Alright. I’ve had it.
Enough is enough. It’s time someone is willing to come out and say what we have all been thinking (or at least should be thinking):
I DON’T CARE HOW GOOD OF A COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER YOU ARE IF YOU HAVE NO SHOT AT BEING GOOD IN THE NBA.
There it is, in the flesh. Let the disagreement floodgates be open.
Okay, let me explain. College basketball is great. The NCAA tournament is without a doubt the greatest playoff system across any sport, be it college or professional. There is arguably no better weekend than that of the first and second rounds. I personally spent 20 incredible hours combined on Thursday and Friday this year in the same seat, at the same bar, watching every minute of every game. I wouldn’t change that for a second, and there isn’t much else about the sport that I would want different.
Except one thing: the players who get the most praise.
Let’s take a quick look at the recent Bleacher Report All-American Team: Michael Beasley, Tyler Hansbrough, Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, and DJ Augustin. These five players, along with runner-ups Chris Douglas-Roberts and Luke Harangody, have been talked about all season long. They have been praised for their performances on the court, and the leadership that they have displayed for their respective teams. Yes, they deserve this praise. They have all been the most dominant players in the college ranks, and their teams have all had good seasons.
But here’s the problem that I have. Out of that group, other than Beasley and Douglas-Roberts, none of those guys will be great in the NBA. In fact, I don’t expect any of those guys to even be good in the NBA. I’ll even go one step further and say I would not be surprised if some of those guys don’t even make it on a NBA team.
Yet, we continue to consider them our “favorite” college basketball players. Everyone loves Tyler Hansbrough. He was just named the AP Player of the Year, when that should have easily gone to Beasley. You can’t watch a UNC game without hearing the announcers praise Hansbrough every other time down the court. Yet, if anyone reading this article had a top-ten pick in this year’s draft, would you take Hansbrough? I think we all know the answer to that question.
No, of course you wouldn’t.
How about Harangody? The Big East Player of the Year. Do you want him on your team? He’s the same as Hansbrough only worse. Of course you wouldn’t want him. And don’t get me started on Dell Curry’s son. The guy may have had an impressive tournament leading Davidson on a Cinderella run, but I’m pretty sure Candace Parker would have no problem boxing him out. And as big of a Candace Parker fan as I am (shout out to Naperville, IL), you have to be A LOT stronger than that to play in the NBA.
It’s obvious that there is no way to predict with complete certainty who in the NCAA will go on to be a great NBA player. But, I think we can all figure out pretty easily who has no chance. I wish the players that we would see and hear about day in and day out, would be the same guys who we think will make it. I would like to see more of the awards and acclamations handed out to guys who I will be watching for the next ten years. I didn’t need to spend a full season hearing about J.J. Reddick, and then two years later not even know if he’s on an NBA roster. But it seems like that just can’t be avoided.
What kind of a business works this way? Do you think Wall Street firms care about a kid who has great grades coming out college, yet can’t carry a conversation for more than a minute? They care about complete packages – students whom they know were good for four years, but have the potential to be even better in a professional setting. This is how we should look at our college players.
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3 months ago
I'm a college basketball fan. You won't hear me justify this allegiance with "it's because the players try harder" or "it's more pure at the college level." Instead, it's the level I grew up with and the teams I learned about in my formative years. That's the reason I like college basketball.
So, I don't agree with your sentiment about it. I LIKE hearing about the guys that won't necessarily make the NBA. I like hearing about the Connor Atchleys and the Joey Dorseys. These are gentlemen that work their butts off to get where they are and in any other country they'd be toiling away in obscurity. Only in our kooky NCAA tournament do we get to hear about them. These stories should be cherished, not discarded callously.
3 months ago
Two different associations. That's all that really needs to be said.
Does anyone say Pete Maravich, Christian Laettner, David Thompson or Bill Walton were better NBA players than Michael Jordan? I hope not. But just because MJ was better than them all in the NBA doesn't change the fact that they were greater, more impacting college players.
The same applies here, to a lesser extent.
NCAA awards are given based on what players have accomplished in college, not what they might possibly do in the pros. And as much as I despise Tyler Hansbrough, he has deserved all the praise he's received this year.
You posed the question: Do you want him on your team? It was regarding Luke Harangody, but I assume it's applicable to Hansbrough, Love, etc. If I was an NBA Gm, probably not as starters. But my answer would be an emphatic yes if i were a college coach, and that's what matters more in the college ranks.
3 months ago
I guarantee Stephen Curry will be a good NBA player. I'm not comparing his skills to A.I. or anything, but he's pretty small as well if u have not noticed and I think he's doing fine. If you did not watch the NCAA tourney this year, he was able to drive and score just as well as shoot from the outside. Also, Love will be good in thre NBA. I mean really, are you kidding me. I'm not saying he is going to be great, but he is an excellent rebounder and great defender. His offensive skills could improve, but he has range outside of the blocks which helps in the NBA now-in-days because of all the pick-and-roll action going on up top. One more thing, Michael Beasley might not even make a good NBA player. He is at an awkward position between the forward position and if he would play PF in the NBA he would not be dominant. Also, he is not the greatest on the defensive end and lacks athleticism. He is a good player who has had an amazing year, but that might not translate into a great NBA career. Getting off this though, it's hard to say who will be good or not, you never know in the NBA. So it's hard to say who will be a superstar and a benchwarmer. These are just my opinions on a few people you have in your article.
3 months ago
I meant to say I think Stephen Curry will be a good NBA player. Like I said at the end of my post, you never really know.
3 months ago
I agree that it's completely different associations. NCAA basketball doesn't just want to be considered a minor league to the NBA. They want to recognize the players the contribute well to THEIR organization and to their universities. They couldn't care less what a player might be able to do in the NBA.
The college game is about kids who work hard. They want to recognize the kids that excel not just in the sport they are participating but also in the classroom. Now I'm not trying to say that the NCAA is some altruistic organization. They use these kids to make money. The ones who stick around the longest (i.e. the ones without much pro potential) are the ones that make them the most money. The NCAA uses that to their advantage and it helps build them a positive image of caring about education and these kids.
Also I don't think a majority of people would agree that any of those guys has no pro potential. Even in the pros, I would like to have Tyler Hansbrough on my bench.
Regardless, honoring players because of their professional potential is about as valuable as preseason rankings...
3 months ago
Tend to disagree, Tom. Though I do sympathize with the Psycho-T overkill. (even writing psycho-t honestly makes me feel uncomfortable).
I do think that ESPN has made a conscious decision to specifically market their college basketball programming around the most productive college players, as opposed to the players with the most upside. But I can't say that I disagree with that decision in any way, shape or form.
3 months ago
If I may, all the comments make sense. And truthfully, they are basically what I would have expected from any group of sports fans that may be visiting Bleacher Report. Bottom line, results matter. So yes, praising a college kid who has worked hard and got his team further into the tournament makes some sense. And I actually wish I could remove my line regarding awards, because it does in fact make sense to hand out awards based on those results - not expectations. However, the ultimate point I am trying to get across is that I wish there was increased coverage and admiration given to those players that are going to continue their careers in the NBA. And not just sitting on a bench, picking up 5 minutes in garbage time, etc. But the guys who will have an impact. I would like the NBA draft to come around, and to know all the players that are going to be drafted in the first twenty picks as well as I know Tyler Hansbrough - who is not going to be (and I don't mean to keep picking on Hansbrough, but he is just the classic case that defines this problem). But without giving up my day job, its not nearly as easy to do that as the media/NCAA makes it to know the afformentioned types of players. And of course (and I mentioned this in my article) we don't know how one player is truly going to be in the NBA with 100% certainty. But we do know who will be drafted higher than some of those more popular players that might not get drafted, and I'd like to have a better understanding why.
3 months ago
Basketball is no different than football. Some of the best college players either don't go on to the NFL or are not impact players. Two different levels for a number of reasons.
3 months ago
"I DON’T CARE HOW GOOD OF A COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER YOU ARE IF YOU HAVE NO SHOT AT BEING GOOD IN THE NBA."
Frankly I could not care less about how good a player will be in the NBA. The NBA is a garbage dump. Selfish players that never play defense, and are only about money money money.
The NCAA is all about the team. Kansas proved it against UNC. They played as a team, UNC did not, UNC was lost on the court. Kansas won big time!
I will agree with the Tyler overkill. This means a lot as I am an die hard UNC fan, but for gods sake even I am a bit tired of hearing about Tyler. He is a great player, but even you favorite song gets a little old when it is all you listen to.
But you can take the NBA and stuff it.
3 months ago
i think the NCAA players who wont succed in the NBA but have had some great success in the NCAA deserve all the credit they can get
these future NBA players will be getting attention for years to come, but this is a chance where you can spotlight those who dont
i really dont agree with this for ONE reasons: NCAA basketball is more fun to watch than NBA
less traveling
less money involved
more teamwork
not as many big egos
3 months ago
Aren't we overlooking a "fundamental" question? Hansbrough, Love, Augistin, etc. seem to respect the game, particularly the college game, and maybe even the NBA game. Memphis had a host of stars, tremendous athletes with well-developed skills, but they were woefully lacking in "fundamentals," things like free throw shooting, or understanding the game clock and the necessity to foul someone before Chalmers' 3-pointer ever developed. In one of the pre-tourney interviews, the Tigers came off as arrogant, disrespected, and pouty. If they'd spent more time learning the game (same is true for their coach), they'd be the champs. As for Psycho-T, just remember that he doesn't write these stories or pitch those promos about his accomplishments. But he does block out, set screens, run the floor, play within a team concept, and respect the game. In Kansas, UNC, and UCLA we saw more "heart" this season than in hundreds of NBA games that seem to promote egos, self-indulgence, and minimal effort. I cast my vote for the college game---stuff the NBA seems about right to me.
Blaster
3 months ago
All I have to say is that they are in college, not the NBA. You can grade them on their NBA skills once they get there not their projections when they aren't. Whose to say that Hansbrough wont be great in the NBA? With as many plays as they take off in the NBA hecould easily be a double double guy coming off the bench. Just because you're not a superstar does not mean you're not productive and can have a long career. Why not give them a chance to prove themselves before you declare a player a bust.
3 months ago
All I have to say is that they are in college, not the NBA. You can grade them on their NBA skills once they get there not their projections when they aren't. Whose to say that Hansbrough wont be great in the NBA? With as many plays as they take off in the NBA hecould easily be a double double guy coming off the bench. Just because you're not a superstar does not mean you're not productive and can have a long career. Why not give them a chance to prove themselves before you declare a player a bust.
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