The majority of the group has headed back to the United States, despite Covid-19 leaving uncertainty concerning the season.
More than five million cases of the virus have been recorded in the US and there is no firm plan for the season.
One major conference, the PAC-12 — which Otago big man Sam Timmins played in — has suspended all sport until January.
However, Mainland Eagles general manager Caleb Harrison said the majority of players had been eager to go over, while a handful had stayed in the US.
The Eagles academy, based in Christchurch, runs a programme which helps South Island players obtain scholarships.
At present there were about 18 players who had come through the academy in college and it had just over 45 over the past five years.
They are part of a wave of New Zealanders playing in college, which has grown dramatically over the past five years.
"I guess the main driver for [players wanting to go back] is most of the schools are still having in-person class sessions," Harrison said.
"The ones going over there feel like they can still pursue their academic studies, and the basketball teams are still training.
"They’re all having to do their two-week quarantine, which is pretty standard.
"As far as everyone knows the basketball season over there is still planning to go froward — it’s just whether it starts in November or January."
He said the general feeling from the players had been positive around the situation.
Most travelled to the US not only for basketball, but also for the opportunity to get a degree and to live overseas.
From that perspective, Harrison said a lot felt lucky to be able to travel, where that was more difficult for the general public.
He added the players’ ages meant they were not in the high risk category, which potentially lowered their concerns around the virus.
Travel had been an issue last month, although that had become easier and the players had been able to obtain their visas.
Meanwhile, recruiting for younger players had, if anything, become easier.
Coaches and scouts were paying more attention to those sending videos and getting in contact, as they did not have games to go to in the US.
He said the virus was not deterring players from chasing the college dream, although it was hard to know how travel would be affected long term.
The overall experience remained the key driver, not just the basketball side of it.
While it helped those who wanted to pursue a career in basketball, it also acted as a great life experience and gave the players a degree to set them up for their future careers.
