Former sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro no longer helps sponsor teams or convinces top prospects to attend his showcases -- in part, he says, because of how Nike has come to dominate the summer landscape.

"The power index is off the charts now; Nike has complete control," Vaccaro said. "Nike is the greatest marketing company in the world in terms of athletics. There's no question about it. And what they've done with their athletes is off the radar, and I don't think anyone could ever catch them even if I reinvented myself or came back as a ghost or something. I don't know that it would make any difference because they've done what they always wanted to do -- take control of basketball.

"They've never had total control like this since I left. They're tighter with their colleges and players than ever before. They have total control. And that's what I always feared -- total one-sidedness -- because a lack of competition limits opportunities."