In her final year playing basketball for Campbellsville University, Lauren Lee’s outstanding season led her to be a First-Team All American. Lee led the team in points (537), minutes played (997), free throws (171), and assists (174).
Following her historic season, Lee thought it was going to be the end of the road for her basketball career. However, a recently passed NCAA rule granted her another year of eligibility to play Division I basketball.
Before the new rule was put in place, a typical D-I student-athlete was given five years to compete in four seasons of their respective sport. That rule changed when Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt University’s quarterback, sued the NCAA in October of 2024. According to the NCSA, Pavia played at a junior college for two years prior to going D-1. His argument in the lawsuit was that his years spent there shouldn’t count toward his NCAA eligibility. NCSA said Pavia’s attorney argued there were no meaningful opportunities for student-athletes to earn NIL deals, and the television exposure was extremely limited outside of the NCAA.
While the case is still ongoing, the judge granted Pavia an injunction so he could play the 2025-26 season for Vanderbilt. According to The Associated Press, the new ruling now allows student-athletes who competed at a non-NCAA school for at least one year to be eligible for the 2025-26 season at the NCAA level if they would have otherwise run out of eligibility.
For Lee this rule change granted her the opportunity of a lifetime when she was offered a chance to play D-I basketball for 18th-ranked University of Purdue Fort Wayne.
“The first thing I did was call my mom because I just needed somebody to talk it through with,” said Lee. “At that point, she might’ve been more excited than I was, but the more I thought about it, it’s one more year, and it’s the only chance I’m gonna get to play more basketball. I feel like D-I is like every little kid’s dream. So, I was like, you know what? Might as well fulfill that while I can.”
Despite being excited to keep playing basketball, Lee admitted she had already mapped out what her next year would look like. She said she currently works remotely for Tarter USA, a company that makes farm and ranch equipment, and she had a position there after this school year if she wanted it. She had also planned to go back to her old high school and help coach basketball.
“My first thing before I told them I would play was to determine if those opportunities would still be there, because I didn’t really want one year to derail all of my future plans,” Lee said. “I think both of those opportunities are still gonna be there next year, so that made it a lot easier to take the leap of faith.”
When looking at the difference between D-I and NAIA basketball, Lee said the D-I girls are much taller, more athletic and a lot quicker, which would be a big adjustment for her to get used to.
“I’m actually planning on going up there this summer and giving myself plenty of time to adjust and get used to playing that caliber,” Lee said. “But it also helps when you get to practice every day with a ranked team.”
Lee said she hopes to improve her three-point and mid-range shooting, as well as bettering her separation to open up more shots.
“Some of the best players that I’ve played against in NAIA aren’t even necessarily athletic or quick, but they know how to get their shot off and they know how to get to their spot,” said Lee.
As far as her academics are concerned, Lee said she plans on doing a certificate program in organizational leadership because it’s broad and she can apply it to a lot of different fields.
“At the end of the day it was a pretty easy decision after one or two days of thinking about it,” said Lee. “Honestly, I don’t even know what to expect… But for it to be my last year, I just want to soak it all in and have fun at the D-I level.”
