Agents aren't all bad (or are they?)
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 9:18 AM
Filed Under:
Rants
If you haven’t yet read Andy Katz’s epic story on how agents influence college hoops, don’t miss out. It’s a comprehensive look (at almost 5,000 words, it better be) at how agents get in touch, advise and influence players and how they’re now doing it earlier than ever.
Don’t let its Simmons-esque length intimidate you, either. It reads fast and covers all the bases.
Whether it’s how everything used to be (coaches dealt with agents, and agents with players after school was done) or the way it’s done now (coaches are largely restricted from player contact, which gives agents more access and probably more influence), it’s an enlightening story that deals with both sides – though I’m not sure people want to side with agents in this one.
Public opinion no doubt resides with the coaches on this one.
We tend to believe that they have the player’s best interests at heart because of guys like Roy Williams and Tom Izzo, among others. They do their best to nurture and develop players into adults, and try to give them good advice when it comes to their professional career. Agents, on the other hand, usually come off as people there to negotiate big contracts for players, and that’s it.
But several come off fairly sympathetic here, largely because of how they’ve presented themselves as no different from the coaches. It’s all about the relationships.
"Baseball players can have advisors, golf players can have advisors, yet football and basketball players are off-limits?" asks Bill Duffy.
Contrast that with this quote from rick Stansbury: "[Agents] don't have time to watch a guy and build a relationship when he gets in college. They've got to get started at an earlier age since they may only be in college for one year. They have unlimited phone calls and unlimited contacts. They have a much better advantage than we do in building relationships."
Seems everyone approaches players as though they just need time to work on them and convince them that they can do the most for them. But while the NCAA dictates how much contact the coaches can have, the agents are largely unchecked. They can talk to players, but can’t sign anything. That’s it.
"The reality is that agents are around a lot of kids," Florida coach Billy Donovan told Katz. "But I've always believed in recruiting that you've got to keep good relationships with people, anybody. I don't want an agent saying don't go to Florida.
"The thing that is difficult is that agents aren't living under any of the rules as it relates to contacts. We have rules for contacting a player, but an agent can do it as much as he wants and can go over to his house. We can't do those things."
That’s a good thing, though. Coaches can maintain an NCAA-approved appearance (read: one that won’t defy public opinion) and let the agents continue to get bashed.
After all, people trust coaches. Unfettered access to players might change all of that.
