.”

More on the NCAA’s push for federal legislation

Following approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, another college sports bill was introduced. U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain (R-Mich.)and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) introduced the “College Student-Athlete Protections and Opportunities through Rights, Transparency and Safety Act“, dubbed the College SPORTS Act.

President Donald Trump has also shown interest in the future of college sports and was in the process of forming a commission earlier this year. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas Tech board chairman Cody Campbell – who founded the school’s NIL collective, The Matador Club – were expected to co-chair the commission. However, the plans were paused last month amid an anticipated push for federal legislation.

Trump also reportedly considered an executive order regarding college sports. That came about after he met with Saban at a commencement event at Alabama in May.





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Deion Sanders Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About the College Football Playoff and NIL Spending

Due to an undisclosed health issue, college football fans haven’t heard much from Colorado coach Deion Sanders this offseason. However, that changed on Wednesday as Sanders was on hand for the Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. The third-year head coach, who is coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, discussed everything from Colorado’s quarterback […]

Published

on


Due to an undisclosed health issue, college football fans haven’t heard much from Colorado coach Deion Sanders this offseason.

However, that changed on Wednesday as Sanders was on hand for the Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. The third-year head coach, who is coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, discussed everything from Colorado’s quarterback battle, his theme music and what is going wrong with college football.

Oddly enough, while the latter may be the most complex, it was the only one for which he had a definitive answer. When asked about how NIL should be patrolled with the implementation of revenue, Sanders did what he does best: he said what everyone is thinking but not willing to say.

“I wish it was a cap,” Sanders said. “You know, like the top of the line player makes this. And if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not gonna make that. That’s what the NFL does. So the problem is you got a guy that’s not that darn good. He could go to another school and they give him a half a million dollars. You can’t compete with that, it don’t make sense … All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent and you understand darn near why they in the playoffs.

“It’s kind of hard to compete with somebody who’s giving $25-30 million to a darn freshman class.”





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Deion Sanders suggests radical change to college football

Colorado coach Deion Sanders thinks one radical change could help address the NIL issues that continue to go unaddressed around college football. Speaking at Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, Sanders was asked how he believes NIL should be handled by the NCAA. The coach essentially called for some sort of salary cap to create […]

Published

on


Colorado coach Deion Sanders thinks one radical change could help address the NIL issues that continue to go unaddressed around college football.

Speaking at Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, Sanders was asked how he believes NIL should be handled by the NCAA. The coach essentially called for some sort of salary cap to create some parity across the sport.

“I wish there was a cap. The top of the line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does,” Sanders said. “The problem is, you’ve got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he can go to another school, and they give him a half a million dollars. You can’t compete with that.

“All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent. You understand darn well why they’re in the playoffs. It’s kind of hard to compete with someone who’s getting $25-$30 million to a darn freshman class. It’s crazy. We’re not complaining, because all these coaches up here and coach their butts off … but what’s going on right now don’t make sense. We want to say stuff, but we’re trying to be professional.”

Sanders’ point is that teams with the most NIL funds available to them are inevitably going to land the best players and make the playoffs repeatedly. NIL creates plenty of other problems and nudges players to transfer sometimes, but the wealth is not exactly being spread around.

We have seen that a big NIL budget is no guarantee of success. There is no doubt, however, that it helps. The irony is that Sanders used the transfer portal to establish his program nationally, but there is only so much he can do now that other programs are catching up.





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Why Colorado’s Deion Sanders pushing for college football salary cap

NIL has dramatically altered the college sports landscape. Now that colleges are allowed to pay student-athletes, players can often go to the highest bidder — usually a Power 5 program. That’s why Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is calling for a salary cap in college football. Speaking at Big […]

Published

on


NIL has dramatically altered the college sports landscape. Now that colleges are allowed to pay student-athletes, players can often go to the highest bidder — usually a Power 5 program. That’s why Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is calling for a salary cap in college football.

Speaking at Big 12 Media Day on Wednesday, Sanders explained why schools without deep financial resources are at a disadvantage when trying to attract elite talent.

“I wish there was a cap. Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does,” said Sanders.

“So the problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him a half-a-million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”

Sanders pointed to the programs that routinely make the College Football Playoff — like Alabama, Texas, and Ohio State — as examples of schools that can afford to spend tens of millions on incoming freshman classes. That kind of financial muscle, he said, creates a lopsided playing field

“All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent and you understand darn near why they’re in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to compete with somebody who’s giving $25–30 million to a darn freshman class. It’s crazy.”

Sanders continued: “What’s going on right now don’t make sense. We want to say stuff but we’re trying to be professional, but you’re going to see the same teams darn near the end, with somebody who sneaks up in there, but the teams that pays the most is going to be there in the end.”

Colorado had two of the highest NIL earners in college football in 2024 in Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, who are now in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns, respectively. The university also shut down its NIL collective before the House v. NCAA settlement, which now allows schools to directly pay athletes across all sports a combined $22 million annually.

In his second season at Colorado, Deion Sanders led the Buffaloes to a 9–4 record after going 4–8 in his first year. It was a solid 2024 campaign — Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, and Colorado finished 25th in the final AP Top 25 poll. However, with the departures of Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, expectations have cooled for the 2025 season.

Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant … More about Matt Higgins





Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending