Assignment 16: Eli Wrinn

At point guard: Tyler Ulis. at shooting guard: Devin Booker, also at guard: Jamal Murray, at power forward: Trey Lyles, and at center: Karl-Anthony Towns. Yes, this could be the starting lineup for the Kentucky Men’s Basketball Team this year if all players were forced to stay for all four years in college. For those of you who don’t know, this would be an incredibly good team. It would most likely roll to a national championship this year. Some people may even argue, myself included, that it would be an NBA playoff team. As a UK fan, I would love nothing more than for this to happen. However, as an objective lover of the sport and proponent of effective education, this would probably not be the best option for the players themselves.

            The dream team mentioned earlier wouldn’t be as dominant if that were the situation, given that other teams would be incredibly strong as well. For example, Duke could start Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, Justice Winslow, and Jahlil Okafor: another incredible team. But they are already helping NBA teams win games each night, and that is what is most important to them: earning money for their extreme talents. They were ready to play at the highest level without four years of experience. The other years would be a waste of time, and they would also risk injury, which could seriously affect their careers. Also, a requirement to stay in college would cause many players to play overseas before entering the draft. Examples of successful players like this are Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol. This means that they went straight into the NBA and didn’t even have a chance to influence or experience college basketball.

            This is not to say that every player should be rushed to the NBA. In fact, I think players leaving too early is much more of a problem than staying in college too long. One of the things I dislike the most about the NBA today is young athletes playing undisciplined basketball and getting hurt or having their game fall off. Many failure stories of players rushed to the NBA from college exist. From the last few years of Kentucky basketball some examples are Archie Goodwin, Isaiah Briscoe, and Doron Lamb. All three of these players did not complete four years of college basketball and are currently not on an NBA team.

            The one and done rule requires American basketball players to be one year removed from high school or age 19 before entering the draft, usually causing them to attend one year of college before entering the NBA Draft. Before this rule, of course, the famous examples of high school players going straight to the NBA and dominating such as LeBron James and Tracy McGrady occurred.  However, I agree with the rule and do not believe that players should be allowed to enter the NBA straight out of high school. They are simply not prepared. Also college teaches valuable lessons to the kids that they can use their whole lives such as money management, hard work, and discipline, all which can be seen in a player’s character and play. Finally, the product of college basketball would be greatly damaged due to a loss of talent.

            The answer to this issue is quite simple: keep the rule intact, and maintain a more “players first” approach to the developing of talent. Another problem that many people see in the nature players leaving their teams constantly is that a lack of continuity exists in college basketball. It seems like with every year a new team arrives which has to learn the school’s system and learn to play together. No solution exists to this under the current one-and-done rule for the heavy recruiters such as John Calipari, head coach of the Kentucky Basketball Team. Coaches can’t simply start to recruit worse players so they will stay for four years. The only solution is to embrace this discontinuity. The coaches must treat college basketball as a training system for future professionals. This is what the high-caliber programs such as Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke have done recently and they have experienced no lack of success or level of play. Think of college basketball in terms of a college class. What is a college class but heavy preparation for the professional level of the subject? What makes college basketball any different?

            How is this done? It requires a heavy focus on player development and possible success at the next level. Enduring through a long season and many hard-fought games is great preparation for the NBA, and it is already provided for all college athletes. This is not provided at such a level for high school or AAU players. Additionally, the NBA draft should help with this process. The NBA should provide players with more information on how their career would pan out if they were to enter the draft. They should also get feedback and tips from scouts to work on in college games. Finally, in my opinion, college coaches should encourage their players, that “when in doubt, stay in college.” This would not only improve the players’ game when they got to the NBA, the college game would retain more talent.

            Many people believe that college basketball is a waste of time for extremely talented players. They believe the one-and-done rule should be eliminated and that the players should be able to choose when they want to become professional and begin earning money as soon as possible. After all, it is a free market. However, leaving the rule in place would not only improve the college and professional games, but also having just one year of the college experience would greatly help the players develop for long term success on and off the court.