The basketball scholarship market is defined as the sum total of all the buyers (college D1, D2, JUCO and NAIA coaches) and sellers (Basketball student-athletes seeking scholarships) in the United States and the rest of the world.

Massive NCAA rule changes and the coronavirus pandemic have severely impacted the basketball scholarship market.

#1. The NCAA has made the decision to approve an extra year of eligibility for all student-athletes. This is a ‘free year’ for college students at every level. This rule change results in a decrease the number of available scholarships. Even if the NCAA allows more than 13 D1 scholarships, there may not be an appetite to absorb the financial hit resulting from extra scholarships in many cash strapped athletic departments. For every senior that stays an additional year, that is one fewer scholarship that hits the market.

#2. NCAA is set to implement legislation that will grant first-time transfers Immediate Eligibility. Athletes can soon transfer schools and play immediately. … An athlete’s previous school would not have any ability to object to the transfer. This rule change will alter the behavior of the college coaches in the recruitment process. A 20 year old with 2 years of college experience and 3 seasons of NCAA eligibility is more desirable than the typical high school recruit. Many college programs are not actively recruiting high school players.

#3. Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. As a result, students that would have been ineligible because of low test scores are now eligible if the have at least a 2.3 gpa.

Considered individually, each of the rule changes put pressure on the basketball scholarship market. Emerging simultaneously, they have flooded the basketball scholarship market.

High School seniors are competing against the current crop of NCAA seniors, current NCAA players that could immediately play upon transferring and players that would not have met the minimum test score requirement.

This market is flooded…

On top of all that, college coaches have not been able to evaluate high school players live since March.

Good players, even really good players need to be connected to college coaches… Recent video performance in highly competitive settings is the very best a student-athlete could do right now…

Coaches are evaluating prospects via video…

Below is a brief clip with Aaron Lemon-Warren and Christian Tomasco highlights. There is also a link for the complete game against #6 St. Frances Academy (MD).

Lemon-Warren are Division 1 basketball prospects with solid academic profiles. America East, NEC, CAA, MAAC, MEAC, Patriot League and perhaps even A10 programs should evaluate these guys closely.

Complete Game: Ryan vs St. Frances Academy

Coach… Watch these guys play…

They are good.