Updated NBA Draft process gave Tyus Battle evaluation he needed

While the big news for Syracuse Orange fans is that Tyus Battle will return for 2018-19, the most important part of Wednesday’s news may be around the recently updated draft process actually working the way it’s supposed to.

Battle knew what he wanted from NBA scouts, and got the honest evaluation he needed. By going in without an agent, he was able to maintain his eligibility and make an informed decision around whether he should stay or go. When feedback came that he wasn’t necessarily going to be a first-rounder and had some work to do in order to improve his game, he was able to make the choice to come back and improve.

This is the way it’s supposed to work, and good for Battle getting what he needed out of the process. With so many underclassmen declaring this year, there’s no way all were getting picked. Players approaching the process as Battle did benefits them in the long run. It’s nice to see the NCAA actually change something to provide greater assistance to players.

The rest of your Syracuse-related links below:

NBA Draft feedback helped convince Tyus Battle to return to Syracuse basketball (Syracuse.com)

”It wasn’t likely that he was going to be drafted in the first round,’’ Gary Battle said. “We were hearing maybe first half of the second half, but there’s nothing definite. He wanted to be drafted, but he wanted to be able to play”... “He wants to be an NBA player,’’ his father said, “but he wants to be better when he gets there.’’

Syracuse basketball recruiting target Joe Girard plans to trim school list next month (Syracuse.com)

Girard underlined a very real dilemma for players attempting to puzzle out the possibilities of their college choices. High school players want to make informed decisions about their college futures. They want to visit schools, meet team members. But they also face a sort of Rubik’s Cube combination of other players those same schools are recruiting.

The Winners: Which college basketball teams got helped the most by NBA Draft early entries (NBC Sports)

And it’s Battle that is the key. Syracuse should have a little more shooting this season that they did last year with Buddy Boeheim in the mix, but this is still a group that is going to rely quite a bit on Battle to create points for them. He is the difference between the back-end of the preseason top 25 and a .500 season.

Conference re-alignment will come - shaped by tech, not TV (247Sports)

Again, back to my friend at Amazon. “We’re still seven or eight years away,” he said, “but if we had to restructure the landscape today, we would not start by negotiating with a conference. We don’t care about the SEC, Big 12 of Big 10 as a whole. In our opinion, those entities are not our focus.

Kick Time Set for Opener at Western Michigan (Cuse.com)

The Syracuse football team’s 2018 season opener Friday, Aug. 31 at Western Michigan will kick off at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, it was announced today. The game marks the first time Syracuse and Western Michigan will square off on the gridiron. The Orange hold an 82-42-4 (.656) record all-time in season-opening games, including a 2-0 mark under head coach Dino Babers.

Lauren Brownlow: Which ACC coach would be most likely to have a burner Twitter account? (WRALSportsFan)

Donovan McNabb interested in Syracuse football radio analyst job (Syracuse.com)

Syracuse University named ‘Booty Call Capital’ by online delivery service (Syracuse.com)

Legalized betting is coming to college football, and the SEC is bracing for impact (CBS Sports)