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Should NCAA athletes be paid?

The Villanova men’s basketball team celebrates their win over Texas Tech on Sunday, March 25, 2018, in Boston to advance to the Final Four. Photo Credit: Associated Press

Every year when the NCAA Tournament rolls along, it re-raises the debate of whether college student-athletes should get paid or not.

 

Those in favor of the status quo say scholarships are compensation enough for these student-athletes and that playing college sports is a privilege. Others disagree, saying the schools are profiting off their talent — in some cases making millions — and that student-athletes should receive a portion of the funds.

Should college student-athletes be paid? If so, how much should they get paid? If not, why not?

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Hofstra’s heroics: The last-second shots

Hitting one game-winning shot in the final seconds is enough excitement for some teams. Hofstra did it three times in a five-week span this season.

“Sometimes you go years without having a last-second win and shots like we’ve had this year. It’s incredible,” coach Joe Mihalich said. “To have three in one year, I don’t know how to equate that, I don’t know how to put that in perspective.”

Watch the three plays below and listen to the coach and key players discuss their roles in the big moment.

‘It’s never, ever worked’

The score: Monmouth 84, Hofstra 82

Time left :02.4

Justin Wright-Foreman stood at the foul line for the second of his two free throws. But there was a problem for Hofstra. The Pride trailed by two points with 2.4 seconds left. Every college basketball fan knows what the broadcasters will say: Miss the free throw on purpose, get a rebound putback or tip it out to a shooter. Here’s the thing: That play never works.

This time, however, it did.

Wright-Foreman, an 84-percent shooter from the foul line, intentionally bricked his shot. Stafford Trueheart got good position, Hofstra got a great bounce and Jalen Ray got wide open at the three-point line to hit the shot with 1.5 seconds left for the 85-84 win.

‘Just had to buckle up and make a shot’

The score: James Madison 72, Hofstra 69

Time left :01.1

The ball was inbounded from the sideline on a cross-court skip pass to the far corner. Matija Radovic caught the ball in the corner and passed to Justin Wright-Foreman, who was coming off a screen. Wright-Foreman hit the three-pointer in front of two defenders with 1.1 seconds left to tie the score at 72. Hofstra won the game in overtime, 87-81.

‘I thought I overshot the ball’

The score: Towson 73, Hofstra 73

Time left :01

Jalen Ray barely was in view when Hunter Sabety gathered up the rebound off a Towson airball. Ray already started running the floor to beat the Towson defense. He took a pass from Justin Wright-Foreman, stopped and swished a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 76-73 Hofstra win.

(Game footage courtesy of Hofstra Athletics)