One and Done

Today's blog post was written by Remy Lewis.  Remy is a Psychology Major at Purdue University North Central and is a former Division One Track and Field Athlete at Indiana State University.  He is currently an intern with Play Like a Champion.  He is also a Coach, Scout, and Trainer for Sports Prep NBA.

When it comes to the "One and Done" rule for college basketball, many believe it is bringing shame to college sports by disrespecting the fans, and the schools. The rule simply requires athletes to be 19 to be eligible for the NBA draft. Those who may not have the grades to get into a college choose to play overseas for a year until they reach 19 years of age. Many coaches, administrators, and other experts have been searching for a viable solution that would benefit all involved.  It seems to me that "one and done" allows young stars to use college as a brief stepping stone to the NBA.  These young athletes aren't going to college to learn or to represent their school with pride, they are going because it is a rule. High school athletes are looking for the best schools in their sports to essentially find the team that will provide them with the most exposure against the best competition to prove they are ready for the professional ranks. Can you really blame them? They are extremely talented, have played for years, and have been recruited by top agents and coaches for years.  Many of these agents have described the riches that await them in the NBA. The young athletes are being told to go to a college because it is the rule, and after a year they will be guaranteed a contract (and the millions that come with being a professional athlete).  Well, when you are 18-19 years old and you are being told you will gain a contract worth anywhere between $1-3 million, how can you say no? I am sure most of us would agree to that kind of money and the chance to improve our skills and make more when the contract ends.

I recently read an article (One and Done rule must be done with immediately.) that proposes a viable option to the "one and done" rule by adopting the draft rules used by Major League Baseball. These rules basically state that if you are a high school graduate and have not played for a college team, you are eligible for the draft. Once you have been drafted, you can either choose to go to that team where you may or may not be signed based on draft pick, or you can choose to attend and play for a college instead (as long as you haven't signed with an agent). When you take the college route, you must either be 21 years of age or have finished your junior year to be eligible for the draft again.

This rule, however, has many foreseeable kinks in the armor. Sadly, the athletes are motivated by money. If the basketball player cannot be drafted out of high school to sign a contract, they would likely choose to go overseas instead of being forced to stay in college for 3 years, which would lead to fewer athletes playing for the college teams. The issue the athletes have is that they want the freedom to make their own decisions, while college fans are confronted with a new starting five every year. It is not that athletes cannot be great coming from high school, because we have seen great careers out of players such as Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant. However, these players were a rare breed and ready to make an impact among the NBA players.

The real issue in my eyes is that we are sending kids to the NBA and they are neither physically nor mentally prepared for that type of life style.  As a solution to "one and done", I propose pushing the NBA draft eligibility age from 19 to 21.  Any college, or overseas player that is 21 or will be turning 21 during that current season can be eligible for the draft. Reasons behind this idea are that the athlete has now had to take care of himself for 3 years, he has learned more about the world as an adult, and has physically and mentally matured. For those in college, they may find a subject they like and decide that that graduating with a degree will benefit them later on, or if they choose to go to the NBA and the career does not pan out, they only have one year of courses to take in order to receive a degree.

It may still feel like we are forcing the athletes to go to school, but our young men need more than just a college freshman education level. Especially since they will be thrown into a world of business that they do not comprehend. Satisfaction would be improve for the fans, the coaches, the programs, and the players. Since NBA players will be required to be 21, colleges will stop hemorrhaging young talented players, and the players will learn how to work and grow as a team. A player who can keep his level of play at #1 pick level for 3 consecutive years is a player much more worthy of being the face of the franchise, and the face of a college program.