LOS ANGELES _ The calculus of college basketball rosters is changing. UCLA coach Mick Cronin now must navigate not only who's leaving early but also who wants to extend their stay.
The NCAA earlier this week granted winter sport athletes an additional year of eligibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that Bruins senior guard Chris Smith, a candidate for the Pac-12 Conference player of the year, could stay an additional season.
In theory, anyway.
"He's not coming back for a fifth year," Cronin told the Los Angeles Times on Friday. "Let's just get that out to our fan base now. He's going to graduate and get his chance at the NBA for sure."
Cronin said he didn't anticipate the extra year of eligibility having a big effect on the Bruins because many players leave for the NBA before their senior season. The players that Cronin said he envisioned most likely using the additional year were late-bloomers who wanted to better position themselves for the NBA and those who wanted to get a master's degree.
What about players who wanted an extra year of college basketball?
"You need to turn off the Disney Channel," Cronin cracked.
Mid-major schools could be hurt most by the eligibility extension, Cronin said, because it would allow players who blossom as seniors and want to experience major basketball to leave while capitalizing on the proposed new one-time transfer waiver that could take effect for the 2021-22 academic year.
The preponderance of Bruins won't want to stick around for an additional year, Cronin said.
"It's great that they're going to have the option, good for them because their careers have been interrupted," Cronin said. "But you're talking about guys that are going to have their degree in their hand and have played four years of college basketball, so I would say the prevailing thought would be that most of those guys would want to get on with their career.
"But for the next three years, it's a conversation you're going to have to have with your so-called seniors that could be juniors if they want to be. So you're going to have to have that conversation with those guys so you know how to recruit."
