Former Ducks player hopes to make his mark on the field as he approaches the final year of his college journey

Prince of Sedona He begins his seventh and final year of college basketball. From him viral video When he returns to the NCAA Tournament bubble in 2021, he has already made his mark off the court with his role in a landmark antitrust case that will save money for college athletes.

If he can help TCU have a memorable season on the field, that will be a welcome bonus.

Prince, now 24, was one of the lead plaintiffs in the case. House vs. NCAA lawsuit this led to this $2.8 billion NCAA settlement agreement It recently received preliminary approval from a federal judge. When finally completed, the deal will allow universities to pay their athletes directly, perhaps as soon as next fall. It also includes damages worth millions of lira.

“This is a big win, it’s something we’ve been trying for a long time,” Prince said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s a big step forward. There is much to be done going forward. “This is more than we could have asked for and a step in the right direction.”

Prince’s journey

It’s been quite a journey for Prince, who started his career at Texas in 2018 and went to Oregon after breaking his leg while playing for the USA Basketball Team.

He was with the Ducks in March 2021 when a social media video went viral revealing the disparities in food and disparities between the women’s weight room and the men’s weight room in the NCAA Tournament bubble. The video embarrassed tournament organizers and prompted an apology—The New York Times a year later dubbed it “The Video That Changed the NCAA”—and led to changes in women’s basketball.

“It’s incredible to make these changes and I hope it stays that way, not just because of a huge scandal and a player exposing them on a national stage,” Prince told the AP afterward. “Things shouldn’t be solved this way.”

More than three years later, Prince can look back on the turmoil for the changes he helped bring about.

“The weight room video thing was crazy, something I wouldn’t have expected as a 20-year-old kid,” Prince said.

case

He was even younger in June 2020 when he and former Arizona State swimmer Grant House became lead plaintiffs in a landmark antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA and the five largest conferences in the country. Their primary goal was to eliminate rules against athletes earning money based on the use of their name, image, or likeness, and a year later the NCAA paved the way for the NIL era in college athletics.

“I didn’t know this case would do anyone any financial gain,” he says now. “My biggest goal was to create change. When I wasn’t playing, I started building my social media platform and it started to gain traction, so I knew I could be someone who could create that change, especially from the position I was in.

“I was approached to be a plaintiff in the case,” he added. “I educated myself on what NIL meant, what it was, how it could help, dove deeper into this particular conversation, and agreed to be a plaintiff.”

Prince was also part of a federal lawsuit, along with Duke football player Dewayne Carter and Stanford football player Nya Harrison, that sought to block the NCAA from enforcing any rules banning athlete compensation. The agreement announced in May aims to address these concerns.

Prince said he envisions a future where schools can pay athletes directly for their value, and that day is fast approaching.

“NIL started as something very different, now it’s turning into a stipend for student-athletes,” he said. “Looking back is very different. I made my NIL money doing brand deals, now student athletes can get paid for playing at school. “It’s nice to wonder where you’ll be next year.”

final season

Prince spent several years in Oregon before injuring his elbow and needing reconstructive surgery. The 6-foot-4 center later dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles, thinking his college career was over.

Two weeks before the 2023 WNBA draft, which she entered, saw Oregon assistant Mark Campbell take the TCU head coaching job. He called to see if he could play at the school a few hours’ drive north of where he starred as a high school player in Liberty Hill, Texas.

After a lot of paperwork, he enrolled at TCU and broke his finger in just 14 games last season. He was away from the field for about two months after the surgery. Prince averaged 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in 21 games.

“I thought it was all over at the end of the season last year, but the NCAA gave us a call saying you had one more year left,” he said.

“All the pieces finally fell into place and I’m exactly where I need to be,” said Prince, who played in just 70 games in six years, noting that two redshirt seasons and an extra COVID year left him with seven eligible seasons. Being and everything happens for a reason.”

TCU’s season opener is Tuesday at home against Houston Christian. Even though her legacy is already established, Prince is impatient and can’t wait to prepare for the next WNBA draft with her professional career hopes alive and well.

“I haven’t yet been able to show that as the player I want to be on the field,” he said. “Due to injuries, I could not influence the game with my basketball game, but I managed to improve my game off the court and close the gap inch by inch.”

–Doug Feinberg | AP Basketball Writer