The One and Done Rule - Why Its Terrible

Work with me here (because this is obviously not the case): I am a stud five star point guard in my senior year of high school. My game is being compared to those like Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, and Jason Kidd. I have an "NBA ready" body and will immediately be a top two or three player in college basketball and probably the number one or at worst two pick in the next NBA draft. It makes sense for me, being eighteen and a legal adult who is able to serve in the military, to go to the NBA, make money playing the game I love and hopefully be able to save enough to last me the rest of my life after my playing career is done. So, that's it; I am going to enter the NBA draft and take my game to the highest level possible.

Wait. Nevermind. I can't. Even though guys like Kobe, Lebron, KG, Monta Ellis, Dwight Howard, and many others have not gone to college because they were ready for the NBA, I can't. The NBA and NCAA have decided that I must go to college for one year before I can go the NBA. Well that stinks. I don't want to be a college student. I want to play basketball. I have no desire to go to class, study to make good grades, and work hard in the classroom when I KNOW that after one year I am leaving anyway to go to the league.

This is the dilemma facing quite a few elite high school players every senior class. John Wall should not be in college (there is a website called draftjohnwall.com). Kevin Durant should not have been in college. So what should they do and what should be expect them to do?

These are the requirements that current one and done players must meet during their first year of college to stay eligible to play college bball for one year. They must take and pass six hours their first semester. These classes do not have to go towards a degree but can simply fill basic requirements (even elective requirements). They must make a C- average in those two classes. The spring semester they are also required to be ENROLLED in two classes (6 credit hours). Notice the difference here. They do not have to pass these two classes to remain eligible. Why? Because basketball season is over (final four is first weekend in April) before the semester is over. If a kid knows he is leaving after bball season to go pro then he doesn't even have to pass those classes the second semester (again these could even be elective classes) because he is going pro anyway and it doesn't matter if he would be deemed academically ineligible because HE WON'T BE THERE ANYWAY. This means that these players do not have to attend one class their entire spring semester if they don't want to because they don't need the spring semester to stay eligible for their one year of bball. This is pathetic and a mockery of the so-called "student athlete".

Most everybody will agree that this term died years ago anyway. Just take a look at the majority of majors listed for college basketball players (especially scholarship guys). Every school has their "pet" major that quite a few of the players choose. However, this still means that these guys are gaining hours towards a college degree (which no matter what it is in is still useful).

This system does nothing but hurt the college game. If a kid wants to go pro, let him go. I propose that college adopt a system similar to college baseball. Kids can go pro straight out of high school, but if they choose to go to college, they must stay three years. I would propose a two year rule in basketball. This would allow kids to be halfway done with a four year degree and if they chose to come back and complete it, most could do it in a year and a summer session.

Colleges have to see that this is not a good system; and I do not blame the kids for one second. Most of us would probably do something very similar to what many of them are doing if we were in their position. I went to college for four years and if someone had told me I could leave after one (and not go to class my second semester) and make millions of dollars I would have probably left too. The system is set up now where these kids aren't really students anyway. They are basically doing what NBA players are doing (going to practice and playing games) but aren't getting paid for it.

National Signing Day 2010

Yesterday was the second or third biggest day behind bowl games and rivalry games for most college football programs (and it could be argued the biggest). Recruiting is the lifeblood of any collegiate program and without a doubt in football. There is only so much you can do in talent development - you need talent. Here is a rundown of where the ACC teams finished in this years' recruiting rankings. You can refer to my previous post from earlier this week to see which programs moved up or down.

Rankings from each set (previous and these) come from scout.com

1. Florida State (#10) - 5* WR Christian Green (#5 WR), 5* MLB Jeff Luc (#2 MLB), 5* CB Lamarcus Joyner (#2 CB)

2. Miami (#17) - 4* C Brandon Linder (#1 C), 4* RB Eduardo Clements (#14 RB), 4* CB Kacy Rodgers (#14 CB)

3. Clemson (#23) - 4* CB DeAndre Hopkins (#13 CB), 4* DE Corey Crawford (#18 DE), 4* S Bashaud Breeland (#22 S)

4. North Carolina (#31) - 5* OT James Hurst (#3 OT), 4* RB Gio Bernard (#13 RB), 4* DT Brandon Willis (#21 DT)

5. Virginia Tech (#35) - 4* DE Zack McCray (#24 DE), 4* G Laurence Gibson (JC), 3* MLB Chase Williams (#23 MLB)

6. Georgia Tech (#41) - 4* CB Louis Young (#11 CB), 4* CB Ryan Ayers (#16 CB), 4* DT Shawn Green (#31 DT)

7. North Carolina State (#42) - 5* OT Robert Crisp (#4 T), 4* DT Fre'Shad Hunter (#29 DT), 4* WR Tony Creecy (#35 WR)

8. Maryland (#43) - 4* OLB Javarie Johnson (#16 OLB), 4* QB Tyler Smith (#18 QB), 3* G Sal Conaboy (#12 G)

9. Boston College (#44) - 4* OLB Steele Divitto (#25 OLB), 4* OT Seth Betancourt (#27 OT), 3* TE Jarrett Darmstatter (#17 TE)

10. Wake Forest (#61) - 3* C Daniel Blitch (#21 C), 3* G Antonio Ford (#38 G), 3* CB Merril Noel (#67 CB)

11. Virginia (#67) - 4* OT Morgan Moses (JC), 3* TE Zach Swanson (#28 TE), 3* MLB Henry Coley (#41 MLB)

12. Duke (#69) - 3* OG Laken Tomlinson (#23 G), 3* RB Juwan Thompson (#58 RB), 3* QB Brandon Connette (#62 QB)

JC stands for junior college. These players do not fit into the high school senior class national rankings individually by position but do figure into the team rankings.

Just for comparison, FSU was the only ACC team in the top 10 nationally and we had 3 in the top 25. The SEC was the number one conference and the numbers really are staggering. If you want to know why the SEC is the king of college football here were their "numbers": They had 4 teams in the top 10 (ACC had one) and seven in the top 25 (ACC had three). Their lowest rated school was #53 Vanderbilt (the ACC had three below Vanderbilt). The SEC is ridiculous in college football.