The men's Final Four is here 🏀 For the first time ever Florida Atlantic and San Diego State will play in the national semifinals. Follow along ⤵️
New NCAA president Charlie Baker held an impromptu press conference in the media workroom at NRG Stadium, touching on a host of hot-button NCAA issues including NIL, the transfer portal and NCAA Tournament expansion.
Baker, who just started on job a month ago, eschewed the annual president news conference with the media at the Final Four in exchange for a five-minute chat, so there wasn’t a whole lot of in-depth analysis.On NCAA Tournament expansion, he offered no opinion for or against it but said he expects the tournament selection committee to being conversations about it this summer. Some stakeholders have advocated for expanding the field from 68.
On NIL: Arguably the most complicated issue on the NCAA plate, and the one many believe Baker, as former governor of Massachusetts, was hired to handle, Baker reiterated the long-held NCAA opinion that the national body needs federal assistance. He said that state-by-state legislation - much of it, in his opinion, "say whatever the NCAA says don’t comply with them" - makes it impossible for conferences, with teams stretched from coast to coast, to operate in an equitable way.
On the transfer portal: Get used to it, that’s the essence of Baker’s opinion. Though he acknowledged coaches’ frustration, he pointed out that students in the regular population are transferring more than ever, and change isn’t likely to come. "The transfer rule we have - one time free and the next time make a case for it - is the best way to handle this," he said.
Baker also discussed the success of this year’s women’s basketball tournament and said he is anxious to see what the numbers are as the TV contract comes up for renegotiation. "Let’s see what the market thinks it's worth," he said. "I think it will be worth a lot."
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Seth Davis' Final Four picks: Florida Atlantic-San Diego State, and UConn-Miami'Some games require a lot of thought and analysis to yield a prediction. This is not one of them.' Which game was SethDavisHoops referring to? He makes his Final Four picks ⤵️
Read more »
King Charles dragged into 'woke' row between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantisKing Charles has been dragged into a row between Disney and Ron DeSantis as the entertainment giant attempts to stop the Florida governor from taking over its theme parks.
Read more »
Body of missing boy, 2, found in alligator's mouth in FloridaTaylen Mosley was reported missing after his mother was found dead in her home in St Petersburg, Florida on Thursday.
Read more »
Probe of Deadly Black Hawk Crash Begins as Army IDs VictimsThe nine service members who died in a crash involving two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters ranged in age from 23 to 36 and were from seven states
Read more »
Meghan Markle wins defamation lawsuit against half sister Samantha MarkleA Florida judge ruled the Duchesses statements were pure opinion and “not capable of being proved false”.
Read more »