College Basketball, NBA: Why the One-and-Done Rule Must Be Abolished

A rule established in 2005, the one-and-done rule, has been haunting college basketball and the NBA for years. It hurts the players, the recruiting, and the game itself.

Let's start with the players. While some players do need to go to college to develop for one more year there are many that are NBA-ready right out of high school and do not need to risk an injury. Some of these players are coming from financially unstable backgrounds, and they need to start making millions of dollars in the NBA right now.

Take Kyrie Irving, who was the point guard for the Duke Blue Devils last season. Irving was a great player who was ready to take on the NBA when he was 18, yet he was forced to go to college for a year.

Irving suffered a toe injury that had him listed as out indefinitely at the time. Irving missed every game in the regular season except for the first eight, missed the ACC tournament, and played limited minutes in the NCAA tournament.

You can make the case that the injury was a non-factor for Irving because he did well in his final game and was still the No. 1-overall pick in the NBA Draft. However, the toe injury still hindered him and could lead to a decline in his game. Also, if the injury was slightly more serious he would have missed the entire season and may not have had much of a future in the NBA.

If a poverty-stricken player suffers an injury in college that turns out to be serious then it can mean the end of their basketball career, and their chances of breaking out of their economic struggles. Let's face it, some of these players are banking on NBA career to make money, so why should we hold them back?

Also, some players will go to schools that violate recruiting standards by promising their players money (Miami).

Speaking of recruiting, "one-and-dones" can tear a program apart. When a coach is recruiting they now must try to recruit good players who they think will play more than just one season. To spend time, energy and recruiting actions on players who may only play one year may not have as much benefit as there is cost.

Some coaches may promise players that they can ready them for the NBA in one season, and there will be no hard feelings when the kids turn pro.

I know Kentucky fans will jump on me for this, but it is true. If John Calipari of Kentucky goes to a player and talks about how he has developed "one-and-dones" into NBA players, and had those players become top picks signed to big contracts, then it will be hard for any recruit to say no to him. His one-and-done factory at Kentucky is not how the game should be played, and is an insult to the sport (sorry, Kentucky fans).

Now that we have shown that the rule is not beneficial, it is time we come up with a solution.

My solution is for players to either go to the NBA Draft right away, or to stay in college for at least two years. This is a bit different than what was in place before the rule was established, in the fact that players must stay two years instead of being able to go to the NBA whenever they wanted.

This may sound hypocritical to some because I have said that some players only need one season in college and this could lead to them suffering an unnecessary injury in their sophomore season. However, this is more beneficial for coaches.

If a coach knows that a player must spend at least two seasons with them they may be willing to recruit the player for a longer period of time.

Take the North Carolina Tar Heels and Shabazz Muhammad. The Tar Heels were considered favorites to land the best player in the 2012 class, but because he will only play one season, and because it would take so much time and energy to recruit him, they decided to back off.

The coaches have a right to recruit players who must play multiple years, but the players have the right to pursue their NBA dreams when they are 18. This is the best solution to the problem.

Parts of this system work well for other college sports, including the two-year rule for football. If we are to improve the layout of college basketball and the NBA, then we must implement this rule change immediately.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sports writer dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, the NBA, NFL, NBA, Fantasy Football and more. Follow him on Twitter.