Mick Cronin urges allowing schools to exceed the $20.5M revenue-sharing cap to retain players

LOS ANGELES (AP) — March Madness is looming. So iscollege basketball's transfer portal, and that worries Mick Cronin.

The Division I men's portal opens for a 15-day window on April 7, a day after a new national champion is crowned in Indianapolis. This shortest window for entry yet follows a rule change this year to better align with the end of the season.

"We should do everything we can to stop these kids from transferring too much because nobody is going to graduate," the UCLA coach said Tuesday night afterUCLA beat No. 9 Nebraska. "These kids aren't going to have the grades if they're transferring three or four times, so we got to do everything we can."

Cronin is advocating for schools to be able to exceed the roughly $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap per school that began this season in order to retain their players.

"I know there's people at the Big Ten office that are for it, that's why I bring it up," Cronin said. "I told them I would back them."

Most schools are doling out the biggest share of the revenue pie to football players and giving whatever's left to basketball players. Schools are allowed to share up to $20.5 million with their players, but there still exists an option to provide third-party deals outside the school-to-player payments for name, image and likeness.

"You should be able to go over the revenue share to be able to retain players," Cronin said. "Very few of these guys are going to be able to retire on (NIL money), so we need to encourage guys not to transfer."

The transfer portal allows any player to find a new school every offseason.Chad Baker-Mazarawas on his fifth school at age 26 before he parted ways with Southern California's program last weekend.

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"If you're on your third school, they're not going to pay for you to come back when you're 25. You only went here for a year," Cronin said. "They're all going to be left in the dust."

Teams attempt to combat the transfer frenzy by having recruits sign multiyear NIL deals, but even then there are workarounds.

Cronin has worked the portal effectively in recent years, adding Donovan Dent and Johnny Juzang. But he also lost Aday Mara to Michigan, Dylan Andrews to Boise State and Berke Buyuktuncel to Nebraska.

"Berke's had a great year for them. I love Berke," he said. "He's found a great fit, he's in a great system for him."

Cronin said he receives calls from former players looking for help finding jobs.

"Guys need jobs when they're 27 and they're done playing in Europe," he said. "They have no resume because they've been playing basketball."

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byMichael Cox

in

March 04, 2026

Mick Cronin urges allowing schools to exceed the $20.5M revenue-sharing cap to retain players

LOS ANGELES (AP) — March Madness is looming. So iscollege basketball's transfer portal, and that worries Mick Cronin...

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Cale Makar, Parker Kelly lead Avalanche past Ducks 5-1 for a SoCal sweep

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point season with a third-period assist, and the NHL-leadingColorado Avalanchesnapped the Anaheim Ducks' five-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.

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Parker Kelly scored two goals and Scott Wedgewood made 27 saves for the Avs, who have won three straight and four of five since the Olympic break. Martin Necas got his 27th goal and Gabriel Landeskog also scored to completeColorado's back-to-back sweepof the Southern California clubs.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 29th goal and Lukas Dostal stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, whose eight-game home winning streak since Jan. 2 also ended.

Anaheim would have moved into first place in the Pacific Division with a point, but the loss kept Vegas one point ahead. The Ducks are in a playoff race down the stretch for the first time since 2018.

After two fruitless Ducks power plays in the opening minutes, Makar put the Avs ahead from the slot with his 18th goal.

Necas added his seventh power-play goal of the season 2 1/2 minutes later, beating his Czech Olympic teammate with a high shot. The goal was just the second on the power play in the last 12 games for the Avalanche, who inexplicably have the NHL's worst man-advantage unit despite their overall excellence.

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Gauthier hammered home a one-timer early in the second after a superb cross-ice pass from Jackson LaCombe, but Kelly got his 14th goal later in the period.

Landeskog then scored a goal in his second straight game, connecting early in the third on a one-timer from MacKinnon, who got his 59th assist to go with his NHL-leading 41 goals.

Up next

Avalanche: At Dallas on Friday night.

Ducks: Host New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

byMichael Cox

in

March 03, 2026

Cale Makar, Parker Kelly lead Avalanche past Ducks 5-1 for a SoCal sweep

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point ...

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Big payday ahead for RB Kenneth Walker III thanks in part to a soft RB NFL Draft class?

While it's hard to label a Super Bowl MVP landing a lucrative deal in free agency a shocker, there was definitive buzz in the agent and executive ranks that Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III will end up getting a deal that puts him in the top three or four highest-paid at his position, with an annual average value that could reach $13 to $14 million per season.

That's a number solidly north of the $9 to $10 million window that some were predicting prior to the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning run, and still north of the $12 million average that some agents were slotting him at heading into the combine.

The Seahawks aren't expected to use the franchise tag on Walker before Tuesday's deadline, paving the way for the running back to hit the free-agent market,ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Why the change of free agency fortunes for Walker? There are two main reasons.

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First, during the week of the scouting combine, New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey was very suggestive that the team would use the franchise tag on Breece Hall if they couldn't get a deal done by the tag deadline. TheJets reportedly followed through on Tuesday, tagging Hall.

That was at least a surprise, taking the best running back aside from Walker out of the free-agent pool.

The second development in Walker's favor was the running back class being generally soft in this draft and disappointing with a lot of players at the position sitting out portions of workouts at the combine. While there were certainly some combine bright spots, Walker entered this week a winner, now being far and away the best free-agent option at his position and still having several years of prime left ahead of him.

byMichael Cox

in

March 03, 2026

Big payday ahead for RB Kenneth Walker III thanks in part to a soft RB NFL Draft class?

While it's hard to label a Super Bowl MVP landing a lucrative deal in free agency a shocker, there was definitive bu...

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Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac to call Wrexham match as pair celebrate 5 years of club ownership

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac will celebrate the fifth anniversary of their purchase of the Welsh soccer team by doing live commentary during a match later this month.

Reynolds and Mac, who purchased the then-non-League club in 2021, will call the game on a special broadcast when Wrexham hosts fellow English Football League Championship side Swansea at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. It is expected to provide "behind-the-scenes insight" and "documentary-style insider access" over the course of the match, which will be broadcast on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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"As with our decision to take over Wrexham five years ago, we genuinely have no idea how this is going to go, but we will give it our best. Neither of us have called a sporting event of any variety, let alone a sport we basically learned the rules of five years ago,"the pair said in a joint statement.

"Either way, it will be another unpredictable day at the STōK Cae Ras and we can't wait. We're grateful to our partners at the EFL and Sky Sports, the latter of which we hope is ready with the bleep button."

Wrexham currently sits in sixth place in the Championship table, holding on to one of the four playoff places. The Red Dragons have won anunprecedented three consecutive promotions since 2023and are looking to be one of the three teams from the division that will move up to the Premier League next season.

The Hollywood duo purchased Wrexham for $2.5 million in 2020. Since they acquired the club, it has drawn international recognition — thanks in part to the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary series the two have produced on FX.

byMichael Cox

in

March 03, 2026

Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac to call Wrexham match as pair celebrate 5 years of club ownership

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac will celebrate the fifth anniversary of their purchase of the Welsh soccer team...

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Chase Pistone, NASCAR driver in the 2000s, dies at 42

Former NASCAR driver Chase Pistone has died at the age of 42.

Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026

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Sports figures we lost in 2026

His older brother, Nick Pistone, posted a message on social media, announcing his death, which did not include a cause or where he died.

But Chase's brothers, Tom and Nick, requested that Legends Nation "post the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is 988 on a phone or text."

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"Chase was not only a wheelman in Legends and Late Models, but his Chase Pistone Inc. Legends team was a force to be reckoned with every time they showed up at a track, and they usually walked away with the winner's trophy,"Legends Nation postedon social media.

During his career, Pistone, who is the grandson of two-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner Tom Pistone, competed in the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and NASCAR Xfinity (now NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts) Series.

"Well, my young brother and best friend is gone,"Nick Pastone saidon social media. "I'm broken-hearted and don't know if I'll ever get over this. I miss you Chase already and I hope you are you are in a better place. I love you and I miss you so much already!!!!!!!"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Former NASCAR racer Chase Pistone dies at 42

byMichael Cox

in

March 03, 2026

Chase Pistone, NASCAR driver in the 2000s, dies at 42

Former NASCAR driver Chase Pistone has died at the age of 42. Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026 " st...

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