September 03, 2025

Big-Time College Sports: UConn Plays the Money Game with ‘Open Practices’

By Anthony Price 

Summary: UConn begins new direct-payments era with "Open Practices" 

Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center, Storrs. Photo: Anthony Price

The old college sports model is dead.

For decades, universities hid behind the label of “student-athletes,” offering partial or full scholarships in exchange for grueling hours of labor on the field and in the classroom. Players were expected to compete “for the love of the game”, while schools and the NCAA raked in billions. 

It was a Dickensian system—created by the NCAA and controlled by its executive director and member school presidents, and defended by an army of lawyers. Fear kept the players in line, and amateurism was the iron rule. 

That rule is no more.

In June, a federal judge approved the House vs NCAA settlement, a landmark decision that effectively ended the NCAA’s version of amateurism. The case—actually three class action lawsuits bundled together—represented more than 390,000 current and former college athletes. The plaintiffs argued that the NCAA’s restrictions on compensation were an antitrust violation. They won.

Fear kept the players in line, and amateurism was the iron rule. 

The New Game 
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Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, Division I universities that opt into the House settlement will be able to pay athletes directly.

NCAA President Charlie Baker told NPR, [the settlement] "marks a huge step forward for college sports." He stated it "is a tremendously positive change and one that was long overdue."

Importantly, this is not the same as name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, where businesses or organizations pay athletes for endorsements and appearances. NIL remains intact.

The House settlement allows direct university payments of up to $20.5 million per year, capped under a salary system that will increase over time. Unsurprisingly, most of the money will go to the sports that generate revenue: football and basketball. 

As part of the settlement, over $2.7 billion will be paid out to former athletes who were harmed by the decades of NCAA restrictions, according to an NPR report by Becky Sullivan. 

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UConn men's basketball practice. Photo: Anthony Price

Cashing In: Open Practices

​UConn opted into the settlement and now can make direct payments to its athletes. Whether those figures will ever be made public remains to be seen. 
 
What has already gone public, however, is UConn’s new approach to generating revenue. In late July and early August, the UConn athletic department hosted two “Open Practices” featuring the 2025-26 men’s basketball team at the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center in Storrs. 
 
The events weren’t open to everyone. Admission was limited to men’s basketball season-ticket holders and members of the Husky Athletic Fund. The 100 or so tickets for the events were hotter than July weather and disappeared fast. One fan told this writer that she paid $200 just for the chance to attend one of the open practices.
 
(In contrast, a basketball practice last summer at Gampel Pavilion was open to the public and free.)
 
This time, exclusivity was the selling point. Super fans willing to part with dead presidents from their wallets got rare access to one of the top basketball programs in the country. 
 
The price of admission included a Q&A with coach Dan Hurley, a tour of the Werth facility—home to both the men’s and women’s basketball programs—and lunch with the team. 
 
The strategy is simple: give fans a personal, behind-the-scenes, experience and they will more likely to spend money on UConn-related activities. For UConn officials, it’s not just about engagement, but about future donations rolling in. 

Tristen Newton, Werth Center stairwell. Photo: Anthony Price

​The Show
 
About 20 minutes before the doors opens, fans lined up outside the Werth Center—some clutching basketballs and jerseys, hoping for autographs. 
 
The building itself is a shrine to UConn basketball, from crystal trophies in the lobby to giant wall murals of Husky greats. Once fans’ names were checked off the VIP list—like entering an exclusive nightclub—they were ushered courtside, close enough to high-five Alex Karaban, Solo Ball or Tarris Reed Jr.  
 
Inside, six championship banners hang proudly above the basket—with one blank space for a future banner. Another wall celebrates UConn’s NBA Lottery picks: Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Andre Drummond, Jordan Hawkins, Steph Castle, Donovan Clingan and others. 
 
You can’t help but feel special being in the building. 

Practice opened with a bang—literally— as players pounded on the door before sprinting onto the court to cheers.

​​The crowd was mostly white males, over 50 years—with a scattering of kids in UConn jerseys—the exact demographic that UConn hopes to court all the way to the bank. And so far, it appears to be working, judging by the smiles on faces.  
 
Practice opened with a bang—literally— as players pounded on the door before sprinting onto the court to cheers. Hurley, in a white long-sleeve t-shirt, shorts and sneakers, let his assistants run the early drills, while he observed. The players moved nonstop, hip-hop blasting as coaches barked instructions and encouragement.
 
About 20 reporters watched from the bridge above, stripped of cameras and phones, scribbling notes the old-fashioned way. 
 
The scrimmage, gray team versus blue, was the main event. Freshman Jacob Ross, younger brother of junior Jayden Ross, drove down the middle and dunked the basketball, which generated considerable applause. At 6-5, the Virginia native showed flashes of the energy he’ll bring off the bench this season.
 
Graduate guard Alec Millender also impressed; steady and experienced, he shot 43.5% from 3-point range last year and was ranked 12th in the country with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.95—something the Huskies could have used last season.  
 
The team’s four freshmen— Ross, Braylon Mullins, Eric Reibe and Jacob Furphy—will be valuable contributors to the squad 
 
Practice wrapped with a flurry of elaborate handshakes, each one unique, each one memorized by teammates. This group appears to have a fondness for one another that could lead to a deep run in the NCAA tournament. 
 
Practice ended after about 60 minutes. Hurley took questions from the fans, then turned to the media. For a moment, he seemed more relaxed than usual. Don’t expect him to be this way once the games mean something—he can’t change his DNA. Hurley will be Hurley. 

Dan Hurley talks to the media. Photo: Anthony Price

How Does UConn Stack Up in the Direct Payments Era?
 
In college sports, the Southeastern Conference sets the standard—especially in football. Think Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Texas.   
  
At UConn, it’s different. Football revenue can’t keep pace with the SEC giants, so basketball is king here. 
 
According to USA Today’s NCAA Finances report, Ohio State led all athletic programs in 2024,  with over $251 million in revenue. Five of the top programs were in the SEC, and the league’s grip only tightened when Texas ($239 million) and Oklahoma ($177 million) jumped from the Big 12. 

UConn, ranked No. 50 at nearly $100 million in revenue, sits far behind. The Huskies will have to find creative ways beyond open practices if it hopes to run with the big dogs of college football. 
 
The House settlement forever changed amateur sports in college. But one truth hasn’t changed: money still rules. 
 
The Huskies may not match SEC football dollars, but they’re taking their shot in the new money game of college sports.
 
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​Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Jump Ball Journal is basketball beyond the score.