College basketball is in crisis. Last year, a federal indictment brought to light the ways in which big-name programs, agents and apparel companies worked together to give top players special treatment, including bribing them. In a response to the scandal, the N.C.A.A. convened a panel to propose reforms, and this month it announced a series of rule changes around college players and the N.B.A. draft.

Most notably, the new rules permit players to hire N.C.A.A.-certified agents before declaring for the draft. These agents will help players gauge their prospects; they will also be permitted to pay for certain expenses incurred during the recruitment process.

But in practice, only a small minority of players will benefit from this rule change, because there are a finite number of credible agents and only so many resources to be spent on college prospects. These rule changes will create a de facto caste system — one that could inspire college basketball players to organize and advance their own interests, including receiving payment for their labor.

A majority of college players will not go on to a career in basketball. Less than 2 percent of draft-eligible N.C.A.A. players are drafted into the N.B.A., and less than 20 percent play any sort of professional ball after college. Let’s assume that after the rule change, all 20 percent are able to hire agents. The rest will be left without agents, creating a caste division among the college ranks between elite players with professional representation and a vast majority who are forced to fend for themselves.