With less than two weeks before college basketball season tips off, a huge shadow looms over the entire sport: player eligibility. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino isn’t just talking about the problem, he’s pointing fingers, specifically at how the NCAA has handled these rule changes and the multiple lawsuits hanging over everything. He told Jon Rothstein that while other coaches are ripping the NCAA for the current chaos, his counter-argument is blunt: the schools themselves *are* the association, even though he admits they made “mistakes” when it came to eligibility.
Missed Shots and Legal Battles
Pitino’s main gripe? The NCAA had a clear chance to draw a line, especially when it came to professional athletes, and they absolutely blew it. He’s scratching his head, wondering why the governing body keeps fighting these lawsuits tooth and nail while simultaneously begging Congress for help with the Protect College Sports Act. He laid it out on CBS Sports’ *Inside College Basketball Now*, saying, “A lot of coaches have been upset at the NCAA and then knocking the NCAA. Look, what you have to understand is we are the NCAA. We’re part of this corporation. The NCAA just made some mistakes because they’re caught with all this at the last second.” Pit Pitino even pointed out specific easy fixes the NCAA missed. Imagine if they had simply said on November 15, “We’re going to allow for this class to play a fifth year,” he believes none of this mess would exist. Or, if they had declared, “Anybody who plays any form of professional basketball over in Europe or overseas in Australia cannot play collegiate basketball,” this entire eligibility drama disappears. They didn’t do either, and now Pitino doesn’t understand why they’re still fighting these court battles. To him, they should simply say, “We’re allowing it next year,” and move on.
Congress Isn’t the Answer, Self-Correction Is
Beyond the courtroom drama, the Protect College Sports Act is currently making its way through the House of Representatives, having already advanced out of the Senate last month. But don’t expect Pitino to rally behind it. He’s not buying into federal legislation as the savior for college sports. “I’m not a believer in going to Congress because I think you’re wasting your time. … You’re relying on Congress to cure your problems,” he stated, making a great comparison. “It would be like me going to to the state Senator of New York and say, ‘Could you help my team out with challenge shots? Can you help them out with turnovers?’” Instead, Pitino firmly believes that college sports need to take care of their own business. He argues that the solution lies with the presidents of institutions and the five major conference commissioners. They need to come together, get on the same page, and forge concrete rules. Pitino stressed the need for unity, suggesting they agree on things like a one-time transfer rule. His message is clear: chart a path forward, be ready for lawsuits, and stick together. “If they want to fight it, you agree with the NCAA. Th,” is how he sees it.
The clock is ticking, and with Pitino’s fiery call for accountability and self-governance, the pressure is squarely on the NCAA to figure out its eligibility quagmire before the season starts. How they respond to these internal criticisms and external legal pressures will shape the college basketball landscape for years to come.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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