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The Linfield Review

The student news site of Linfield University

The Linfield Review

The student news site of Linfield University

The Linfield Review

One-and-done trend takes tradition out of the game

Tyler Morrill

Sports editor

With March Madness come and gone, now is the time of year when you see the best college basketball players jump ship for the pros.

Since the new rule created in 2006, no high school player is eligible to play in the NBA until at least one year after graduating from high school, leaving them with only one real option: college ball.

David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA and the NCAA saw high school kids skipping college for the NBA as a major problem. Stern thought the young students were hurting the professional basketball league because many declared for the draft and then didn’t get drafted, leaving them without a professional team and ineligible for the NCAA.

The NCAA does not allow players who have hired agents to return to the amateur association. There are several players who expected to be picked as seniors in high school, and now have been left out of both leagues and forced to look elsewhere.

Heading overseas to play basketball was, for a long time, the only option for players to resort to, hoping to someday get noticed by professional scouts and earn a spot on the roster. The NBA now has the developmental league that gives athletes a chance to play for a professional team’s affiliate.

It’s similar to baseball’s farm system in that NBA teams help keep these teams going with money and players. NBA teams can send players down for more playing time and players can move up and earn a spot on the NBA team.

With players skipping the collegiate level, the college game was suffering because there were fewer big names to attract fans. The one-year rule fixes that. It brings a lot of big-name high school players back to college.

But some of the true star players only plan on being enrolled in school long enough to finish out the freshman season. That gets them through maybe two semesters, then their eyes turn toward improving their stock in the NBA Draft in June.

This doesn’t really serve the major purpose of colleges and the NCAA, which is supposed to have education as its primary focus. The only thing I see this rule doing is bringing more money to campuses with the big names they now acquire. It doesn’t save players from being left out of both leagues as much as Stern says it does. Luckily, with the new developmental league, players have an opportunity to play one step below the professional level.

The biggest problem with the one-and-done style that started last season is it really hampers the tradition that has been developed in college basketball. Teams get a coveted blue chip for one season; and they have one year at the top before going back to mediocrity.

Ohio State University is a prime example of this. Two years ago, they signed center Greg Oden, and made it to the championship game. Now, Oden has left, and they’re back to square one.

This season, there have already been a few freshmen who have declared for the draft. Their programs are left with high expectations and the need for players to step in and fill those shoes.

Kansas State University’s freshman Michael Beasley helped his team defeat University of Kansas on its home court for the first time in almost a quarter of a decade. He declared for the draft only days after losing in the first round of March Madness and now little is expected of Kansas State next season.

I think the NBA and NCAA should work together to solve this dilemma or else there will be no more teams like University of North Carolina or Duke University in the years to come. I think a rule should be put in play similar to baseball that allows players to play pro ball right out of high school, but if they choose to go to college they have to remain there for a few years. At least there will be some turnover in the NCAA.

Although the NCAA tournament will never be boring, it will see a lack of powerhouse teams. Without the powerhouses there will be no more Cinderella stories, which the NCAA tournament is known for.

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