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Volume 126 Issue 97
kansan.com
Thursday, March 27, 2014
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THE UNIVERSITY DADY & ANSAY
NCAA makes decision easy for Embiid
This is about college basketball, the one-and-done rule and the outdated concept of student athletes. This is about a system that will likely force Joel Embid to declare for the NBA Draft and jump-start what should be a prominent and lengthy professional basketball career.
Embiid's decision of whether or not to come back to Kansas isn't about his development as a player. His decision will, ultimately, be a result of the NCAA's college basketball system.
Since his first few weeks playing for Kansas, and since it was clear Embid's potential matched that of other suc-cessful big men of NBA's past, Kansas fans and the media have speculated that Embid could return for a sophomore season.
It would and should make sense for Embiid to come back to Kansas. After all, he's only been playing basketball for three years. His game clearly has room to grow and develop. He needs to gain strength and physicality to be deemed NBA ready. Not to mention that Embiid is still transitioning to an American lifestyle. Bill Self and other Kansas assistants, such as Norm Roberts, have talked about Embiid's lack of maturity, often sharing the story of a day Embiid ate 20 brownies with ice cream in one sitting.
Ideally, Embid would return to Kansas. He'd get paid for his talents to do so, receiving endorsement deals along with reimbursement for autographs and use of his likeness. His game would grow, and he'd grow as a person in the safe haven of Lawrence.
According to The Atlantic, Embid was worth $777,286 to the University this season before the NCAA Tournament.
This is why Embid should declare. He should take the money, all he's worth and the endorsements that come with it. His incentives to return to college are minimal compared to the millions of reasons to declare for the NBA.
Instead Embiid lives by the NCAA's rules. He can't cash in on his incredible worth, all the while showcasing his NBA talent for the world to see. If he were to return, he'd receive a valuable scholarship, sure. In between, Kansas, the NCAA and eventually the NBA will all reap profits off his enormous potential.
If Embid truly cares about his education he'll follow the path of,many former Jayhawks who have worked toward their degrees while playing in the NBA.
While Embid is stuck in a system that relies on his existence while limiting his returns, change is approaching. On Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board ruled
SEE EMBIID PAGE 6B
BASEBALL
Jayhawks tie hits record in blowout
Kansas played Creighton last night in Omaha, Neb. The Jayhawks defeated the Bluejays 11-0.
BEN FELDERSTEIN
BEN FELDERSTEIN/KANSAN
sports@kansan.com
OMAHA, Neb. — The bleeding stopped. The wound has been cauterized. Kansas baseball escaped Omaha Wednesday night with a 11-0 victory against the Creighton Blueiaws.
"We needed to come out here and get a win," Coach Ritch Price said. "I don't know how long it's been since we've won here, but we needed to come in and dominate.
This is the first victory the Jayhawks have had against Creighton in nearly four years. Kansas is now 6-5 against the Bluejays under Price.
The Kansas offense was on fire all night. The Jayhawks scored 11 runs on 16 hits at TD Ameritrade Park. Kansas tied the ballpark record for hits in a game. That includes regular season, preseason and College World Series action.
The wind was howling and reached speeds of 30 mph at times. Kansas kept the ball on the ground for most parts of the game. They flew out only four times in the game as opposed to 13 flyouts from the Blueiavs.
"Every guy had a good approach." Ka'iana Eldredge explained. "We knew the wind was blowing and that we would need to swing down on the ball."
Kansas got on the board early last night, with a three-run top half of the second inning. The big hit in the inning came from junior third baseman Aaron Hernandez, who drove in two runners.
Kansas' fourth run came in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout from Smith. Before Smith's at-bat, junior right fielder and cleanup hitter Connor McKay stepped up to the plate.
McKay leads the Big 12 and is third in the nation with 34 RBIs. With runners at first and second base, this was an opportune RBI spot for the big man. McKay laid down a perfect sac bunt and set up a scoring opportunity for his team.
Kansas got some more insurance in the eighth when senior catcher Ka'iana Eldredge drove a single up the middle to score Smith and Tharp for the second time each. Eldredge had been struggling lately as his average
dropped to .261 entering the day.
Junior outfielder Michael Suiter drove in two runs on a single of his own. Kansas scored another run in the inning on an error by the shortstop.
The Jayhawk pitching staff was nearly perfect on the night. Junior right-hander Drew Morovick went 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on only three hits in his fifth win of the season, tying him for the Big 12 lead. Morovick was limited to 5.2 innings due to a high pitch count.
There was a bit of a scare in the third inning when Morovick went to field a bunt. Sophomore shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald pushed a bunt down the first base side,
Morovick sprinted off the mound and fell while trying to scoop the ball and toss it to first. Morovick grabbed his ankle and stayed on the ground for some time before heading back to the mound.
"It hurts," Morovick explained. "I went down for the ball and didn't want to step on it. I extended my leg and it felt like all my muscles evaporated. It hurts like hell now, but it didn't have an effect on me when I was throwing."
Freshman Stephen Villines came in to finish the sixth inning and took care of the seventh and eighth innings as well. Over his 2.1 scoreless innings of work, Villines gave up one hit, struck out two and walked none.
"Villines is one of the best kept secrets on this team," Eldredge said.
Villines entered the night with .61 ERA, a.184 batting average against and nine strikeouts. Villines improved his ERA to .53 against the Bluejays. Dakota Smith came in to shut the door in the ninth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
Kansas had everything going for them in the victory against Creighton. This was the first time Creighton had been shut out in a game since 2008 against Illinois State. Kansas takes on Oklahoma in a home series this weekend.
Edited by Brook Barnes
POLICY
Student athletes win right to form NLRB union
BLAKE SCHUSTER
sports@kansan.com
In a landmark decision on Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board in Chicago declared that football players at Northwestern University are in fact employees of the school and have the right to unionize.
In this Jan. 28 file photo, Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, right, speaks while College Athletes Players Association President Ramogi Huma listens during a news conference in Chicago.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northwestern plans to appeal the ruling, which would allow student athletes to collectively bargain with the university on matters such as payment and health care.
It doesn't — at least not yet.
"While we respect the NLRB process and the regional director's opinion, we disagree with it," Vice President for University Relations Alan Cubbage said in a press release.
"Northwestern believes strongly that our student athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student athletes."
This historic verdict is likely headed for a long and public battle in appellate courts and may not have any immediate impact. As far as the current status of student athletes, here's what the decision means for college athletics
HOW DOES THIS RULING
AFFECT KU?
While the NLRB declared Northwestern's scholarship offers constitute a contract, this case only concerns private universities, meaning student athletes at public schools like Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State are not eligible to unionize. Although this may lead to wider reform throughout the NCAA.
However, this does have strong implications on some of the Big 12's other members. Baylor University and Texas Christian University are private schools that would both be liable to comply with the NLRB's decision. Players at these institutions would be able to follow the path forged by former Northwestern QB Kain Colter and his teammates.
HOW DID THIS ALL START?
This most recent uprising of collegiate players began in the middle of last season with Northwestern players starting a trend of writing "APU" — standing for All Players United — on their wristbands before games.
Some Kansas players joined the cause, inscribing the letters on their gear before an October 7 game against Texas Tech.
On January 28, Colter,
under the guidance of former
UCLA linebacker Ramogi
Huma and backed by the United Steelworkers union, submitted a petition and union cards of unnamed
Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student athletes."
However, this has been
ALAN CUBBAGE Northwestern University
Northwestern players to the NLRB for review.
only the latest flare up in an ongoing debate. Player compensation has long been discussed since television revenues began significantly increasing during the 1980s.
Currently the NCAA is embattled in a class action lawsuit filed by another former UCLA athlete — basketball player Ed O'Bannon — that alleges violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Although Northwestern plans to appeal, Tulane Sports Law professor Gabe Feldman tweeted that a university football union election
would take place within 30 days unless the NLRB orders otherwise.
The appeal by the school must be filed by April 19 in Washington D.C. According to Feldman, the NLRB has no specific time limit to make a decision; however, the board has prioritized representation cases, which may speed up the process.
Either way, both the NCAA and the student athletes it governs will likely continue operating the way it has. But the movement toward its reform has just taken its largest step yet.
Edited Blair Sheade
.