UCLA will experience something of a rarity Saturday at Pauley Pavilion when it faces Oregon, a former Pac-12 rival with two familiar stars. Jackson Sheldstad and Nate Bittle have been with the Ducks for several years, providing the sort of stability largely lacking in college basketball.
It’s the sort of thing that Bruins coach Mick Cronin said will become increasingly infrequent barring structural changes.
A big part of the reason?
Agent greed.
There’s just too much money to be made by player representatives pushing clients into the transfer portal.
“I mean, you take a 10%, 20%, 15% of a guy’s NIL money, that’s Bernie Madoff level,” Cronin said Friday, referencing the crooked financier who was convicted in a massive Ponzi scheme.