Note that I didn't say "fix," because no matter what you do, you can't solve every problem completely. But I think these few things would help.
-Have the NCAA work with pro leagues (NFL and NBA) to remove the mandate that any athlete who wants to be drafted must attend college. If a player feels he is ready to play in the league out of high school, then he should be able to pursue that without limitation. Pro leagues have placed the burden of pro eligibility on the NCAA, and that's not right. A player may also choose to enter his respective draft at any point in his college career.
-Allow any underclass player who enters the draft but is not drafted the option to return to college. Kids get bad advice or they ignore good advice all the time. As long as a player hasn't signed a contract with a pro team, he should be able to return to his school if he so desires.
-Allow players to sign with agents, if they wish, and still maintain amateur status.
-Allow college players to receive outside endorsement deals, including from local businesses.
The previous two bullet points have these caveats, though: (1) Players who sign with agents or who take endorsement deals may no longer receive scholarships or any other benefits from the school. They have to pay their own tuition, room and board, books, buy their own athletic gear, pay for their own travel, etc. (2) The minimum academic requirements for student athletes become more strict, and more resembling a reasonable mean academic minimum requirement for regular students nationwide. Failure of student athletes to maintain these academic minimums will result in loss of scholarship and/or loss of academic eligibility.
So there's my hot take of the day. Ultimately, I think amateurism should be maintained, as 95% of kids who play college ball are there to get an education paid for. This would allow the ones who have no interest in playing school to pursue their pro aspirations at any time.
Even if the bluest of blue chip players all go pro, there are plenty of remaining D1 caliber basketball players to keep the game entertaining, but it would keep the NCAA from being seen as just a minor league system for these pro leagues.
-Have the NCAA work with pro leagues (NFL and NBA) to remove the mandate that any athlete who wants to be drafted must attend college. If a player feels he is ready to play in the league out of high school, then he should be able to pursue that without limitation. Pro leagues have placed the burden of pro eligibility on the NCAA, and that's not right. A player may also choose to enter his respective draft at any point in his college career.
-Allow any underclass player who enters the draft but is not drafted the option to return to college. Kids get bad advice or they ignore good advice all the time. As long as a player hasn't signed a contract with a pro team, he should be able to return to his school if he so desires.
-Allow players to sign with agents, if they wish, and still maintain amateur status.
-Allow college players to receive outside endorsement deals, including from local businesses.
The previous two bullet points have these caveats, though: (1) Players who sign with agents or who take endorsement deals may no longer receive scholarships or any other benefits from the school. They have to pay their own tuition, room and board, books, buy their own athletic gear, pay for their own travel, etc. (2) The minimum academic requirements for student athletes become more strict, and more resembling a reasonable mean academic minimum requirement for regular students nationwide. Failure of student athletes to maintain these academic minimums will result in loss of scholarship and/or loss of academic eligibility.
So there's my hot take of the day. Ultimately, I think amateurism should be maintained, as 95% of kids who play college ball are there to get an education paid for. This would allow the ones who have no interest in playing school to pursue their pro aspirations at any time.
Even if the bluest of blue chip players all go pro, there are plenty of remaining D1 caliber basketball players to keep the game entertaining, but it would keep the NCAA from being seen as just a minor league system for these pro leagues.
