A Grip on Sports: Everytime the NCAA makes a rule change, a bell rings in a court somewhere signaling a successful challenge, the latest of which could help Gonzaga take wing
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Change sometimes hits quickly, out of the blue, sort of like the way I drove the L.A, freeways in my teen years. Other times it is more akin to how I accelerate off a green light these days. Slowly. Cautiously. But it is inevitable, even if its destination, the future, never really arrives.
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• Quick change? Ask Mark Few. His Gonzaga men’s basketball program is dealing with it. Mario Saint-Supery’s decision to jet home is the engine. The Zags’ landing spot? Quite possibly, as it was with last season’s roster, the courts. Even as GU has no connection with any current or future court case.
The NCAA recently instituted another rule change. All college athletes, henceforth, will have five years of eligibility. In five years. No exceptions*. (*Of course there are exceptions. This is the NCAA. The carve outs include military service, religious ones and certain medical ones.) It starts with the 2026 college year.
Those folks who just finished four years of eligibility in four years – how quaint – are out of luck. The NCAA, basically, handed them their sheepskin, shook their hand and told them to not let the door hit them on the way out.
Schools adjusted. Filled roster spots. Move on.
But, as this is the U.S. in 2026 and the NCAA plays the role of the Washington Generals in every court proceeding, those four-in-four athletes decided to head to court. For a fifth year. The money available is too good, too lucrative to just walk away and begin an internship at AutoZone or Prudential.
There has already been a preliminary state court ruling (in Ohio) saying the NCAA was wrong in treating them differently than their teammates who gained a year of college eligibility. A Federal class-action lawsuit has been filed in Colorado, led by a former Northern Colorado basketball player. Other players are waiting to see which way the winds blow.
My guess? The NCAA will lose. Again. As it almost-always does. In fact, reading the text of the rules, it feels as if someone in Indianapolis wrote it deliberately to force the courts to throw it out. And then the organization’s leadership could use another judicial defeat to put more pressure on Congress to act. To “save college sports,” whatever that means.
Why say that? The backlash is already happening. The NCAA issued a statement after the Ohio ruling. The five autonomous conferences – yes, the Pac-12 is still part of the powerful group in this regard – issued another one. The powers that be are aligned. Giving these players a fifth year would be bad. And only Congress can fix it.
The timing seems odd. All the NCAA had to do was delay implementing the rule a year when they approved it in the spring. Start the new clock in 2027 or 2028. Let everyone headed to court currently have that fifth year, give the schools time to deal with it. But no. The NCAA, made up of member schools, decided to move forward immediately. Open another can of court cases. And cry for Congressional help.
How does this impact the Zags? Simple. When Saint-Supery decided to take a pay raise and return home, they found themselves thin at the point guard position. At this point in the summer, the portal options are thin – Theo Lawson delves into all of Gonzaga’s possibilities in a story today – and less than optimal. But successful court decisions for the fifth-year groups could open the door to others, including former New Mexico and UCLA point guard Donovan Dent.
Dent would be a near-seamless transition. A quick, experienced Gonzaga-like point. Who can score and run a free-flowing offense. Just move the paycheck budgeted for Saint-Supery (not an insignificant amount) to one of the West Coast’s better point guards in 2026.
It is, simply put, the best solution for Few and the Zags. Though, akin to the eligibility battle Tyon Grant-Foster went through late last summer, the Bulldogs may have to wait a while until the courts make a decision.
The NCAA put the pedal to the metal on the new rule a few months ago. Tried to speed away from the wreck that has been its case-by-case eligibility waiver decisions. Avoid the ambulance chasers. And ran smack dab into a collision with a reality it seems to be consistently unable to avoid.
Until the organization and its member schools are willing to accept that their athletes are employees, with all the rights and responsibilities such status entails, every eligibility-rule alteration will end up having to be litigated. There are no quick fixes. No bailout coming from D.C. There is only reality. And change.
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WSU: Around the Pac-12, Jon Wilner evaluated the roster change with Gonzaga’s roster (see Theo’s story below) and came up with a new ranking of the conference’s schools in the Mercury News. … In football news, former WSU running back Wayshawn Parker made some improvements and should be Utah’s starter. … Utah State might be one of the conference’s better teams. … Actually, Boise State is considered the frontrunner, not only in the conference race but for the Group of Six’s one assured playoff spot. … San Diego State is offering ticket deals. … Around the West Coast and the nation, it’s time to begin really thinking about the fall season. The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel does in this mailbag. … Cal has become the first ACC school to add a uniform patch sponsor. … USC and Nike extended their apparel deal 10 years. … Arizona State is working to improve its facilities. … An Arizona football player worked to improve his mental health.
Gonzaga: We linked Theo’s story on the Zags’ point guard options above. And do it again here. … Theo also has a story on Few returning to help coach the Olympic team in 2028. What an honor for him and probably the one thing that ensures he’s Gonzaga’s coach for at least the next couple years. … Remember when this Golden State Warrior committed to Gonzaga? Alex Toohey was Jack Kayil long before Kayil come around. … Everyone connected to college hoops expect some lower-end NBA prospects to try to return to college at some point.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, when Bobby Kennedy took over as Montana’s football coach, he promised to improve the in-state recruiting. He seems to be delivering. … The Idaho State men’s basketball team will begin the season with four consecutive road games.
Mariners: Baseball’s All-Star Game used to be the one midseason exhibition worth watching. Up until a few years ago, the game was competitive. Hard-fought. Not anymore. We’re not complaining, though it sure sounds like it. We just miss those games. But understand why its different. The American League won for the 11th time in the past 13 years Tuesday, topping the National League 4-0 in a boring, pitching-dominated exhibit of what the pro game has become. … One highlight, at least in this area? Mt. Spokane graduate Drew Rasmussen pitched. … The M’s have been in business for 50 MLB seasons. Tim Booth looks at their most-important teams. He has 1995 in the top spot. … Here’s an analysis of the Mariners’ draft picks.
Seahawks: Could the new owners move the franchise? Here are three reasons, courtesy of the Times, why that is unlikely.
Sonics: Could there be some sort of NBA conspiracy to have only one team in the Northwest? Just as the expansion machine ramps up (and Seattle seems assured of getting one, though the ownership has yet to be determined), the Blazers seem about to see their new owner pull a Clay Bennett. John Canzano has a scathing column about Tom Dundon today.
World Cup: Is Dick Bennett coaching in Spain these days? The Spanish team seems to be world soccer’s equivalent of Bennett’s old Wisconsin teams. Pack in the defense, play efficiently on the offensive end and win. Though, after watching part of Spain’s 2-0 victory over favored France yesterday, we’ll say it is more like Virginia in 2019. You know, the Tony Bennett team that actually had a surprisingly good offense and won the big prize. … The other semifinal today, pitting defending champ Argentina and England should be, metaphorically, a war. These countries and teams don’t like each other, mainly because they have a violent history on and off the pitch. … There are many reasons why the U.S. always comes up short. … A 64-team tournament will happen someday. It may be 2030. … If the U.S. team needs a new coach, there are many options. Expensive ones. Odd ones. And the Sounders’ Brian Schmetzer.
Kraken: The Times’ story covering the chances for a big move this offseason is on the S-R site today. We link it once more.
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• It’s going to be a scorcher in Spokane today. Luckily, most of my plans include indoor activities. Though being in a gym this afternoon might not allow much relief. Until later …
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• Photos: The Spokesman-Review, Getty Images, Tribune News Service