Mizzou Links, 6-25-14: Namon Wright putting in work, O'Bannon case crystallizing

Namon Wright talks versatility and weight rooms, Thon Maker's back story is (incredibly) unique, and we might be figuring out which way the O'Bannon v. NCAA case is going to go.

By Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC Jun 25, 2014, 5:14am CDT

1. 9 weeks, 2 days to South Dakota State

2014 previews
PowerMizzou: Study Guide: Toledo

Incoming freshmen
Rivals.com (VIDEO): Rivals Spotlight: Sam Bailey

Someone who won't be donning black and gold...
The Trib: Rock Bridge WR Alex Ofodile commits to Oregon
Post-Dispatch: State's top-ranked football player commits to Oregon

...and someone who might
Rivals.com (VIDEO): William Lockett interview

2. The Thon Maker story

SMH.com.au: Refugees escaping war are aiming for the stars

Someone who will be donning black and gold...
MUTIGERS.COM: Get To Know Mizzou's Namon Wright

Q: How would you describe your skill set and what you bring to the table on the court?

NW: "From playing point guard, shooting guard and small forward, I think I bring a lot of versatility. I bring high energy and I'm a defense-first kind of player. It's just a matter of conditioning and working at it. I'm definitely going to bring defense, energy, and I'll dive for loose balls. I'll do everything I can to win and bring everything I've got every single game."

Q: Is there anyone on the team that's especially helped your transition to Mizzou so far?

NW: "Johnathan Williams taught me that as a freshman, he was doing exactly what I'm doing in the weight room. He taught me that he couldn't score as effectively because he wasn't strong enough and now he's dominating practice. So that's helped me with my confidence looking forward to the future."

PowerMizzou.com - Summer Sessions: Namon Wright

NW: "These are two completely different players so it's kind of weird to say, but the only people that I get compared to are Nick Young from the Los Angeles Lakers or Dwyane Wade from the Heat. Those are the two comparisons I get a lot."

3. O'Bannon

Grantland (Charlie Pierce): Dispatches From the NCAA’s Deathbed

Heckman had just answered a question about the central issue of the case: whether NCAA athletes like the plaintiff, former UCLA All-American Ed O’Bannon, have signed away the rights to their names, images, and likenesses to the NCAA based on its purported code of amateurism, and whether, by enforcing that purported code — even after athletes’ eligibility has ended — the NCAA has been acting in restraint of trade and in violation of antitrust laws. Wilken was curious about one point.

"Are you saying," she asked Heckman, skepticism edging every word like a razor, "that being paid for your name, image, and likeness is the same as being paid for the activity itself?"

I nearly sprained my neck. Jesus, I thought to myself, this thing may have been over for weeks.

If Wilken believes that payment for an athlete’s name, image, and likeness is something different from being paid simply for playing the game — that it constitutes something not in violation of the rules regarding amateurism, but rather something outside of them — then that’s the ballgame. Everybody can grab a beer and go home.

Big Ten Network: B1G presidents, chancellors on O’Bannon trial
SB Nation: SB Nation *finally* mentioned in O'Bannon trial
SB Nation: 'Booster' is a dirty word in the NCAA's world, but not in court

And in other lawsuits...
Post-Dispatch: Minor leaguer-turned-lawyer targets MLB in lawsuit