One and Done: Leave It Alone

Why do we need to “fix” the one-and-done scenario in college basketball? What’s wrong with it? First of all, it’s not the NCAA’s rule; it’s the NBA’s age restriction, which was collectively bargained for by the players’ union and the owners alike. The League, essentially, does not want players younger than 19 years of age who are not at least one year removed from their high school graduating class. That’s fine. The NFL does not want any players unless they are three years removed from their respective high school class. Nobody has a problem with that. The NBA’s age restriction has given us the benefit of getting to watch exciting and fascinating NCAA games featuring Anthony Davis and Greg Oden and O.J. Mayo and Brandon Knight and Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant and Kevin Love. And the list will continue. Even if it is just for one season, at least it’s something. To this author, that’s far greater than not seeing them play any college ball. Look what we missed out on before the rule was enacted. How entertaining would it have been to see LeBron James or Kobe Bryant play in the NCAA tournament?

All the talk and criticism over the last week or so has been about Coach Calipari and his “manipulation” of the system in respect of the one-and-done athletes. Most of the comments have suggested that something needs to be done to end this continued abuse. Although some may have judged my prior post as bashing Calipari about those same propositions, I, for one, actually believe that the rule should not be touched. Why? Mostly because the alternatives are bordering on idiotic. David Stern, the all-knowing, all-powerful Commissioner of the NBA, wants to increase the rule by a year. So two-and-through is okay? Even better, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, wants to increase the waiting period by 2 years and have players ineligible for the NBA Draft until they are 3 years out of high school!! See ESPN Cuban Article But how do you force a young man, whether from a modest background or an affluent family, to stay in school for 3 years when his professional ability is worth millions and millions of dollars? You can play professional tennis or golf in your mid-teens. Jennifer Capriati was on the women’s professional tennis circuit at 13 years old, without even graduating from middle school!! Not allowing young men to earn a living based upon their god-given talent until multiple years out of high school seems a little un-American. If a 17 year-old mathematical whiz kid wants to bypass college and go work for Wall Street firm doing quantitative analysis, nobody tells him or her that they can not do that.

Others schools of thought have suggested allowing athletes to once again declare for the draft straight out of high school, but if they instead decide to go to college, it has to be a 2-3 year commitment. What is that going to accomplish? All it will tend to do is force some high schoolers not yet ready for the League to declare for the draft out of high school if only for the fact that they do not want to stay in school for 2-3 more years. It will only cause to generate more bad decisions and more cases where a player is “washed up,” so to speak, at the age of 20.

Leaving the rule exactly as it is today allows the athletes to further their education, if only for an additional year, but it also allows them to develop their game at a higher level for that same time frame. Most importantly, it allows the athlete to come to an informed decision about their draft potential by obtaining impartial opinion and analysis about their professional promise from the school’s coaching staff and evaluators prior to entering the draft, and that is something these kids do not get straight out of high school. At 17 or 18 years of age, most of these kids have dominated the competition for some time, and are flocked with hangers-on and wannabe agents telling them whatever they want to hear. And let’s face it, as good as a lot of these kids are, most are not ready for the NBA straight out of the prep ranks. Do not forget, before Kobe was one of the best players on the planet, he saw a lot of pine in his first two seasons with the Lakers. In 1996-1997, his rookie year, Kobe only averaged 15 minutes a game, started in only 6 of them, and dropped less than 8 points per contest. His second year was just a shade better, averaging 15 points, in 26 minutes of action, starting in only 1 of them. And to counter that argument, I don’t want to hear about LeBron. Forget LeBron. He’s a freak. We will not see another LeBron.

What about paying college kids? Dumb. If you think it is hard to control the recruiting of top notch, All-American players now, just imagine if they were allowed to receive compensation. And if the universities did start paying the athletes, where would the line be drawn? How much compensation? Does everyone receive the same amount? If not, who decides who gets what amount? Additionally, it will be almost impossible, more so than it is now, to determine whether or not players are receiving improper benefits. The athletic scholarship, which also includes lodging, food and books, is enough. At most, maybe have the universities insure the athletes against career ending injuries.  

The “one-and-done” rule accomplishes two important things: it allows players to attempt a professional career at a young age, but at the same time forces them to take a step back for a year, enjoy being a kid a little while longer, and make a more informed decision about their futures. Look, its not broke, so don’t fix it.