Can Basketball Keep Agents Out of High School?

Mayo scandal shocks few, and penalties remain slight
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
Can Basketball Keep Agents Out of High School?
Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, left, who entered the NBA straight out of high school, may have helped encourage sports agents to target younger athletes.   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The NBA can't stop agents from scurrying around high school and college basketball these days, offering illegal gifts to sign young players. Although the players are getting younger—more go pro right out of high school—punishments for players and agents alike remain slight, the New York Times reports.

"There’s no question that people are getting closer to these kids at a younger age; that’s just the way it is," says a college coach. "But proving it is very difficult until someone comes out and blows the whistle because he got left out." (More basketball stories.)

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