Matt Painter Explains How NCAA's 5-for-5 Eligibility Plan Impacts College Basketball
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The NCAA has proposed a plan to help its eligibility situation moving forward, but Matt Painter doesn't believe the idea will fix the biggest problem in college basketball. Sure, the organization's five-for-five eligibility proposal sounds good on paper, but the Purdue head coach says it doesn't address one of the major issues in the sport.
In recent months, the NCAA has pushed for a five-for-five eligibility rule, which would allow student-athletes to complete five seasons of eligibility in five years. It's an age-based proposal and would essentially end redshirt years and medical waivers.
Many have expressed support for this proposed plan, but Painter says it's actually going to make things more difficult for Purdue and other college basketball programs.
"The rule doesn't help us, per se. The rule helps the NCAA," Painter said after Purdue's second summer practice. "It hurts us because they've got one more year where they can transfer. So, they're just making it harder on us."
This new eligibility proposal hasn't been accepted yet, but the NCAA Division I cabinet could vote on the potential change as early as this month.
Painter has been outspoken on his thoughts regarding the NCAA transfer portal now that it's become a free-for-all in college athletics. Purdue has been one of the few programs that has avoided major roster turnover, but that doesn't mean it will never happen.
Even though the Boilermakers have been able to retain their most talented players over the years, Painter still believes the transfer rules are hurting college basketball as a whole.
"For us, the problem is guys can transfer all the time. That's the No. 1 problem, and that has to get fixed," Painter said. "Think of any professional sport: baseball, basketball, football hockey; where everybody was a free agent every year and tell me how that looks. Well, that's what we do. and it makes no sense."
Purdue is also one of the schools to utilize and benefit from redshirt years. In the 2021-22 season, the Boilermakers redshirted freshman Trey Kaufman-Renn, who then ultimately became a third-team All-American and an NBA Draft prospect.
Two years ago, the Boilers redshirted Jack Benter. This past season, Antione West Jr. and Raleigh Burgess both utilized the opportunity to redshirt.
For Purdue, not much may change if the five-for-five eligibility rule is approved and adopted. But Painter made his thoughts clear: the transfer situation should be at the forefront of the NCAA's discussions moving forward.
Painter not blaming NCAA for five-for-five plan
It may sound like Painter is pointing the finger at the NCAA for failing to address the real issue. That's not the case, though. The organization has faced so many lawsuits from student-athletes that he understands why it decided to propose an idea that would keep it out of the courtroom.
"I don't blame them for doing it, but they're just doing it to minimize their waivers; they're doing to minimize having to deal with a lot of different stuff," Painter said. "They'll still have people suing them, they'll still have people asking for waivers, it'll just be less."
Purdue is one of the programs that could have benefited from a potential court case this summer. Senior center Oscar Cluff looked into the possibility of returning to West Lafayette for one more season, even though he had been in college athletics for five years.
Cluff spent two years at Cochise College, a junior college in Arizona. There had been arguments made that participation at the junior college level shouldn't count towards the NCAA's four-year eligibility limit.
Although Cluff looked into it, he ultimately decided he didn't want to "bend the rules" to return to Purdue for one more season.
"Obviously, it would be nice to have another year. But, sometimes, when it's done, it's done," Cluff told reporters following his NBA pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors. "You can chase that, but you're trying to change rules and trying to get around little things. It's not something that I needed to die on, if that makes sense."
The NCAA faces several challenges right now in this era of college athletics. Ultimately, the five-for-five plan may prove to be one that benefits everyone from the players to the coaches to the fans.
Until the NCAA figures out the transfer portal situation, though, Painter doesn't believe the eligibility rule is going to make much of a difference.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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