College Basketball Pros And Cons

College basketball is one of the most exciting sports to watch. A big reason for this is because the best college coaches from the best teams are recruiting the best players. In the past this would make fans happy, especially if a great player goes to the school the fan likes. Not anymore. Throughout the past five years there has been a growing trend of college freshman only staying in school one year then going to the NBA. These players are called “one and dones.” The NBA created a rule for college freshman which states they can not graduate from high school and go straight to the pros, but they must attend college for at least one year, then they will have the opportunity to get drafted. College basketball fans and coaches both have their opinions on this

rule but the truth is, there are positives as well as negatives for the players who leave school after one year.

The popularity of college basketball players leaving school after only playing one year continues to increase. Many fans and coaches all over the nation are against the one and done rule and think college basketball players should stay in school for at least two years. John Feinstein, writing for the Washington post has the same view as many people do on the one and done rule in college basketball. He thinks the rule should be done away with immediately. “It is draining much of the joy out of college basketball for

players, coaches and fans. It has made a complete mockery of the notion that the best college basketball players have any intention of graduating. They are mercenaries passing through only because the rules force them to be there” (Feinstein 1). What he is trying to say is that players now have a small desire to be at college or even play college ball, instead they are just there to get to the next level. He said that anytime this discussion is brought up to the NBA or NCAA, they react like it’s a topic from the middle east. “Eight years on, nobody seems particularly satisfied with the NBA's 19-year-old age limit. Most college coaches argue that it should be extended to age 20, to give players an extra year of campus maturity and a greater investment in their college program (Brennen 1). This issue can very easily be settled but it seems like no one is willing to settle it. NCAA president Mark Emmert believes the NBA’s age limit is a great influence to what is viewed as the core mission of college athletics. Critics of amateurism highlight the age limit as one of the system’s most glaring injustices. “Even NBA ownership, which won the concession from the National Basketball Players Union in 2006, seems mildly dissatisfied” (Brennen). Feinstein said that the NBA and NCAA should meet with the head Union and discuss the issue and say that college basketball should go by college baseball rules. That means out of highschool the player has a decision to go to the pros or to go to college. There are no one and done’s. It is a choice between college or the pros and may be the best way to handle this situation. He understands that college basketball fans will get to see greater talent if kids decide to stay in school for more than just year. If the NCAA and the NBA could work something out with the one and done rule, both organizations might have a larger fan base.
It is not extremely difficult to see that coaches and fans of the NCAA are not happy with the one and done rule. What most people do not think about are the positives for leaving to go to the NBA. The two main positives for kids to leave after one year is for money and acknowledgement. The Duke Blue Devils just won the 2015 national championship but lost Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, and Justise Winslow (Katz 1). All were extremely talented freshman. Duke University’s coach Mike Krzyzewski, one of the most legendary coaches of all time speaks to an ESPN analyst about the one and done situation in college basketball. He told ESPN that kids are more urgent to go to the NBA as early as possible because of the riches it offers. “The way the salary has gone up over a two-year period, going up over 40 million as a result, if I’m a really good player, I would petition to look at coming out of high school,” Krzyzewski told ESPN (Katz 1). He understands that it is natural for kids to leave because that is a lot of money and most young players have not fully matured to make the correct financial decisions. Even though most kids go to the NBA for the money, many go for the fame it brings. The best competitors in college basketball want to make it to the biggest stage, the NBA. Being labeled as a professional athlete is something every little kid growing up dreams about. Young athletes model themselves after the players they see on T.V and read about in books. “It was enacted more than a decade after Garnett sparked an era that sent dozens of preps to the NBA. Two other high school players skipped college to turn pro in 1996 along with McDavid. Jermaine O’Neal has played for 15 seasons. Kobe Bryant is one of the all-time greats in the game” (Medcalf 1). This had a huge impact on the game of basketball. "It certainly brought in a little more star power to the game and maybe a little more initial notoriety for the individual classes," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "But unless a player comes in and really wants to impact the team, the team doesn't necessarily get better" (Medcalf). Kevin Garnett went from high school to the NBA without going to college which affected the decisions of future players to do the same, such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Both are the best basketball players in the world. Leaving college after the first year gives one the opportunity to make an abundance of money and also the chance to follow in the footsteps of the greatest players of all time and maybe even become a great player themselves.
One can clearly infer that there are few positives with leaving college after just one year whereas there are many positives that goes along with staying in school. Going to the NBA takes away the chance to get a degree, the chance to further develop skill level, and also takes away the college experience. The greatest coach of all time, Mike Krzyzewski believes that kids should at least stay two years. “They don’t play basketball their whole lives. They play for X amount of years. I’ve always been a big proponent of kids having the ability to go out of high school. But if they go to college, they would stay two years. But that’s never gotten the traction” (Katz 1). He began by saying they do not play basketball their whole lives. College basketball players do not think of the possibilities of getting injured. If one is not able to play anymore they will be stuck without a job because they did not stay in school. The best thing to do is stay in school and get an education so if something catastrophic does happen you can have a backup plan. Another reason why it is smart to stay in college is to improve skill level. There is an outstanding difference in a college freshman and a college senior. “Last March, when Mercer upset Duke in the NCAA tournament, Jabari Parker was completely shocked by a Mercer senior named Jakob Gollon. Jabari Parker was barely 19 but Gollon was 24 and had played in 118 more college games than Parker. In all likelihood, Parker, the No. 2 pick in last summer’s NBA draft, will be an all-star someday. Gollon will never play in the NBA (Feinstein 1). Gary Williams has the same view on this. He thinks by a player staying in school they can mature and learn the game and how to play it the right way. Two of the best big men in the country this past winter were Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminski and Syracuse’s Rakeem Christmas (Feinstein 1). “You want to know why they’re so good?” former Maryland coach Gary Williams asked rhetorically. “Because they’re seniors. They weren’t stars as freshmen and they stayed in school and learned how to play. They’re men” (Feinstein 1). Gary williams used to coach Maryland’s basketball team and will one day be inducted into the hall of fame because of the fact he got everything he could out of each and everyone of his players. Skill development plays a key role in any college athletes career if one wants to make it to the next level. The last positive for staying in school is simply the college experience. If a player makes it to the NBA, he will have games almost everyday of the season and that can be extremely strenuous. A lot of players have gotten into trouble because of “off the court” shenanigans. The main reason for this is because most young players are still immature and haven’t gotten the wild oates out of their systems. Michael Beasley wonders where his statistics might stack up if he had remained at Kansas State longer than his freshman year, when he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds (Auerbach). Now with the Miami Heat, Beasley's second stop in a six-year career with the team that took him No. 2 overall in the 2008 NBA draft, he has already been cut once, traded twice and played for three teams. He has also been arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession. And He’s only 25 (Auerbach). If he would have stayed in college the chances of him making immature mistakes might have not been as high. Statistics show that if one has the opportunity to make foolish decisions while young, they can be fixed before adulthood. Professional athletes tend to make bad choices away from the field or away from the court because they have so many eyes on them at once and it often is hard to live up to the expectations people put on them. Having the chance to experience college is a special thing and it is a way to have fun one last time before the real world comes around.
Everyone seems to have their own opinion with the one and done rule in college basketball. The fans and coaches both have their opinions on this rule but the research proves that the positives of staying in school outweighs the positives of going to the NBA. Many fans and coaches will not be completely satisfied until the NCAA and the NBA come together and change the rule and make them stay at least two years. Only good things will come from this and college basketball will improve to becoming the most exciting sport to watch with the best players in the country.