Athletes Before Students: The Issue Of One-And-Done College Basketball Athletes

On April 16th, the University of Memphis men's basketball team got a gift when Tyreke Evans committed to play for the Tigers. He is rated as the second best point guard prospect in the nation by rivals.com.

It is a known fact that Evans would not have committed to Memphis if their freshman point guard Derrick Rose did not declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft after one season. It is also a good assumption to say that both Evans and Rose would never see a college campus if it was not for the age rule that the NBA implemented.

In 2006, a new NBA rule was passed stating that a player must be at least 19-years-old and be one year removed from high school to enter the league. Meaning players such as Evans, Rose, Kevin Durant, and Michael Beasley, who are obviously NBA ready out of high school, have to spend one year in college before making the jump to the NBA. These players could sit out that year, but they risk the chance of their stock dropping due to the lack of exposure.

Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight commented on the rule and said, "It's the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching."

Knight is correct; it is the worst thing to happen to college basketball in a while. The NBA rule forces kids to spend a year at school when they do not want to be there in the first place.

In the end the rule can cost a kid a couple million dollars by taking away their right to enter the NBA when they are guaranteed to be picked high. For example, OJ Mayo was considered by most the top player in this freshman class since he was in seventh grade. Due to performances of other freshmen, such as Beasley and Rose, Mayo is now not considered the top pick anymore, which means a couple millions were lost.

Of course there is the argument that this rule helps kids from making the wrong decision and declaring. The rule may have saved kids such as Ndudi Ebi and Gerald Green, who both declared early and got drafted in the first round only to be out the league and jobless once their rookie contract was over.

It is true the rule would have helped those kids and it would have been great watching LeBron James at Ohio State, Amare Stoudemire at Memphis, or Kobe Byrant at Duke, but this is a decision that should be left with the players and their families, not the league.

Many kids graduate high school and go straight into the job market instead of enrolling in college. This age limit rule can be seen as the NBA taking the right away from legal adults to pursue a career at the time they want to.

Yes, the NFL has a three year waiting rule for their draft, but when it comes to basketball, a big time player does not need extra years to get their body ready for the league. Some players have NBA bodies' right out of high school, for example Michael Beasley was 6'10" and 235 pounds coming out of high school making him a great size for his position.

This rule has one major flaw that should have been seen before the rule was put into place by the smart folks of the NBA. If a player already has their mind made up that they will forgo their remaining college eligibility after one year, then the spring semester at school for them is nothing but basketball.

To remain eligible to play the whole year in college, all a player must do is pass six credit hours and enroll in classes for the spring semester. Six credit hours is the equivalent of two classes, and they can be as easy as they come. Even though the player is forced to enroll for the spring semester, it does not mean the player is forced to attend those classes.

During my time at the University of Virginia I saw athletes take some of the easiest classes; such as Stress Management and College Prep (mind you they are already in college taking a class to prepare you for college). A player could just pass both of those classes and play that full year.

These players are known as student-athletics, when in reality some players cut the student part out of their life as soon as possible. If all a player is doing is using college as a pit stop before they receive the millions in the league, then the rule should be dropped or modified.

The best modification is to change the rule in one of two ways. First, do not drop the mandatory time in college, instead increase the mandatory year to two years. Pushing it two years would ensure that the student-athlete is in fact a student first then an athlete second, since it is college.

The second option, and the one I like the most, is to keep the rule like it is but have an evaluation committee set up to pick out the players who are NBA ready now and do not need the year in college.

As next year's basketball season starts we are no longer left wondering who will be the next LeBron James and make that successful leap. The question now is who will be the next Kevin Durant or Michael Beasley and wow America by dominating the college level as a freshman, only to leave after that one year.

Kevin Love, a one-and-done 2008 prospect out of UCLA, would agree that this rule needs to be thrown out. Love told ESPN this: "I think people should have the opportunity to go out, make a living, maybe even get out of poverty for their family. I think there should be freedom to choose. I mean, this is the land of the free, America."

Agree or disagree with Love, but no matter what these freshmen are helping the revenue at the schools they are attending. For example, it is a fair guess to say that Beasley along with Bill Walker brought Kansas State revenue that they have never got from the basketball department. In the end, no matter how long they stay basketball fans should appreciate getting the chance to see future NBA all-stars on the college level.

Enjoy them while you can.