DIII Basketball Player Sues NCAA

Lawsuit says NCAA has improperly ruled Saint Vincent's Mike Iuzzolino ineligible

Author

Steve Ulrich
September 29, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

SEPTEMBER 29, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

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🗞️ In Today’s Playbook. DIII Basketball Player Sues NCAA For Extra Year of Eligibility. Endicott Ends Middlebury’s 8-Year Streak. 58-Year-Old College Football Player Secures Aspercreme NIL Deal. Women’s Golf Poll. Plays of the Weekend

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TOP STORY

1. DIII Basketball Player Sues NCAA For Extra Year of Eligibility

“Saint Vincent men’s basketball player Mike Iuzzolino is suing the NCAA to gain an extra year of eligibility.

The 2025 graduate was named second-team All-Presidents Athletic Conference last season after averaging 14.0 points per game.

Iuzzolino started his collegiate career at Bryant University in 2021-22 and transferred to SVC in 2022-23 as a midyear transfer. His father, Mike, is a former NBA player and coached at Robert Morris University before taking the head position at Sewickley (Pa.) Academy.

» Background. The suit states that in 2020-21, the NCAA granted athletes a blanket waiver that allowed every basketball player in the NCAA to compete without losing a year of eligibility. By fall 2021, the NCAA purported to reinstate its previous eligibility rules, but failed to communicate this change clearly to athletes or coaches. Iuzzolino claims that he relied on his coach at Bryant’s assurances that his limited participation - totaling 23 minutes across 12 games - would not deprive him of a season of eligibility in the future.

The suit continues by saying that the NCAA has improperly ruled Iuzzolino ineligible, as it wrongly applied its own rules in bad faith to count his brief and limited participation during the COVID-impacted 2021-22 season as a full “season of competition.”

» Worth Noting. One of Iuzzolino’s attorneys is noted NCAA foe Jeffrey Kessler, the lawyer who helped craft the House vs. NCAA settlement. The lead lawyer in the suit - Henry M. Sneath - is a 1980 graduate of Hamilton College who captained the varsity squash team for the Continentals. (Lawsuit)

2. Endicott Ends Middlebury’s 8-Year Conference Hockey Win Streak

Tori Swanson scored the game-winning goal in overtime as No. 23 Endicott defeated top-ranked Middlebury, 2-1, ending the Panthers’ 60-game non-conference winning streak.

The Gulls (8-1) trailed 1-0 at half but notched the equalizer with 7:49 remaining in regulation as Reagan Hicks slipped a shot past Panther keeper Izzy Redzic. In the extra stanza, Swanson forced a turnover, cut through the defense and put a shot between Redzic’s pads to complete the upset.

Faith Minickene made 18 saves for Endicott, which was outshot 38-9. With the goal, Swanson became the program’s all-time leader in points scored (155).

Middlebury’s last non-conference loss was a 2-1 loss at Babson on September 24, 2017. (Game story)

3. Bring the Pain: 58-Year-Old College Football Player Secures Aspercreme NIL Deal

“Tom Cillo, the 58-year-old defensive lineman and powerlifter hoping to become the oldest player to play in a college football game since 2009, is building his own brand. Cillo signed a name, image and likeness deal with Aspercreme on Friday, becoming the oldest player to sign an NIL deal.

Cillo, a freshman at Division III Lycoming, received an undisclosed payment as part of the deal. He will also receive a four-year supply of the over-the-counter pain relief product as part of the partnership, the Martin Agency and Philip Durocher, chief marketing officer for Opella, a parent company for Aspercreme, confirmed.”

» What They’re Saying. “I’m living proof that you are never too old to chase your dream,” Cillo said. “At 58, I’m still lacing up, competing, and showing that passion doesn’t age. I may have more aches and pains than I used to, but then I just roll on some Aspercreme and show the younger guys that grit beats pain every time.”

» The Key Stat. “If Cillo plays a snap this season, he will become the oldest player to appear in an NCAA game since 61-year-old kicker Tom Thompson debuted for Division III Austin. Alan Moore was 61 in 2011 when he kicked for Faulkner, an NAIA school in Alabama.” (The Athletic)

4. WGCA Poll

The top two finishers in the 2025 NCAA DIII women’s golf championship hold down the top two spots in the latest WGCA ranking. Carnegie Mellon, who finished second to Emory in last season’s championship, heads the defending champs in the listing.

» Top 10. 1-Carnegie Mellon, 2-Emory, 3-Washington U., 4-Pomona-Pitzer,
5-New York U., 6-Amherst, 7-Randolph-Macon, T8-Claremont-M-S, T8-Williams,
10-Wellesley | Complete Poll

5. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Football. The Stagg Bowl will be held in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, January 4, at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by ESPN.

» Ice Hockey. Albright appears to be on the brink of announcing new varsity programs for men’s and women’s ice hockey, as the Lions are advertising for new head coaches.

» Sponsorships. Parkhurst Dining and Smiley Cookie are the sponsors of the 2025 Lakefront Bowl on November 22 in Wauwatosa, Wis., pitting football teams from the Midwest and Northern Athletics conferences.

» Championships. The 2025-26 women’s ice hockey national bracket has been increased to 13 teams, while men’s volleyball rises to 21 teams.

6. Comings and Goings 

7. Plays of the Weekend

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