One and Done

For years now the one and done rule off college basketball has been put on the back burner but it's time to really look at it and determine the right way of handling it. Up until recently high school basketball players could jump from high school to the NBA; such players as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard all came straight from high school into the league. Those type of players don't need the college basketball experience because they are NBA ready and can come in and compete with other big time players. In college football you cannot go from high school to the pros, for obvious reasons (kids would die), you have to be three years removed from graduating high school. Many think, including myself, that the "one and done" rule needs to be changed. High school basketball players should have the option of skipping college and entering the NBA Draft. The athlete should be able to enter their name in the draft, attend a pre draft camp and be evaluated by NBA coaches and scouts to determine where in the draft they stand. After being evaluated they will have a deadline to declare whether or not they will remain in the draft or attend college, if they attend college they will remain in college for at least 2 full years. The one and done rule does allow schools to get that prized recruit, but only for a season if they choose. Although you might have a top player for a reason, maybe two, it potentially takes away from having a really good player for 3-4 years. There have been many players recently who, if the rule was changed, could have gone straight to the NBA. Bulls guard Derek Rose and Thunder forward Kevin Durant could have made the leap from high school to pro if the rules prohibited them. Instead, they went to college for a season then went to the NBA;  in the long run it doesn't mean much but for schools trying to build their programs up, wasting a scholarship on one and done players means losing out on potential 3-4 year players who can help build a program for those years. In the latest NBA mock drafts, 5 of the top 10 players are freshman, lead by National Player of the Year and Kentucky center Anthony Davis. Davis is a player who could have gone straight from high school. A year in college is not going to do these players any good by playing against other plays who are a lot less talented (see Kentucky's season and Davis's stats), they might as well play pick up games at their local rec center. And while their skills might not translate immediately, it's a better learning experience by playing against the top players in the world who they can learn from. The rule might not be changed in the near future, but it is something to look at for the future which would help the NCAA, the players, and the NBA.