CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A College of Charleston basketball player is waiting for a million-dollar decision on whether he will be allowed to play one more season at the college.
Ante Brzovic, a CofC forward, is an international student from Croatia who challenged NCAA rules that limit athletes to four years of eligibility over the course of five years.
“I feel pretty good. I had a whole court experience so I enjoyed it,” he said after Tuesday’s hearing.
Brzovic argues his first year of eligibility should not count because it was at a Division 2 school where he was still learning English and getting accustomed to American life. On top of that, it was during COVID-19.
“For anyone who has been dumped in the middle of America not knowing any English, to count that year of basketball against him is just unfair,” attorney Mark Peper, who is representing Brzovic, says.
Meanwhile, NCAA attorneys argue Brzovic benefitted from his time at a Division 2 school that set him up for three years of success on the court at CofC.
In his last two seasons, Brzovic made nearly $400,000 in a name, image and likeness contract. He says he’s been offered more than $1 million for the upcoming season.
“I could help my parents out and my family and everybody that helped me get to this point,” Brzovic says. “The bottom line is that it’s not truly about the money. It’s really about the circumstances that I faced when I first got here.”
The case could potentially set a precedent for NCAA eligibility rules and end up in the Supreme Court.
The judge is expected to rule as early as Wednesday.
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