Player salaries are about to plummet

I have done some of my best work while sitting in my car with a laptop as one of my kids was at practice or warming up for a game. That’s what I am doing right now while my youngest son, who is 15, is getting ready to play a baseball game. This has special resonance today because it is Father’s Day. There are many ways for fathers, sons and daughters to bond, but I don’t know that there are many better than sports. Whether it’s watching the kids play or watching our favorite teams together, sports provide endless opportunities to spend time together, not to mention topics for discussion and debate over who’s the better team, who’s the GOAT, and all the morality plays that extend beyond the lines. There are so many reasons I love sports, but sharing them with my three sons (not to mention my own parents and grandparents) is right at the top.

Father’s Day is a great occasion to honor that spirit, but we shouldn’t need special holidays to feel grateful for the good things in life. I hope we bring that attitude to our everyday coverage of men’s and women’s college basketball. Yes there are serious topics to discuss (such as the huge changes in the coming revenue sharing model, which is designed to dramatically reduce player salaries), but we also strive to keep in mind that for the vast majority of our readers, sports is not just entertainment and escape but also a reason to bond with people we love.

That’s why here at Hoops HQ our motto is, “We’re serious about our fun.” With that, I’m off to watch my boy play ball.

Have a great Monday and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. — Seth

Ready or Not, College Athlete Salaries Are About to Plummet

By Seth Davis

During the spring of 2022, Nijel Pack, a sophomore guard at Kansas State, transferred to Miami. Transfers were already becoming rampant, so the news itself wasn’t that remarkable. What was notable, however, was the revelation that Pack had signed a two-year $800,000 Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contract with LifeWallet, a medical claim technology company whose founder and CEO, John Ruiz, was a Miami booster. The investment paid off the following March when Pack led the Hurricanes to the Final Four.

Players were starting to make money through NIL deals, but at the time that amount seemed astronomical. The market has since exploded. The money for Pack that seemed so shocking just three years ago would be considered the bare minimum for a power conference starter in today’s environment. Last year, the top basketball players in the transfer portal commanded $2 million. This year, they got closer to $4 million.

Ever since the NCAA adopted the new NIL rules (or lack thereof) in response to the Supreme Court’s unanimous 2021 ruling in NCAA v. Alston, which found that the NCAA violated antitrust law, college athletes have benefited from an overheated sellers’ market. Things are about to cool off considerably...

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Dylan Mingo Shines at Top 100 Camp. Where Will He and Other Top Recruits Play In College?

By Krysten Peek

The NBPA Top 100 Camp featured some of the top high school players in the country, who played five games over four days in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and college coaches. Former NBA players acted as coaches, giving the young players a chance to receive one-on-one coaching from guys like John Wall, Andre Drummond, Taj Gibson, Isaiah Thomas and Justise Winslow.

Dylan Mingo, a 6-foot-5 guard in the 2026 class, ran away with MVP honors after dominating the competition in 5-on-5 scrimmages. Mingo, a consensus five-star recruit from Glen Head (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran, averaged 23.8 points, 6.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. “I’m just here to show all the scouts and coaches that I’m a complete point guard and I can do a little bit of everything, whether that’s scoring, passing, rebounding – whatever it takes,” Mingo, a top-10 prospect, told reporters after his first game.

Baba Oladotun, the consensus No. 1 player in the 2027 class, also was impressive against older competition. Oladotun, a 6-foot-9 wing from Silver Spring (Md.) Blake, had two games where he scored at least 20 points and finished the camp averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Here are 10 standouts from the camp, with recruiting updates and scouting notes...

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