Mark Few isn’t pretending college sports are in a normal place right now. For Gonzaga, the offseason has turned into a waiting game, and the center of it all is the eligibility mess surrounding five players on the roster.
Chauncey Wiggins, Javon Bennett and Xaivian Lee are all seniors hoping to get a fifth year in college. Nathan de Sousa and Izan Almansa are also stuck in limbo. Lee is the only one of the five who is currently eligible, after a TRO was granted in California, though that could still change the way it did for Wiggins and Bennett, whose cases in Georgia and Ohio were stayed while the NCAA appeals.
De Sousa is already in Spokane, but the NCAA still hasn’t cleared him even though he is within the age range for another year of eligibility. Almansa, who is 21, is under NCAA review because of his professional background with the G League Ignite, the NBL and Real Madrid, even though multiple players with similar pro experience were allowed to play last season.
Few’s frustration goes well beyond Gonzaga. Like plenty of coaches around the sport, he is done with the NCAA’s uneven approach to international players and the class of 2022 seniors. His answer is congressional action, and he made that case in Washington, DC, at an event backing the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill from senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell.
"You can sense the desperation in everybody's voices," Few said in front of gathered student-athletes and media members. "We really, really need help.
We need it from Congress. This bill might not be perfect, but it’s far and far away the best thing we’ve got out there right now."
The Protect College Sports Act, or PCSA, is meant to create one uniform system for college athletics after years of lawsuits have blown up the rules. The bill would make NIL rights part of federal law, replacing the current state-by-state patchwork, and would require NIL compensation to be reported in a public tracking database.
It also calls for student-athletes to get one free transfer while limiting additional transfers under certain conditions. On top of that, it would cap revenue-sharing limits tied to the House settlement, protect Olympic and women’s sports, and try to curb tampering between coaches and players from opposing schools.
Not everyone is sold. Critics argue that a government-backed system that limits athlete movement and income goes too far, especially when those players are not classified as employees.
“This bill doesn’t stop billionaires from spending money on athletic facilities,” Senator Chris Murphy, an opponent of the bill, said in a call with reporters on Monday. “This money doesn’t stop billionaires from directly subsidizing the salaries of coaches. No, the only thing this bill does is to limit the relatively small slice of money in the system that goes to athletes.”
The bill needs 60 votes to pass, and its path forward is murky. With midterms approaching, getting it through anytime soon looks like a tough climb.
In Other News...
Gonzaga's March Path Looks Promising But One Roster Issue Looms
Joe Lunardis early 2027 NCAA Tournament bracket has Gonzaga sitting in a familiar-looking spot, projected as a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region with Akron lined up in the opener. On paper, it is the sort of March setup the Bulldogs have long aimed for, and the non-conference schedule should tell a lot about how sturdy that profile really is. Duke, Michigan State and UCLA are all on the slate, giving Gonzaga plenty of chances to build a rsum that matches the bracket buzz.
The catch is the roster picture, and it is not a small one. Chauncey Wiggins, Javon Bennett, Izan Almansa and Nathan de Sousa are all currently ineligible, which could leave the Bulldogs thinner than expected as the season unfolds. For a team trying to hold onto a high seed and survive a schedule loaded with tournament-level opponents, depth is suddenly part of the story, and how Gonzaga navigates that issue may end up shaping its March path as much as any early projection. [Read more 🡒]