The NBA has thrown another curve at college basketball.
The much-maligned one-and-done practice for college hoop stars is a by-product of the NBA Players Association having raised the minimum age to enter the NBA draft to 19.
We may not like what that has done to the game, but now that everyone is kind of used to it the NBA has tossed us a knuckle ball. The G League, which is basically a development step for players who can’t make NBA rosters, is now offering as much as $125,000 to those who want to bypass college before they enter the draft.
On theory, it’s a good idea for both the NBA and college game. But it is more likely to cause confusion and has already divided college coaches on whether they like it or not.
The NBA acknowledges that certain high school stars have little or no interest in getting their degrees. This rule will be good for them, trading the glitz and glamour of nationally televised rival games and the NCAA tournament for a paycheck they don’t get in college.
Those who want to go to school can still sign athletic scholarships, and we will see which path the prep stars take – the money and virtual anonymity of the G League versus the fun of college ball and campus life. Their chances to make the NBA shouldn’t change since pro coaches and scouts will still be evaluating them. While a taste of college ball and its rah-rah may be lost, the G League is promising off-court education and life skills for those who want it.
Kentucky coach John Calipari is already on record as opposing the new option; it may speed certain players’ journey to the NBA, but it could leave kids who don’t make it with nothing but that G League salary. Cal wants the NBA to include eight semesters of free education at colleges of their choice for the G League signees.
If most one-and-done stars enter the G League, college basketball will lose some star power. But the game as a whole won’t suffer and might even grow more stable with players staying three and four years. As long as the competition is even, Duke-Carolina will still be Duke-Carolina. The names on the front of jerseys have always meant more than the names on the back.
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