The sport has gone through major changes since the beginning of the 2020s, and head coach Jon Scheyer believes some have not been for the best. College athletics is very different now than it was in the 2010s, when eligibility rules became major issues and the subject of many legal disputes.
Through the covid-19 pandemic and the loosening of sports rules and regulations, collegiate athletes have gained additional eligibility. The Games introduced a new age-based eligibility model in June. It now allows athletes to have a five-year period of eligibility during the five-year window beginning with full enrollment or the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. The new rules also have provisions for athletes entering college in 2026-27.
This leads to a plethora of legal battles between players that the system and games do not benefit from. Speaking on ‘Field 68’ on Tuesday, coach Jon Scheyer shared his opinion that these types of legal battles are not meant for state college athletes;
“It’s not a good game when you’re eligible to play. What’s not good, I think everyone agrees with that. I think we all also agree that we don’t criticize the players.”
College basketball in particular will face problems with the new rules if schools want to recruit professional players overseas. The practice became quite common and received mixed reviews. Now the age rule prevents players older than 24 from coming to the games.
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Jon Scheyer believes losing Duke did more for him
In the last two seasons, the Blue Devils have been a dominant force in the ACC, winning the regular season and tournament titles in 2024-25 and 2025-26. However, they did not achieve this level of success at the NCAA Tournament.
In the last two years, the Blue Devils have made the Final Four and Elite Eight, respectively. Speaking at the ACC preseason media event this Wednesday, Scheyer said these losses allowed the Dukes to learn from them:
“Sometimes winning can hide some of the changes that are necessary,” Scheyersaid Wednesday. “So I guess the silver lining, if anything, is that it allows you to think critically about improvements and changes that need to be made first and foremost with the number and second, anything with the team connection wise, style, how they play and how to profit from another possession.”
Only time will tell if they have.
Read More:
“It’s ‘Who I Hurt’: Shane Beamer Gets Emotional as South Carolina Hot Seats Pressure Spills Onto His Family.”
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