The era of the 27-year-old college basketball star could be over as the NCAA considers a change to redshirting rules following an executive order from Donald Trump on college sports.

Currently, redshirting allows players to navigate through the 5-year NCAA eligibility rules. However, the governing body is now contemplating a new age-based ruling following President Trump’s mandate. The 5-year window would begin when he is 19 or graduates from high school, whichever is earlier.

This would mean we would see no players older than 24 in college basketball. Redshirting and medical waivers currently enable players to extend their college basketball careers by as much as 6 to 8 years, and several Division I teams are benefiting from it.

The redshirting concept allows players to abandon one season entirely to preserve their NCAA eligibility years. The college basketball rules are more intense, with players who opt to redshirt not eligible to play a single minute the entire season. But medical waivers can navigate that particular situation.

The most prominent example was USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara, who was released from the program before the NCAA Tournament. USC was his fifth college basketball team, and he had turned down several opportunities to enter the NBA Draft to continue playing in college. Mazara was 26 when he was released, which highlights a prolonged issue with the system.

Oakland’s Brett White II spent years working in construction in between his college basketball years and played in the Horizon conference while being 27 years old.

There are some cases where Trump’s executive order still allows them to extend their college basketball careers. The NCAA will consider years spent towards military or religious service in calculating the five-year window. This will provide relief to some players who would otherwise be ineligible, especially with the proposed age-based calculation.

Ramel Bethea, the oldest Division I player, spent five years in the Navy and thus will receive that exception. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Trevin Knell spent two years on a Mormon mission and will be granted an exception for his religious service.

There are certain cases where redshirting or navigating the NCAA eligibility has helped top Division I teams fare better in the National Championship, too.

Michigan and Arizona are prime examples of beneficiaries of the old rules

While several teams take advantage of the NCAA eligibility gray area and the redshirting to gain an upper hand in college basketball, some teams have made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament by gaming such rules. If the latest rules are implemented, it would make another Yaxel Lendeborg story impossible.

Lendeborg spent three years in JUCO, then two years at UAB before coming to Michigan for one final year, winning the National Championship with the Wolverines under Dusty May. However, as per the new rules, his eligibility will begin as soon as he enters JUCO, which means he would have exhausted his college eligibility after his second year at UAB itself.

And while Lendeborg was still considered a potential first-round option for NBA teams in the draft then, the season with Michigan has catapulted him into top-10 contention, with almost a guaranteed lottery pick. Top NBA teams are prioritizing Lendeborg in the Draft, which wasn’t the case when he was coming out of his second year at UAB.

Furthermore, Lendeborg might not even be able to transfer to Michigan if his move from JUCO to UAB counts as a transfer, with new rules aiming to restrict players to just one transfer. Any additional transfers would require them to sit out a year, which again would be difficult to achieve when combined with the age-based eligibility ruling.

Then there’s Arizona, which recruited LeBron James’ son, Bryce James. But Bryce is another in a long list of players who choose to redshirt their first year and be around the program to absorb as much as possible and develop himself to have a better chance to gain minutes on a team as competitive as the Wildcats.

Historical examples include Mikal Bridges, who used redshirting to build his physicality before playing for Villanova. Bridges went on to win the National Championship twice and is now an integral part of the New York Knicks.

While the changes may prevent feel-good stories like Lendeborg’s, the NCAA appears to believe that re-establishing stricter age and eligibility limits is essential for the long-term integrity of college basketball.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR