Why did so many Pac-12 basketball stars return to school?
UCLAs Johnny Juzang and Cody Riley. USCs Isaiah Mobley. Arizona States Marcus Bagley. These and other prominent Pac-12 basketball players are coming back for another season. One obvious answer: Their draft position wasnt as good as they hoped  or felt  it would be. Clearly, if their projections were several notches higher, they wouldnt be leaving. Yet, lets dig deeper. While draft position certainly had something to do with these decisions  which have made the Pac-12 a much stronger basketball conference than it otherwise would have been this upcoming season  its not the whole story. Juzang lost a college basketball classic to Gonzaga. Being able to run it back with UCLA and pursue greatness over the course of a full season had to have been alluring. Marcus Bagley of Arizona State has not tasted what Juzang experienced at the Final Four, or what USC enjoyed in its Elite Eight run. He wants to climb much higher in Tempe and be part of something special. Isaiah Mobley wants to make the leap from the Elite Eight and Final Four. He also knows he needs to demonstrate over a full season what he began to display in the NCAA Tournament: a well-rounded offensive game with shotmaking consistency. Yet, those realities are attached to motivation. Its a natural source of a decision to return to school, but it still doesnt cover or account for every possible incentive to stay in college and not cash an NBA paycheck. Lets be real: Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities mean that Juzang, Bagley, Mobley, and other Pac-12 returnees throughout the conference can cash in  Juzang and Mobley at the high end, Bagley and Oregon States Warith Alatishe likely to a more modest degree. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News explored the new world of NIL on multiple fronts:  We cannot state conclusively that Name, Image and Likeness opportunities were the reason Johnny Juzang and Isaiah Mobley (and others) decided to return to college. But we would be stunned if NIL didnt play a role in the thought process, particularly in Juzangs case: Hes the headliner on the potential preseason No. 1 team, which so happens to be a major basketball brand in a marketplace with unlimited sponsorship and branding opportunities. For all we know, Juzang has already signed an endorsement deal with a container company, as Johnny Buckets. Wilner also had this to say:  As for the potential correlation between alumni riches and NIL opportunities for recruits, yes, that could very well be the case. But whether the situation ultimately favors teams in college towns or in big cities, we arent sure. As Casey Schwab, the CEO of Altius Sports Partners, told the Hotline recently for our cheat sheet on NIL: Really, it depends on how the schools tap into their local resources and culture. In L.A., it might be the music scene. In Alabama, it might be hosting a golf tournament. The key is making sure the athletes understand the scope of the opportunities available in person and through social media and how well the schools tap into the local approach. Its not a one-size-fits-all situation.  That last point might explain why players in both Los Angeles and Corvallis, at blue-bloods such as UCLA and less-established basketball schools such as Arizona State, are all coming back.