Leading off today: It's both crazy and understandable that the NCAA has not yet moved beyond the effects of the 2020 pandemic. However, the eligibility policy announced this week might finally allow college sports to move on.
Importantly, it addresses one of the more troubling issues in college sports: the disparity in ages between journeyman players and high school athletes moving up after graduating as 17-year-olds or shortly after their 18th birthday.
Certainly, high school athletes still face other issues -- chiefly the portal, which has been allowing college coaches to replenish rosters via transfers rather than by recruiting high school players. But the new eligibility rule will start leveling the playing field once the NCAA resolves what to do with college players who just completed their fourth year of eligibility and fear being locked out this fall.
The NCAA Division I Cabinet voted unanimously Tuesday to begin age-based eligibility. Athletes will have five years of eligibility to be completed within five years following high school graduation or an athlete's 19th birthday, whichever comes first. There would be tightly scripted exceptions for military service, religious missions, and maternity leave.
That will greatly reduce age disparities. There will soon be far fewer instances of 17- and 18-year-old recruits in contact sports like football and lacrosse lining up against college veterans who are beyond -- sometimes well beyond -- their 23rd birthday.
But a step backward in baseball
The recent news for high school baseball players
isn't so good.
As part of its negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball has proposed no longer allowing prospects to be drafted directly out of high school.
College players under the age of 20 (keep in mind that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were already in the majors as 19-year-olds) would be similarly affected, and MLB owners are seeking to reduce the draft for the remaining pool of players from 20 rounds to 12. The obvious goal is reduce spending on signing bonuses, though some of that might be negated by an increased reliance on international players.
If implemented, the effect on scholastic players would be drastic. Eight of the first 14 selections in the 2025 draft were graduating high school seniors -- each of whom was in line for a significant signing bonus.
It MLB gets its way, the choices for those young players would be limited: attend college, an option for which some might not be suited, or catch on in a professional league not part of the 120-team MLB feeder system. Keep in mind, too, that scholarship money in college baseball does not flow nearly as freely as it does in football and basketball.
Quick thought on the MLB proposal
If MLB succeeds in removing high school players from the draft, how many talented young athletes will switch their priority to football or basketball, where a professional career could be as little as one year of college away?
BCANY announces Mr. Basketball, Miss Basketball selections
The Basketball Coaches Association of New York recently announced that Jasiah Jervis of Archbishop Stepinac and Julia Scott of Albertus Magnus have earned their top player awards for the most recent season.
Jervis, who helped his team to its fourth consecutive CHSAA city and state championships and will head to Michigan State in the fall, was named Mr. Basketball.
Scott, a 2,000-point career scorer for the three-time NYSPHSAA champions and a Clemson recruit, earned the Miss Basketball honor.
BCANY also announced its coach of the year award recipients:
Boys: Ty Carver (Mamaroneck, Class AAA), Pat Massaroni (Archbishop Stepinac, AA), Jon Conelly (Westhill, A), Erich Naumann (Cathedral Prep, B), John Lambert (Cooperstown, C), and Carl Johnson (Bridgehampton, D).
Girls: Pat Buckley (Albertus Magnus, AAA), Andy Scott (Horseheads, AA), Riley Chevrier (Tappan Zee, A), Mike Curtis (Chenango Forks, B), Sierra Beaver (Frewsburg, C), and Joe Loiacono Smithtown Christian, D).
Big shoes to fill in Clarence
Clarence will be replacing two highly accomplished coaches in the upcoming school year, The Buffalo News reported.
Todd Banaszak, who coached the softball team to 465 victories, 10 sectional championships, and a pair of NYSPHSAA crowns, has retired after 36 seasons.
"It's gone fast," Banaszak said. "It's been a great run."
Meanwhile, Mark Layer, who quickly made Clarence a power in the rapidly emerging sport of flag football, has stepped down after four straight sectional titles. He'd previously retired from teaching and coaching fall football when the opportunity to help launch a new sport emerged.
"I had no idea that it was going to turn out the way it did," he said.
More changes
Jim Mauro, who systematically shaped Canisius into one of the top high school sports programs in the state, will retire next month after 19 years as the Crusaders' athletic director.
Canisius won the Supremacy Cup, awarded to the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association's overall athletic champion, in 17 of his 19 years, a span in which the school captured 11 team state titles and more than 50 national and state crowns in bowling, rowing, squash, and swimming.
"When I first started, my goal was to make us known throughout the state," Mauro said. "I told coaches that we're going to be the best academic-slash-athletic institution in New York State."
• Timothy Jackson, whose background includes coaching the Clyde-Savannah boys from 2011-17 and Rochester East girls from 2017-20, is the new girls basketball coach at Aquinas.
The 24-year veteran of the New York State Police replaces Mark Loria, who took Aquinas to NYSPHSAA championship games in Class AA in 2025 and Class AAA in 2026.
Later today ...
We'll be blogging a bit more news later today, including the release of the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports all-state team in softball.
