University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari has given birth to a new philosophy on recruiting since the early 2000s -acquire the best players in the country.
The only caveat to his style is the majority of these players will leave after their first year of college basketball to pursue their goal of playing in the NBA. Pundits either love or hate the “one-and-done” rule the NBA Players Association implemented in 2005, which states that a player must be at least 19 years old before he is eligible for the NBA Draft.
The rule has helped players such as Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant become household names, maybe even more so than Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant were before they went straight from high school to the pros. But what impact does the rule have on college basketball?
It has a negative impact on the institution of college basketball because it eliminates tradition and undermines the value a college education could potentially have for a student-athlete.
Imagine you’re a student, fan or otherwise affiliated with the Kentucky Wildcats, learning the entire starting lineup has declared for the draft-three of which are one-and-done players. After winning a national championship and coming from a storied program that went through a 13-year title drought before winning in 2012, you couldn’t build off the championship and re-establish the bluegrass tradition. The program would essentially be starting from square one every year.
On the other hand, it is possible to win without one-and-done players. Duke won the title in 2011. All five of the Blue Devils’ starters were upperclassmen.
If you have signed with an institution to be a student-athlete, you must also honor the “student” end of it. The scholarship for a one-and-done could have been useful for an athlete who would’ve stayed in school for three or four years, enough time to utilize the educational resources of an institution. Some players do stay for a second season if they find-or if an agent or draft expert convinces them-that their game isn’t ready.
I understand one goal of every athletic program is to generate revenue and it is very possible the return from ticket/merchandise sales could compensate for the scholarship dollars given to the athlete for one year, but not every revenue system is the same.
As for the rule itself, I believe a player should have the right to declare himself eligible for the draft after his senior year of high school. If a player has no desire to pursue higher education he should not be forced to do so.
Also, there are other solutions to avoid being forced to attend school for one-and-a-half semesters. Brandon Jennings, a former standout guard at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and current starting point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, chose to play professionally in Italy to prepare for the NBA. In his rookie season, he scored 55 points in a game, the most by a rookie since Earl Monroe. Even though this is only one case, there could be some evidence that this could also be a plausible solution for a player who would’ve potentially been a one-and-done if he is willing to travel internationally. This move could also help a player support his family, which, for some, is a reason to leave school early.
College basketball should be respected. If a player knows from the outset that they have no desire to attend school or play college basketball, they should be allowed to enter the draft after high school.
