College Basketball's Biggest Concern.

[camakazee]

Not around the NBA, but my preachy take on how the one-and-done system has the potential to spoil college hoops in the future. Enjoy.

http://www.numbersdont.com/?p=2522

Very rarely will you catch me writing about college basketball. Unlike most hoops fans, I prefer the NBA game to the college game. Sure, you’ll hear “purists” preach about how there’s no defense on the next level and the college basketball atmosphere is unrivaled. But that old defense argument doesn’t take into account that an NBA game is eight minutes longer and squeezes out an extra possession per minute thanks to a shot clock that is 11 seconds shorter. Oh, and it also doesn’t mention that nearly every player on the court in the NBA was offensively gifted in college while the college scene typically only has one or two creators on the floor at a time.

But that’s neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is, I still love the college game, even if it takes a backseat to my passion for the NBA. However, I see an unfortunate trend developing. One that has the potential to spoil a game I love. In the 1990’s it was point shaving scandals. More recently it has been illegal recruiting violations and academic scandals. But for the past couple of years and into the unforeseeable future, I believe that idea of the “one-and-done” college system will hurt the sport.

First, let’s start at the beginning. In 2001, Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted first overall. Over the years, more and more high school players were making the jump thanks to the success of all-stars like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James.

However, David Stern was discovering a scary trend developing in his sport. For every Kwame Brown and LeBron James selected first overall, there was an undrafted high schooler such as Lenny Cooke or Tony Key. Even guys who ended up being drafted like James Lang slipped to the 2nd round, where they were met with a non-guaranteed contract, a brief stint in the league, and an eventual wash out with no chance to go play college ball.

In the eyes of David Stern, gaining a LeBron James a year sooner than expected was not worth the injustice of a suffering Lenny Cooke or James Lang. So he decided to implement a new rule, effective for the 2006 NBA draft and all drafts after it, that made high school players ineligible. In order to be drafted, potential draftees had to be at least 19 years of age and one year removed from their high school class. In other words, you need to go to college or somewhere else for at least a year before you turn pro.

I have no problem with this rule. It makes sense in the eyes of the NBA and for the players involved. Instead of going pro, players like Cooke and Lang would’ve been forced to go to college for a year, where they would at least start their education and get an understanding of their NBA value by spending a year in the NCAA circuit. Then coaches and scouts can give them a more definitive opinion on whether they should stay or go based on how they stack up against other collegiate players.

Unfortunately, this leaves a loophole that is very exploitable by college coaches. Some players are left in a position where they would rather be able to make the jump to the league than risk injury or, even worse in their eyes, mediocrity, lack of playing time, and lack of awe inspiring stats at a major collegiate program. A couple of these players figure they might as well make it worth their time and collect a paycheck before the NBA, like Brandon Jennings. Others seek out a program that will cater to them, making their one year stint in college but a mere AAA-like season before the majors. Therein lies the problem. In order for college coaches to remain competitive on the recruiting trail they have to pander to eighteen year-old kids with the understanding that not only will they likely not return the following season, but they need to promise them a starting spot and major minutes in order to land them.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that this approach goes against the classic system laid in place by historic coaches at historic schools such as Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Playing for either of those coaches often means a four year commitment, with Coach K graduating 90% of his scholarship basketball players and Izzo graduating 84%. And playing time was earned, not guaranteed before the player had participated in one practice under the coach as a means of sweetening the recruitment process.

And in comes Coach John Calipari, who has recruited the top classes in the nation in back to back years (2009, 2010). Calipari has coached the last two NBA Rookie of the Year winners, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, both of whom were one-and-done players at Memphis. Many feel that his latest one-and-done’r, John Wall, has a chance to win the award as well, as he is expected to be drafted number one overall by the Washington Wizards.

Okay, so what’s wrong with this? These seem like good things and the type of ringing endorsements that are associated with a good head coach. Maybe I’m just jealous of Calipari’s superior recruiting tactics.

Or maybe I hate seeing a coach use a storied college program, such as Kentucky, as call girl for the nation’s top recruits who would be going straight to the draft if it weren’t for Stern’s eligibility rule. Great players guaranteed the chance to star in their one and only year under Coach Cal, even if they “try not to listen to him” and just play. Coach Calipari’s recruitment methods are so dramatic that he offered each of LeBron James’ sons a full ride to his school as newborns in the off chance that they’re half as athletically gifted as their pops. Getting in LeBron’s good graces early, he even joked that Jr. “better be a one-and-done.”

It would be one thing if Calipari’s recruiting tactics were in a vacuum, free of consequently affecting other programs, but they aren’t. Even Tom Izzo mentioned this week that one of the main reasons he’s considering leaving Michigan State for Cleveland is because he has grown tired of recruiting in this new landscape. If one coach is catering to the one-and-done players, offering them a starting position, plenty of minutes, and the opportunity of “team star” at a major program regardless of whether or not they listen to the coach, then what does Tom Izzo have to offer? “You’ll have to work for every minute you get, I won’t fully support you leaving after one year, and if you do decide to, you won’t have much of a resume to take with you” doesn’t sound quite as intriguing to a prospect.

Not to sound too over-dramatic, but this recent trend has the ability to change the landscape of college coaching. In ten years the top college coaches may not be throwbacks to the Coach K’s and Izzo’s of old, but rather to the new age scouting and recruiting of Calipari. It’s something I’ve personally labeled “The Age of the Buscon.” For those of you who are unaware, buscon is a term for baseball scouts in the Dominican Republic. These buscons take young prospects, personally train them, and prepare them for the professional ranks as soon as possible in return for a chunk of their signing bonus. In Calipari’s case, the chunk he got for highlighting Rose and Evans for the NBA was a shiny new job at the University of Kentucky that offered him over $30 million over an eight year span.

And that’s what it all comes down to. It’s not about winning. I’m not going to knock Calipari for failing to win a championship despite having great individual talents and top recruiting classes. College basketball should be about teaching these kids life lessons. Teaching them a four year commitment, how to earn their playing time, and team basketball are lessons that will aid them throughout life, even beyond the hardwood.

The University of Kentucky used to be one of these institutions that taught this lesson. Now it’s nothing more than a basketball factory that mirrors those on the diamond in the Dominican Republic. Last year four top 25 prospects entered Kentucky only to declare for the NBA draft after their freshman season ended in an underwhelming fashion (Wall, Cousins, Orton, Bledsoe). This year, before anyone could reflect on that class, four more top 25 recruits will step in (Kanter, Knight, Jones, Lamb).

The players move on, the factory stays open, and the buscon gets his cut.