Done With "One And Done"
When the NBA implemented the rule requiring high school players to attend at least one year of college before entering the draft, it was widely viewed as a positive change. Not only would it help protect teams from wasting picks and cap space on unproven commodities with a rather large failure rate, but it would spark the resurgence of collegiate basketball. No longer would the best players never step foot on a college campus, and it could resurrect powerhouse matchups and rivalries that had become a thing of the past. Once again we would have the best in the world going out and proving their worth on a national stage before they advanced on to the Association. This policy had no downside, with only the sky as its limit. It struck me as the perfect solution to the problem.
Boy was I wrong. The system has flaws, and more harm seems to be done by the "one and done" rule than good. However, some of the beneficial effects have been achieved. Even the best players legitimately considered returning to school before fleeing for greener pastures, or at least they said they did. Greg Oden hemmed and hawed about returning to school, acting like he was enjoying his time in Columbus and showing a desire to help them win that one final game...before he decided to bolt after just one season in Buckeye territory. Blake Griffin, who would have been a top five pick had he left after his freshman season at Oklahoma, returned to Norman for a repeat attempt at dominance in the Big 12. It's unfortunate that a marquee player spending two years playing in college came as a surprise to everyone, but that is the state of collegiate basketball. So the system doesn't work perfectly, but it isn't all that bad, right?
At least up until a month ago, the system was passable. Then Josh Selby opened his mouth, disgraced the game of basketball, the spirit of collegiate athletics, and showed me that the time for change is now. The prize recruit for the University of Kansas uttered one sentence, and with that sentence changed my stance on the rule for good. The statement was innocent enough. After the high school point guard committed to the University of Kansas, a reporter asked him how long he was planning on staying. Selby's candid response was "God willing one year, but I have to get where I need to be."
And with that, I lost all faith in the one year rule. Gone are the days where the players at least pretended that they wanted to stay in school longer than one year. Selby has yet to play a game in Lawrence and he's already planning his escape. For Selby, college isn't a time to refine and improve his game or a place to train and learn what he needs to do to become an elite player. It's a speed bump, an obstacle jutting its way into his path to stardom and riches. Think of where you were mentally at when you were 18. Were you ready to jump straight into the professional world? Or were you sitting around drinking in your mom's basement, eating Cheetos, and trying to discern which pair of dirty underwear smelled the least foul? For all of the debauchery that occurs on college campuses, a lot of personal growth happens there as well. You aren't the same person at 22 that you were at 18, and if you are anything like me, you're probably much better off for it.
The growth, both mental and physical, that a basketball player must go through in college is exponentially higher than anything us regular Joes had to experience. Instead of being hounded for attention by the few hundred kids in your high school, you are now the center of attention on a campus of thousands, the focal point of a rabid statewide fan base and an unrelenting media contingency. You need to learn to balance the pressure of carrying the weight of a national title contender on your shoulders, while maintaining your GPA at a level that keeps you eligible to play. These are lessons that, if learned properly, will not only make Selby a better basketball player, but a better person. God forbid Selby stays on campus for a few years, receives a top notch education, and maybe has something else going for him in life other than being able to put a ball through a hoop. The opportunity that has been laid at his feet is one that millions of kids across the country would sacrifice everything for, but will never be able to have. He might not know it, but an education is not a detriment in life, it is actually a tool that people use out in the real world.
When Selby is no longer in high school, playing day in and day out against kids half his size and talent, he'll be in for a rude awakening. Instead, he'll be going against the best players in the best college basketball conference. You see, a spot in the NBA is not a birthright for him. A job proving your worth against the most talented basketball players in the world is earned through more blood, sweat, and tears than he could ever imagine. As soon as Jacob Pullen or LaceDarius Dunn takes him to the woodshed once or twice during the Big 12 schedule, maybe he'll realize how naive he was, anointing himself ready before his journey even started.
So I kneel before you, powers that be in the NBA and NCAA, please make a change. I am sick and tired of seeing a diluted college game. I'm tired of watching players, high on potential and low on experience, rot at the end of NBA benches complaining about how if they just had a chance that they would make the most of it. Guess what, Brandan Wright/ Javaris Crittenton/ Jerryd Bayless/ Donte Green? You had your chance, and yet you wasted it. Instead of being the toast of town in college, bringing your popularity to heights you thought inconceivable and simultaneously preparing yourself both emotionally and physically for the next level, you skipped it. Now your growth is stunted, your attitude is in constant question, and your desire is noticeably absent. Your quest for instant gratification robbed you of an essential period of growth and left you a mid-20's teenager. I hope you like Europe, because that's going to be your best chance of ever getting the opportunity that you were so convinced that you were ready for. The patience exhibited by men like Shane Battier and Emeka Okafor is a model young men like Selby unfortunately choose to ignore. They stayed in school, worked on their game under the cream of the crop of college coaches, and earned their degrees. They took full advantage of the opportunities they were given, and it will lead to a much richer life. Their patience paid off not only in a long lasting NBA career, but also a career path post basketball.
As much as the close circles of these players may say so, an 18 or 19 year old freshman isn't ready for the NBA. For every Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and Tyreke Evans, there is a Kosta Koufos, a BJ Mullens, or a Marvin Williams. People who weren't ready, and by bypassing the college games may very well have cost themselves millions upon millions of dollars. Detractors will say that every person should have a right to pursue the career of their choice. I say, what is so wrong about making them earn it, especially when so much is tied up in their performance. One wasted draft pick costs an NBA owner millions initially for the contract, and it pushes their rebuilding efforts back at least a year, costing them even more in future earning potential due to the inability to field a quality team. At this point, the D-League has not developed into a true minor league, so players who don't have a place on the active roster of an NBA team are relegated to cheerleader duty at the end of the bench. Their game doesn't have a chance to develop, and the most important years for mental and physical growth are wasted. Too much is at stake for it to be left up to a kid who can't even drink, let alone make a responsible and educated decision.
Make the rule 3 years in college before draft eligible, and all of a sudden you have mature men making a decision that they are mentally prepared to make. The risk from an owners standpoint is significantly reduced, as the high school phenoms who were never good enough for the NBA will have been weeded out or exposed as nothing special. And if they turn out to not be as good as advertised, they got a free education out of it. So you see, Josh Selby, college life isn't so bad. Quit pretending like it's an impediment to your stardom. Before proclaiming yourself ready, why don't you go out and prove it.
