I posed this question to Chat/GPT. They cited difficulty, yet offered some “… very strong estimates.”

How many international college basketball players are on the current rosters of the final 16 men’s teams in the 2026 NCAA Division 1 tournament?

• There are about 60 internationals on the 16 teams combined.
• The higher their seeding the more internationals.
• Illinois has 5-7.
• There has been a sharp upturn over the recent years. There are currently about one thousand women and one thousand men (internationals ) on our D1 rosters.

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Some personal comments from an old tennis coach/”sports fan”

• College tennis players are better because the money has made college tennis a better option than the tradtional Challenger route.
• College tennis has become the “minor leagues” of Pro Tennis.
• 1970-NAIA tennis rosters changed to almost all foreign, almost overnight.
• Now all divisions of college tennis rosters, save D111, are the same .
• Scholarships are the only source of aid for American families.
• Fear of lawsuits has been a major concern.
• The age of Tennis and Basketball players is a major factor.

Cruel ? Our children ?

Recruiting gossip is no longer about “blue chip” or ” 5 Star “, 17/18 year American high schoolers. Recruiters have a bag of money to offer to “portals”. They are often 23 years old. Some have transferred 3-4 times. We are letting graduate students play. Some are “eligible” six or seven years after admission.

American Tennis families have suffered from this for years. Poor to rich.

Basketball has been a bedrock for mostly poor kids. Will international older players, often with backgrounds of professional play, join tennis in taking away our children’s opportunites ?

This has to be dealt with soon. And it affects many other sports than tennis and basketball.