Before he was the coach of the Golden State Warriors, before he was a five-time NBA Champion playing next to Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, Steve Kerr was one of the great players the University of Arizona ever produced. The crowd would echo the announcer after ever made three — “Steeeve Keerrr” — where he was an All-American and helped lead a team (with future NBA players Sean Elliott and Tom Tolbert) to the Final Four.
There is a crisis around Arizona basketball right now. Coach Sean Miller was caught on a federal wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment for star recruit Deandre Ayton (expected to be a high lottery pick in June, possibly the No. 1 pick). Miller did not coach Saturday and changes are coming to Arizona.
Kerr was asked about it before the Warriors took on the Thunder Saturday.
Steve Kerr chimes in on Arizona’s situation and if college athletes should be paid pic.twitter.com/dnapswSAFX
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 24, 2018
Kerr said he was “disappointed” in his alma mater over the incident. Which is understandable.
Not to completely excuse it, but what Miller got caught doing is commonplace — money is funneled to families or the players of top recruits on a regular basis. What is more troubling (in my mind) is the money paid under the table to AAU coaches, family members, and others close to elite recruits to funnel them to a specific “financial planner” or agent, or a specific university. People in positions of trust with the player are bought and paid for.
Kerr put out one solution that would certainly be a big step forward: follow the Olympics model and let elite players get sponsorships that don’t end their college eligibility.
Here is Steve Kerr's explanation of how he'd like to see the NCAA reformed. He said that the NCAA should consider something like the Olympic model: pic.twitter.com/MXAktohuYg
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) February 25, 2018
This system has its flaws as well, but it gets some of the dirty money out in the open. It would be better than the hypocritical facade of amateurism the NCAA has hit behind for years.
