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Bonois S94
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Last season (2uu9-2u1u), the best playei in all of college basketball was a young man by
the name of }ohn Wall. Be was a Fiist Team All-Ameiica, nameu Fieshman of the Yeai, anu
leu his team to the Elite Eight, accomplishing all of this at the young age of 19. Afteiwaius
Wall enteieu the NBA Biaft anu was selecteu as the #1 oveiall pick. It was nevei a seciet
that Wall woulu only be staying foi one yeai. Be was simply following the iules (unlike his
coach, }ohn Calipaii), anu making NBA Commissionei Baviu Stein happy.
Since 2uu6, a playei cannot ueclaie foi the NBA Biaft until he is 19 yeais of age, anu one
yeai iemoveu fiom his high school giauuation. Peihaps the intentions of such a iule weie
goou. Kius woulu go to school, fuithei theii euucation, anu matuie (both on anu off the
couit), insteau of hopping stiaight to the pios. Bowevei, someone's foiesight was teiiibly
inaccuiate because the iule has uone none of those things. Rathei, it has cieateu a gioup of
elite playeis who go to college to play one season in oiuei to then play basketball foi
money. It has leu to the beginning of the uemise of college basketball, slowly tiansfoiming
the once beloveu spoit into a league of selfishness.
Noie anu moie playeis aie playing foi the name on the back of the jeisey, iathei than foi
the one on the fiont, unueimining the veiy gieatness that is college basketball. 0nlike the
geneiations of playeis befoie them, these "one anu uone" playeis aie not investeu in
anything but themselves. They uo not caie about theii euucation, theii school oi theii
team, so why shoulu we foice them to take the spot of someone who uoes caie. Who is
Baviu Stein to ueciue what anothei auult can oi cannot uo.
When playeis aie foiceu to attenu college, only to leave a yeai latei, it is haiu foi teams to
establish a soliu base. Kentucky lost five playeis to last yeai's uiaft, thus they hau plenty of
ioom to biing in the nation's top ieciuiting class. Bowevei, it is well known that seveial of
these playeis will leave following this season. We as fans finu it haiu to ioot foi a playei,
knowing he will only be "oui guy" foi one season.
Suie, sometimes in the past the jump fiom high school to the big, scaiy NBA uiu not go so
well; theie is a ieason most of you ieauing this papei uon't know who Kwame Biown (a
foimei #1-oveiall uiaft pick) oi Sebastian Telfaii is. Some may haishly juuge those who
make the leap anu fail, but they usually uo so without consiueiing all of the ciicumstances.
Naybe they neeueu to pioviue foi theii families; iemembei college athletes uo not get paiu
(unless you aie Reggie Bush). Tennis playeis can go pio at age 1S, anu Ameiica celebiateu
when a young Fieuuy Auu signeu a piofessional soccei contiact at age 14, yet the NBA's
iule iemains. To quote New Yoik Knick guaiu Bill Walkei, "I uon't see why you have to be
19 to play a game of basketball, when you can be 18 anu go to wai foi oui countiy anu uie."
I am awaie that this position makes it appeai as though I am against a college euucation,
but nothing coulu be moie false. I am a stuuent myself anu think that it is fantastic that
many men anu women, that peihaps woulu not have attenueu college otheiwise, aie given
the oppoitunity to play spoits anu attenu school. Attenuing a univeisity anu giauuating
with a uegiee foi fiee is life alteiing. Stuuent-athletes shoulu take auvantage of the iaie
oppoitunity they aie given because a college uegiee is something that neithei athletics noi
a piofessional contiact can ieplace.
That being saiu, as inuiviuuals, we shoulu be alloweu to make oui own uecisions anu not be
foiceu to waste time anu iesouices. Why foice those to go to college, when the only ieason
they aie theie is because they have to be. If the NBA will not back uown fiom its one-yeai
iequiiement, playeis shoulu be iequiieu to attenu school foi at least two yeais. This woulu
make playeis moie involveu in theii school anu team because they know they have moie
time investeu in both. Suiely, this woulu cause moie upioai fiom those "one anu uone"
guys, but it woulu help college basketball on its ascent back to gieatness. All in all, this iule
is the NBA tiying to asseit its authoiity into the lives of those who they believe, neeu it.