The University of Miami Hurricanes‘ men’s basketball team got a lot better on Saturday. Nijel Pack, who entered the transfer portal from Kansas State in March, is going to the Hurricanes.
Pack and Miami basketball both announced the news on Twitter.
There is a lot to digest here.
First off, Pack is a star. He was named First-Team All-Big 12 as a sophomore in 2022. He averaged 17.4 points, 2.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game during the 2021-22 season while shooting 45.5% from the field, 43.6% on threes and 84.5% on free throws.
That’s a big addition to a team that reached the Elite Eight during the 2022 NCAA Tournament. And Miami fans were happy with the news.
https://twitter.com/AlfreAcosta/status/1517958047922073601
That’s the basketball perspective.
But in the current era of college sports, that’s only a part of what’s relevant. There’s also a business element to look at. And in Pack’s case, that’s significant.
Unsurprisingly, that also drew a lot of comments.
Players are now openly being offered giant contracts concurrent with committing to specific schools.
I have no interest in debating whether this is good or bad, but very few pro sports exist without salary caps, and that is functionally what this is. https://t.co/pSYbSxwwBv
— MIZ_DBH (@MIZ_DBH) April 23, 2022
Really, regardless of where one stands on the issue, it’s impossible to notice how much change this is bringing to college sports.
In pro sports, when a great player signs a record-breaking contract, the record usually lasts only until the next great player at that position signs his or her next deal. The NIL deals will likely play out similarly. Pack’s deal may be head-turning but chances are, the next star player to go down a similar road will sign an even bigger deal.
[Nijel Pack, Canes Basketball, John H. Ruiz, Attorney at Law]