Should College Athletes Be Paid?

The following guest contribution was written by former collegiate athlete Chris Beck.

Let’s say your name is Tahj Boyd.

Let’s say you play quarterback for Clemson University, on one of the season’s strongest college football teams. You’ve won an Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award, are headed on a path not only leading the Tigers to a national title, but also to a lucrative professional career.
The awareness brought to your program and college, the sale of anything orange and purple (from paw-print ball caps to bedazzled women’s football jerseys), the media coverage – it could reach incredible heights, and bolster future recruiting classes for your school.

You’d be a legend, if you were Tahj Boyd.

And you’d also see none of the revenue your strong arm, capable legs and leadership qualities have meant to your school.

NCAA rules, while permitting autograph dealers and ticket brokers and T-shirt manufacturers to capitalize on your stardom, prohibit you, Tahj Boyd, from compensation beyond your Clemson education, which you earned with your status as a prized football recruit.

Sign here – but leave your wallet at home

Laker Set to be Knighted: Eddie Jordan and Rutgers Close to Deal

BY VALERIE CHAMPAGNE

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The assistant coach to the Los Angeles Lakers, Eddie Jordan, is close to making a deal with Rutgers University as the next head coach of the Scarlet Knight’s basketball team, reported the Associated Press who spoke with a person familiar with the situation.

The source asked to remain anonymous because Jordan and the interim athletic director at Rutgers, Carl Kirschner met Sunday night to finish going over the language of the contract before an announcement was made. Jordan flew out to New Jersey on Saturday, and it is expected that the deal would be made on Monday with a press conference planned later in the week reported, ESPN.

Check out other great articles at NewJerseyNewsroom.com.

Basketball Hall of Fame welcomes 12 inductees

A total of 12 people will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this September 8 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The list of inductees was recently announced and it includes legendary NBA players Bernard King and Gary Payton. Other inductees are Roger Brown, Oscar Schmidt, Russ Granik, Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, Dawn Staley, Sylvia Hatchell, Guy Lewis, George Raveling, and Edwin Henderson.

As a lock-down defender, Payton was known as one of the league’s best-ever point guards. He was named as an NBA all star on nine occasions and also won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He won a league championship with Miami back in 2006, but is best known for his years with the Seattle SuperSonics. In addition, he won a pair of gold medals with the American men’s Olympic team. Payton said he always wanted to be a pro basketball player, but he never dreamed that he’d be so successful and end up in the hall of fame.

2013 NCAA All-Tournament team announced

The 2013 NCAA was tournament is now past, and before we let the lull of the end of college basketball envelop us, a quick look at the Men's All-Tournament teams.

FINAL FOUR (AP)

G-Trey Burke: This was kind of an iffy pick for me after the egg he laid against Syracuse, but there is no doubt that he was the leader of this Michigan team and they are not in the final without his heroics throughout the tournament.

G-Peyton Siva: Siva is the heart and soul of the national champs.  He makes them go with his defense and his penetration, which he is astoundingly good at considering he is not a threat from deep.  He is a handful for the other team's point guard at both ends, and he is a champ.

G-Spike Albrecht: Spike was huge in the final four, spelling Burke when he needed it.  He showed that he can handle ball pressure at the highest level and that he can score in spurts if needed.  Michigan has no worries going forward at the point guard position.

F-Luke Hancock: Hancock was a role player until the Cardinals needed his role.  Now, he is a household name.  He was the shooter to keep teams honest on a team full of runners.  Noone knew about him because noone could make Louisville shoot, till they met the Shockers and Wolverines.  When the Cardinals found teams could make them shoot, Hancock was ready, totally 42 points in the final four for MOP honors.

F-Cleanthony Early: I have watched the shockers all year long, and I was astounded that they were able to land a talent like Early. Now the rest of this nation of sports fans can wonder the same thing I did.  How does the 2-time nation juco (D-III) player of the year land in the valley.  He had a few times in the season where his focus wasn't as sharp as you would like, but when the switch is flipped, he is as good as anybody.  He showed this by being the #11 scorer  (16.2 points) and #10 rebounder (7.6) to make it to the sweet sixteen.

ALL-TOURNAMENT (ME)
I couldn't find an all-tournament team online, so i decided to fill that void myself. 

March Madness – The Final Four: Louisville beats Wichita State 72-68 / Michigan downs Syracuse 61-56

ATLANTA (AP) Michigan is more than just five fabulous players.

No, this is quite a team – all the way down the roster.

Fearlessly attacking Syracuse’s suffocating zone in the first half, getting big contributions off the bench, and hanging on for dear life at the end, the Wolverines advanced to the national championship game with a 61-56 victory over the Orange in the Final Four on Saturday night.

So put away those comparisons to the Fab Five.

This group of young stars is determined to leave its own legacy.

“We’ve been a team all year,” said coach John Beilein, whose Wolverines were playing in the Final Four for the first time since 1993, when the Fab Five lost for the second straight time in the national title game. “It was great.”

Michigan (31-7) will be going for its first national title since 1989 when it faces Louisville on Monday at the Georgia Dome. Syracuse (30-10) failed to complete an all-Big East final in the fabled league’s last season before a major overhaul.

Louisville was established as a 4 1/2-point title game favorite.