‘Pure Chaos’: Rick Pitino Rings Warning Bell About Immediate Impact of ‘Five-in-Five’ Eligibility Proposal

Pitino is concerned about the potential consequences of immediate extra eligibility for outgoing seniors.

Rick Pitino thinks the immediate implementation of the proposed “five-in-five” eligibility rule could be chaotic for the sport in the short term. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

If NCAA Charlie Baker gets his way, the organization will officially streamline eligibility rules in the near future. Out with four years of eligibility with the option to redshirt for a year, plus potential medical exemption years tacked on. In with five years to play five seasons for every player, with a small set of exemptions including those for religious missions, military service and pregnancy.

A rarity for the organization, the “five-in-five” proposal has pretty broad support, and was included in President Donald Trump’s executive order about college sports released earlier this month. It isn’t perfect, and will likely invite its own significant scrutiny, but the combination of COVID-19 season exemptions and mass transfers has created a Wild West atmosphere that most around college sports are eager to move past. And yet, it could create its own short term pain, as St. John’s men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino explained to Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.

“It would be pure chaos,” Pitino said. “Most teams have used 80% of their NIL. Next year makes sense. Now don't get me wrong, I would love to have my seniors back but our NIL is just about finished.”

Pitino made sure to add one potential way in which it may work out for the Red Storm—if megabooster Mike Repole’s horse Renegade wins the upcoming Kentucky Derby. That, of course, isn’t a wise bet for the program from an NIL and revenue sharing budget perspective.

If “five-in-five” passes, many expect it to go into effect immediately. As a result, some players who are currently out of eligibility are keeping options for the 2026–27 college basketball season open. But with the transfer portal closed and the list of available players narrowing, many programs already have their roster plans fairly set in stone.

For St. John’s, it could mean another year for a star player like Zuby Ejiofor, for example. It is hard to imagine the Red Storm not finding a way to bring him back in the hypothetical scenario in which he has another year of eligiblity and did not want to jump to the NBA draft, but according to Pitino, money is running out.

Despite Pitino’s concerns, coaches are bracing for this possibility

Rick Pitino guided St. John’s into the regional semifinal of this year’s NCAA tournament. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Hours before his Pitino post, Goodman reported that some coaches are hanging onto NIL funds in case there is a wave of fifth-year seniors who are suddenly in the mix to play this coming season.

That, of course, opens up its own can of worms. If the NCAA opts against immediately granting the extra year to current seniors, the situation could get hung up in court, with teams waiting on judges to decide on injunctions to find out whether their new players are eligible—or whether they missed out on the chance to use funds elsewhere earlier in the recruiting cycle.

In a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney, National Association of Basketball Coaches executive director Craig Robinson expressed general support for the proposal on Thursday, while making clear that coaches should be included in the discussions about effective implementation.

“The NABC shares the NCAA’s urgency to stabilize college sports eligibility, and coaches have
expressed general support for an age-based model during initial discussions with NCAA leaders. However, this rapid shift requires diligent implementation—especially given the active recruiting and transfer cycles. Coach perspective is vital to any legislative reform—on matters of eligibility that immediately impact roster management, the NABC views collaboration and communication with coaches as non-negotiable. As the NCAA expedites this review, the NABC urges that all stakeholders be brought to the table—coaches included—to identify potential unintended
consequences and to ensure these generational changes are structured correctly."

Pitino has clearly identified one of those consequences. We’ll see whether a year of roster and budgetary chaos outweighs the NCAA’s desire to avoid significant litigation from outgoing seniors who believe they should be included in the NCAA’s new eligibility rules.

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