Private high school student-athletes may soon be able to profit off NIL rights, sources say

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A big change to high school athletics in North Carolina could be coming soon.

Multiple sources told ABC11 that the NCISAA -- the governing body for private school athletics in the state -- is considering changes to name, image and likeness (NIL) rules for their student-athletes, potentially paving the way for those athletes to get paid when their image is used in advertising.

"That's always been kind of like a dream for I feel like a lot of high school basketball players that want to play," said Luke Boush, a senior shooting guard with Southside Christian School in Clayton.

Boush is graduating in a few months but said the potential policy change could alter the landscape and balance of North Carolina's high school athletics.

"It's going to be interesting to see how this affects how public schools are able to keep up with Christian schools and other private schools, able to recruit talent at a higher level and maybe get better kids to come to private schools," Boush said.

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The potential shift comes several months after a similar effort by the NCSHAA -- the governing body for public school athletics -- was shot down by lawmakers. SB 636, passed last year, placed the authority for decisions including NIL rights with the State Board of Education.

Kevin Gibbs has worked with hundreds of high school basketball players at his IV Greatness Basketball Academy in Raleigh. He is wary about what different rules for public and private high school players might mean.

"More athletes are going to go to the private school because they want to monetize especially the bigger-name athletes. And then it just could be a system the same way kind of it is in college," Gibbs said.

Gibbs was referring to the new college system that's become rife with transfer, as many student-athletes chase the biggest payday for their personal brands.

"It's just getting younger and younger," Gibbs said. "We're seeing AAU we're seeing now, you know, high school. Right. And so it's the Wild, Wild West."

ABC11 reached Que Tucker, the head of the NCHSAA by phone Thursday. Tucker said she was aware that conversations were taking place but did not know where things stood with her private school counterparts.

Tucker said she hopes the State Board of Education takes another look at the policy for public school student-athletes and gives them the chance to capitalize on branding.

Repeated attempts to reach the NCISAA were unsuccessful, but sources told ABC11 that a more formal announcement is forthcoming. ABC11 reached out to the State Board of Education and has yet to receive a response.