Wisconsin Badgers' Nigel Hayes Throws Shade At NCAA
(CBS) As a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NCAA, Wisconsin men's basketball star Nigel Hayes has never held back his thoughts about the governing body.
Hayes and the Badgers are set to take on Maryland this weekend, bringing something that's been a noted challenge for playing in College Park -- using Under Armour basketballs. Iowa Hawkeyes players pointed to the different feel of the ball.
In an interview with Madison.com, Hayes threw shade at the NCAA's operation.
"It's definitely different," Hayes said of playing with Under Armour balls. "Personally, we don't like it too much. I don't like the Under Armour ball whatsoever. But that's the way this amateur sports league is set up. We're supposed to be having fun, but all the money is in these basketballs that colleges play with. But it's an amateur sport, we're just here for fun. It's not really that serious. So I guess any ball should be OK.
"Maybe we should have a universal ball like the NBA. You don't go to the Clippers' stadium and play with a Nike and then go to Golden State and play with a Rawlings. But in this amateur sport of college, where money isn't the goal — it's the student education and experience that you get — we play with a million different basketballs."
The comments from Hayes were dripping in sarcasm as he looks ahead to Saturday's contest in College Park.
Never change, Nigel.
