The NCAA has become a magnet for international talent, with recent rule changes and NIL deals making college basketball more appealing than ever. For Italy’s brightest young stars, the chance to develop in top-tier facilities — while earning money — is hard to resist.
The NCAA world has changed drastically in recent years, becoming increasingly attractive to the best international talent.
Dame Sarr
| Team: |
FC Barcelona |
| Position: | PG, SG |
| Age: | 18 |
| Height: | 198 cm |
| Weight: | 68 kg |
| Birth place: | Italy |
The introduction of NIL deals, which allow universities to pay athletes, and the decision to change the transfer rules have transformed the NCAA into a sort of professional league.
Players can now transfer without sitting out a season, making it not so different from the NBA or international leagues.
More and more young talents from all over the world are inclined to accept the NCAA's offers because they allow them to earn a lot of money and work in facilities that most international clubs can't offer.
The NBA has already reduced movement opportunities for European clubs by expanding rosters and improving economic conditions in the G League.
Now, the NCAA risks taking even more resources from the European market by recruiting top young players before they debut in the first team.
This situation involves all the major European teams, and that will become even more evident starting next season.
In Italy, for example, between this summer and next, some of the main players of the U17 national team that won the silver medal at the 2024 World Cup seem destined to go to college in the United States.
Therefore, BasketNews decided to analyze the situation of several of these Italian talents who have caught the attention of NCAA colleges to understand what type of players they are and where we might see them once they arrive in the United States.
