Report: McKinley Wright Signs with Octagon
Colorado Buffaloes point guard McKinley Wright has signed with an agency.
He signed with Chris Emmons of Octagon according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman
The catch is Octagon and Emmons are on the NCAA list of approved agents. So Wright will not lose his college eligibility.
The NCAA has approved 23 agents that can work with men's basketball athletes seeking professional opportunities but can still return to school.
Back in 2018, the Commission on College Basketball chaired by Condoleezza Rice (at the time) recommended, then adopted, legislation allowing some athletes to sign with agents while retaining their eligibility.
This was in response to the new rule that allowed men's basketball players to enter their name in the NBA Draft without losing their eligibility. Before this rule, the only way to remain eligible was if you didn't sign with an agent.
The new rule allowed athletes to sign with certain agents and the rule only pertained to men's basketball. It allows the basketball players to receive earlier professional advice to make sure it is in their best interest to stay in the NBA Draft/other professional opportunities or return to college basketball.
This rule went into effect last season.
Wright has always said he wants to keep his college eligibility but this allows him to get more of an honest assessment on himself from outside parties.
The NBA already announced they were postponing the combine and the lottery and it's unclear if draft workouts will take place. So even if Wright can't get direct feedback from NBA teams, they will still provide Wright with feedback through his agent.
Tyler Bey has not announced his agent but it is likely he's not going to sign with one of the NCAA approved agents.
This is also the model the NCAA will use for all athletes seeking name, image and likeness opportunities. That list of NCAA-approved agents is going to continue to grow.
