How To Fix The One And Done Rule

[MountieDawg]

It would be nice if they could go pro out of high school and not pollute the recruiting landscape

Then many that are not ready for the NBA would end up on the street...

[Cinco de Hogo]

I'm a big fan of amateur athletics in the end I  don't  care about pro sports.  If it cheapens the college game I'm against it.

[ErieHog]

One and Done's and the handlers/culture that surrounds them have ruined college B-Ball.

To say otherwise is to completely ignore the quality of teams, programs, depth, development, and fan participation from years past.

Now we can debate minimum 3 years, straight to D League, etc if you want.
However, the above is not debatable.  Ask Jay Bilas and Colin Cowherd just to name a few.

That's a case of confusing the trend of college basketball, with the cause.

One and done isn't harming the game;  it is actually forcing the best talent into the college game, pretty effectively.   

What is hurting the sport, is that  the talent pool is relatively constant-- but the spread of that talent is broader.

Twenty or thirty years ago, there were just over 300 college basketball programs that could theoretically reach the NCAA tournament;   of those, 125ish had a realistic shot, and 50 of them had regular, reliable TV coverage.    To achieve maximum exposure and opportunity, talent had to collect in smaller pools.

Now, there are over 350 teams, with even bad programs getting dozens of games televised.  Instead of starting a season with 125ish tournament candidates for 64 spots, the season starts with 200 teams that have a reasonable shot at making the field of 68.   

It isn't about the depth of talent--  its about the broad distribution of it, over a greater number of programs.   You don't make a puddle deeper by taking water out of it.   


That's why college basketball is flat-- not because the best young players are forced to play the college game.

[elksnort]

One and Done's and the handlers/culture that surrounds them have ruined college B-Ball.

To say otherwise is to completely ignore the quality of teams, programs, depth, development, and fan participation from years past.

Now we can debate minimum 3 years, straight to D League, etc if you want.
However, the above is not debatable.  Ask Jay Bilas and Colin Cowherd just to name a few.

I agree with.
I still watch, but not as much as before. 

[GuvHog]

That's a case of confusing the trend of college basketball, with the cause.

One and done isn't harming the game;  it is actually forcing the best talent into the college game, pretty effectively.   

What is hurting the sport, is that  the talent pool is relatively constant-- but the spread of that talent is broader.

Twenty or thirty years ago, there were just over 300 college basketball programs that could theoretically reach the NCAA tournament;   of those, 125ish had a realistic shot, and 50 of them had regular, reliable TV coverage.    To achieve maximum exposure and opportunity, talent had to collect in smaller pools.

Now, there are over 350 teams, with even bad programs getting dozens of games televised.  Instead of starting a season with 125ish tournament candidates for 64 spots, the season starts with 200 teams that have a reasonable shot at making the field of 68.   

It isn't about the depth of talent--  its about the broad distribution of it, over a greater number of programs.   You don't make a puddle deeper by taking water out of it.   


That's why college basketball is flat-- not because the best young players are forced to play the college game.

I disagree. IMHO the one and done rule has basically destroyed the parity in college basketball. All it has done is allow the rich to get richer and hurt the other schools. Kentucky is a great example of this. They are loaded with one and done players who believe they can get to the NBA faster there. Yet other schools in the SEC consider themselves lucky if they can sign just one or maybe 2 one and done players. I would be in favor of giving players coming out of high school a choice. They could either:

Play 3 years of D League ball then opt for the NBA Draft

or

play college ball 3 years then enter the NBA Draft.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

I disagree. IMHO the one and done rule has basically destroyed the parity in college basketball. All it has done is allow the rich to get richer and hurt the other schools. Kentucky is a great example of this. They are loaded with one and done players who believe they can get to the NBA faster there. Yet other schools in the SEC consider themselves lucky if they can sign just one or maybe 2 one and done players. I would be in favor of giving players coming out of high school a choice. They could either:

Play 3 years of D League ball then opt for the NBA Draft

or

play college ball 3 years then enter the NBA Draft.

I disagree with his rebuttal to my post as well.

Your post is accurate, and his rebuttal doesn't seem to address the accumulation of talent over a 3-4 year time period.

The great UNC team of Jordan - Fr,  Worthy- Jr, and Perkins - Soph, had three awesome talents.  Each would have been gone before the other ever made it to campus with our ludicrous One and Dones.

[oldbooniehog]

Yes, age matters.

Because those of us old enough to remember what college basketball was like before "one and dones" or even kids going pro right out of high school miss quality college basketball.

Moses Malone and Darryl Dawkins went NBA from high school in the 1970s.

Then there was a 14 year hiatus on taking high school kids.

In 1995 Kevin Garnett skipped college and went pro and caused a firestorm. Lots of really young players tried to become the next Kevin Garnett for the next decade or so.

The NBA finally cut off the high school kids in 2006, creating the "one and done" pipeline by taking players who are at least one year removed from high school.

Those of us who fell in love with college basketball between 1976 and 1995 miss the game it used to be.

[oldbooniehog]

The best college basketball team I have ever seen in person, the 1990-1991 Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, would have never existed under current "one-and-done" rules.

Never existed.

Larry Johnson -- Jr.

Anderson Hunt -- Soph.

Stacey Augmon -- Jr.

George Ackles -- Sr.

Greg Anthony -- Jr.

Those guys would have all played one year of college hoops, and been gone.

[oldbooniehog]

I argue that if "one and done" had existed back in the 1990s, O-May-Day would never had made it past one season.

Oliver Miller - 1st round NBA draft pick. Played 4 years at Arkansas.

Todd Day - 1st round NBA draft pick. Played 4 years at Arkansas.

Lee Mayberry - 1st round NBA draft pick. Played 4 years at Arkansas.

Would these guys have stayed at Arkansas if "one and done" had been in effect?

[ErieHog]

I disagree. IMHO the one and done rule has basically destroyed the parity in college basketball. All it has done is allow the rich to get richer and hurt the other schools. Kentucky is a great example of this. They are loaded with one and done players who believe they can get to the NBA faster there. Yet other schools in the SEC consider themselves lucky if they can sign just one or maybe 2 one and done players. I would be in favor of giving players coming out of high school a choice. They could either:

Play 3 years of D League ball then opt for the NBA Draft

or

play college ball 3 years then enter the NBA Draft.

Parity *is* the problem.  The product is uninspiring, because talent doesn't aggregate nearly as much, as it used to--  it is easier to be a big fish in a small pond, with great exposure and a chance to showcase and develop your game.

You have a handful of programs (Kentucky, Duke, UNC) where you have single season aggregations of elite talent,  instead of 10 teams.     That isn't a flaw in the 1 and Done system-- that's a feature.   The best teams still aggregate talent.   The middle has suffered, and the bottom has prospered from how TV sports are covered.

The problem is that would be contestants, upset minded schools, and second tier teams are not as good-- what would normally be their second or third young option,  is now the feature player at a MVC school.

[oldbooniehog]

Michael Jordan plays only one season at North Carolina if one-and-done had been in effect.

Under the old system, he played three seasons at NC.

How is Tarheel history different if Jordan is gone after only one season?

That's another great example of how one-and-done has destroyed college hoops.

Michael Freakin' Jordan played for North Carolina for three years.

Can you imagine anything like that today?

[ErieHog]

Michael Jordan plays only one season at North Carolina if one-and-done had been in effect.

Under the old system, he played three seasons at NC.

How is Tarheel history different if Jordan is gone after only one season?

That's another great example of how one-and-done has destroyed college hoops.

Michael Freakin' Jordan played for North Carolina for three years.

Can you imagine anything like that today?

Actually, he very likely would have stayed for at least two seasons-  he wasn't even a consensus Top 5 pick, until his last year.

The problem isn't the depth of college basketball, or forcing the best talent to play-- it is the breadth of college basketball, that drags the product down.

[Hawg Red]

Then many that are not ready for the NBA would end up on the street...

Not really. During that era, most kids that entered the draft out of high school had a longer-than-average NBA career. Very few didn't make it at all.

[Hawg Red]

The best college basketball team I have ever seen in person, the 1990-1991 Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, would have never existed under current "one-and-done" rules.

Never existed.

Larry Johnson -- Jr.

Anderson Hunt -- Soph.

Stacey Augmon -- Jr.

George Ackles -- Sr.

Greg Anthony -- Jr.

Those guys would have all played one year of college hoops, and been gone.

What do you mean "one-and-done rules?"

Those guys could have gone pro out of high school!!! There was no "rule" keeping them in school.

[MountieDawg]

Indeed I do - and those numbers are embarrassingly low even today despite overt and covert attempts to keep students in school (regardless of whether they are athletes).  However, that issue is not directly related to this one. 

Look carefully at your statement.  That is not the target audience here.

What are these one and dones doing academically while at UK?  I acknowledge this article is old, but read Andy Katz's article
click here and note the following:
That is the problem with the one and done - and the institution(s) which allow this misuse of educational resources.
If these kids want to go pro, then sign overseas or with a D-League over even go straight to the NBA.  Colleges are not (and should never be) in the practice of developing athletes without attention to meaningful academics.

Yes they only need to finish 1 semester to be eligible to play.  But they have to finish the second semester not to screw up the APR and they gave done that.

As far as colleges should not be in the practice of developing players the Arkansas would not have had Joe Johnson, Scottie Thurman, Portis, Qualls, Corliss and many others...  Why us 2 or 3 years so much better than 1?  No DMac in football?

Maybe you want to treat them like slaves and have them work for free forever "FOR THE MAN" or this case "FOR THE FAN"!!!

[Hogimus Prime]

The NBA drafts different than it did 20 years ago. You can't blame the one and dones for leaving after a year.  The longer a kid stays in college now the more it hurts his draft stock.

[RacinRazorback]

Not only does the one and dones hurt the college game, it weakens the NBA game as well. Good for the unproven not ready for the NBA kids getting huge money, but they hurt the professional level by not being physically or mentally ready for the NBA.

[Cinco de Hogo]

How many pro players can you name right off the top of you head vs twenty years ago?  I might could name five, maybe ten if you give me a few minutes and a lot of them would be the older players.   Point is if the normal fan of basketball doesn't know the pro players how many are watching the game.

If that doesn't hurt the pro game I don't know what would.   Myself, after year of this I now can't even tell the names so any college players not playing for Arkansas.  Can you even imagine the difference in what I knew about basketball players twenty years ago?

[MountieDawg]

Not really. During that era, most kids that entered the draft out of high school had a longer-than-average NBA career. Very few didn't make it at all.

Today about 20 kids each year are projected as one and done, back then only 1 or 2 players went directly to the NBA. But my question to you is do you want the kids to be forced to stay 2, 3 or 4 years in college because it's what you want or because its best for the kids to stay in college the amount of time you think is better than them making millions during those years?

Once you accept the kids are doing what they think is best for them it shouldn't matter if your team has 5 of them that leave early or none of them.

[Hawg Red]

Today about 20 kids each year are projected as one and done, back then only 1 or 2 players went directly to the NBA. But my question to you is do you want the kids to be forced to stay 2, 3 or 4 years in college because it's what you want or because its best for the kids to stay in college the amount of time you think is better than them making millions during those years?

Once you accept the kids are doing what they think is best for them it shouldn't matter if your team has 5 of them that leave early or none of them.

Uh, I'm of the opinion that they should be allowed to go to the NBA out of high school. I've been very vocal about there in numerous threads over the years. You're barking up the wrong tree.

[MountieDawg]

Michael Jordan plays only one season at North Carolina if one-and-done had been in effect.

Under the old system, he played three seasons at NC.

How is Tarheel history different if Jordan is gone after only one season?

That's another great example of how one-and-done has destroyed college hoops.

Michael Freakin' Jordan played for North Carolina for three years.

Can you imagine anything like that today?

How many more NBA records would he have or NBA titles would he have?  As far as college basketball being such an awful product as you say it is. 95 percent of the schools don't have 1 and Done players. Why are they playing so much different. Shouldn't the teams with 4 to 5 starting seniors win the championship each year if that is what makes a better team?  Kentucky, Duke and Kansas fans would love to have those players 4 years but accept that the player is doing what's best for them.

[Hawg Red]

How many pro players can you name right off the top of you head vs twenty years ago?  I might could name five, maybe ten if you give me a few minutes and a lot of them would be the older players.   Point is if the normal fan of basketball doesn't know the pro players how many are watching the game.

If that doesn't hurt the pro game I don't know what would.   Myself, after year of this I now can't even tell the names so any college players not playing for Arkansas.  Can you even imagine the difference in what I knew about basketball players twenty years ago?

The NBA is as popular as it's ever been. Just because you aren't as interested any more, doesn't mean there aren't millions and millions interested. I will admit that I do not enjoy watching NBA basketball very much anymore, and that kind of breaks my heart, but I'm not sure it's because the players are coming in younger. But my enjoyment of roster management and salary cap utilization is at an all-time high. I think front offices are smarter than they've ever been.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

The NBA is as popular as it's ever been. Just because you aren't as interested any more, doesn't mean there aren't millions and millions interested. I will admit that I do not enjoy watching NBA basketball very much anymore, and that kind of breaks my heart, but I'm not sure it's because the players are coming in younger. But my enjoyment of roster management and salary cap utilization is at an all-time high. I think front offices are smarter than they've ever been.

You may be right.  I don't typically watch NBA till the playoffs cause my interest has waned over the last 7 years or so.

However, I was hearing just last year that about a third to half of the teams are losing money due in large part from a drop in fan support.

[HotlantaHog]

I'm old and wish we didn't have one and done at all. Seems like a bad compromise. Let kids go directly to the pros out of high school or have them them play three years in college, so that education is part of the deal.

Not many kids are going to be able to make the leap from high school to pros, but those who can, fine, pay them now...

It would improve the college game a lot -- and probably the pro game too.

[Hawg Red]

You may be right.  I don't typically watch NBA till the playoffs cause my interest has waned over the last 7 years or so.

However, I was hearing just last year that about a third to half of the teams are losing money due in large part from a drop in fan support.

That's because attendance is down pretty much across the board for all sports. The TV money for the NBA is massive because the interest is there.

[hawginbigd1]

It wouldn't matter if I was 15, 25, 35, or now at 45 I am against it. Hurts the college game, anything that hurts the college game I am against. Give me the same rules for football and i will be good, i don't even care if you let them go straight out of High School. If they don't want to be a student athlete in a traditional sense, keep them out of college!

[Cinco de Hogo]

The NBA is as popular as it's ever been. Just because you aren't as interested any more, doesn't mean there aren't millions and millions interested. I will admit that I do not enjoy watching NBA basketball very much anymore, and that kind of breaks my heart, but I'm not sure it's because the players are coming in younger. But my enjoyment of roster management and salary cap utilization is at an all-time high. I think front offices are smarter than they've ever been.

Not what I'm hearing and it's not what I hear from college basketball fans.  The transition from college to the pros used to bring fans with it.  That's happening less and less with the high schoolers, one and done's and foreign players that piprline of fans gets smaller each passing year.  The NBA started paying celebrities years ago to show up court side at games but that only works is a few larger markets and certainly has nothing to do with the game.  It's not even about the game or management as you say.  It's about knowing the players and having a reason to follow them.

[Hawg Red]

Not what I'm hearing and it's not what I hear from college basketball fans.  The transition from college to the pros used to bring fans with it.  That's happening less and less with the high schoolers, one and done's and foreign players that piprline of fans gets smaller each passing year.  The NBA started paying celebrities years ago to show up court side at games but that only works is a few larger markets and certainly has nothing to do with the game.  It's not even about the game or management as you say.  It's about knowing the players and having a reason to follow them.

TV money seems to indicate there is a ton of interest in the NBA. It's a global game now. People have got to quit using game attendance as a barometer. It's 2015. Fans aren't showing up to college football, NFL, NBA, etc. games like they used to.

I don't know what you're hearing or if that even matters. There are facts to this. Maybe you should start listening to what these guys are hearing:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogergroves/2015/12/12/why-the-nba-will-eventually-overtake-the-nfl-in-popularity-and-why-it-matters/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/06/what-the-nba-gets-that-the-other-big-sports-leagues-dont/

http://sports.politicususa.com/2015/06/04/nba-a-model-for-growth-in-the-21st-century.html

I get that a lot of people here don't think the NBA is any good anymore. I've even admitted that I don't enjoy much most of the time. But the fact is that the NBA is doing as well as it perhaps ever has. It's easy to get caught up in that smokescreen of teams "losing money." That's an agenda pushed by Adam Silver to help the owners in CBA negotiations with the players association.

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/why-the-nbas-claim-that-teams-are-losing-money-doesnt-add-up

[MountieDawg]

It wouldn't matter if I was 15, 25, 35, or now at 45 I am against it. Hurts the college game, anything that hurts the college game I am against. Give me the same rules for football and i will be good, i don't even care if you let them go straight out of High School. If they don't want to be a student athlete in a traditional sense, keep them out of college!

I still don't understand why people say 3 years makes them a student athlete and they still leave without a degree most times.  Not a single one of you care if these kids graduate, what their major is or what their grades are.... You just want to see the same kids on the same college teams for as long as you can....  There are 347 Division 1 college basketball teams and 13 scholarship players on each team which is 4,511 division 1 basketball players. There were 8 1 and Done's drafted last year, that equals to much less than 1 percent of the players playing.  Maybe you should blame free throws, defense, shooting or something else killing the game.  Or may fans that don't go to the arena and support their team...  The games are much better in full arenas.

[hawginbigd1]

I still don't understand why people say 3 years makes them a student athlete and they still leave without a degree most times.  Not a single one of you care if these kids graduate, what their major is or what their grades are.... You just want to see the same kids on the same college teams for as long as you can....  There are 347 Division 1 college basketball teams and 13 scholarship players on each team which is 4,511 division 1 basketball players. There were 8 1 and Done's drafted last year, that equals to much less than 1 percent of the players playing.  Maybe you should blame free throws, defense, shooting or something else killing the game.  Or may fans that don't go to the arena and support their team...  The games are much better in full arenas.

Many college athletes are graduating in 3 and half years or less now, many go to school year round to accomplish so they get it done. 12-20 athletes leaving early from the top 30-40 programs yearly definitely has an effect on the game, so you are trying to fool someone into thinking it isn't that big a deal, maybe yourself by including all D1 teams and all players. Hey but whatever, I am telling you it impacts a game I love and IMO the football rule would eliminate that impact. Like I said if they aren't in it to be a student athlete then don't go to school!

[Cinco de Hogo]

If your arguing it doesn't affect the game then tell me why no one is complaining about football or baseball.  Those are the other two options mentioned and nobody seem to think they are having near the effect in the game that the basketball rules do.

If every single fan in the country that dislike the current basketball situation would stop watching a pro gsme you care nothing for it might wake the right people up.

[ErieHog]

If your arguing it doesn't affect the game then tell me why no one is complaining about football or baseball.  Those are the other two options mentioned and nobody seem to think they are having near the effect in the game that the basketball rules do.

If every single fan in the country that dislike the current basketball situation would stop watching a pro gsme you care nothing for it might wake the right people up.

Read a thread about the proliferation of bowls, the lack of interest in early bowl games, the uncertainty of the process while we wait for Kirkland, Collins, etc., to hear back.  Read a thread about how much of a baseball signing class makes it to campus, how many guys decline draft money to play college ball, etc.

Its still there.  It just looks different.

[Danny J]

Read a thread about the proliferation of bowls, the lack of interest in early bowl games, the uncertainty of the process while we wait for Kirkland, Collins, etc., to hear back.  Read a thread about how much of a baseball signing class makes it to campus, how many guys decline draft money to play college ball, etc.

Its still there.  It just looks different.

Not to derail but over the last 5 years IMHO the best bowl games are the early games in the bowl season. I have come to the conclusion that bowl match ups are usually good overall however the earlier games come within 2-3 weeks after their regular season has ended thus making for better games. I enjoy the smaller bowls a lot and glad we have them.

[MountieDawg]

Many college athletes are graduating in 3 and half years or less now, many go to school year round to accomplish so they get it done. 12-20 athletes leaving early from the top 30-40 programs yearly definitely has an effect on the game, so you are trying to fool someone into thinking it isn't that big a deal, maybe yourself by including all D1 teams and all players. Hey but whatever, I am telling you it impacts a game I love and IMO the football rule would eliminate that impact. Like I said if they aren't in it to be a student athlete then don't go to school!

If you can show me proof they don't go to school, I would agree with you. But that is something you want to be true, but it's not true. Explain the guys that expect to be one and done but stay 2, 3 and 4 years without going to school? Alex Poythress thought he would be 1 and done but he is in his 4th year and did graduate in 3 years.

[Cinco de Hogo]

Read a thread about the proliferation of bowls, the lack of interest in early bowl games, the uncertainty of the process while we wait for Kirkland, Collins, etc., to hear back.  Read a thread about how much of a baseball signing class makes it to campus, how many guys decline draft money to play college ball, etc.

Its still there.  It just looks different.

I have read many of those threads but I never get the sense that people are complaining about it decreasing the quality of the game.   That's just what I hear and compile all I hear.  Maybe I'm wrong.

[DeltaBoy]

Maybe it does I just turned 50 Sunday and I am very much against one in Done cause it prevents building teams in College and it sends under mature kids into the NBA.

[jbcarol]

That's a case of confusing the trend of college basketball, with the cause.

One and done isn't harming the game;  it is actually forcing the best talent into the college game, pretty effectively.   

What is hurting the sport, is that  the talent pool is relatively constant-- but the spread of that talent is broader.

Twenty or thirty years ago, there were just over 300 college basketball programs that could theoretically reach the NCAA tournament;   of those, 125ish had a realistic shot, and 50 of them had regular, reliable TV coverage.    To achieve maximum exposure and opportunity, talent had to collect in smaller pools.

Now, there are over 350 teams, with even bad programs getting dozens of games televised.  Instead of starting a season with 125ish tournament candidates for 64 spots, the season starts with 200 teams that have a reasonable shot at making the field of 68.   

It isn't about the depth of talent--  its about the broad distribution of it, over a greater number of programs.   You don't make a puddle deeper by taking water out of it.   


That's why college basketball is flat-- not because the best young players are forced to play the college game.

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

Final: Monmouth 83, Georgetown 68
1st-ever win over a Big East team.
Impressive.

Monmouth will now have wins over: Georgetown Notre Dame USC UCLA

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

Final: Monmouth 83, Georgetown 68
1st-ever win over a Big East team.
Impressive.

Monmouth will now have wins over: Georgetown Notre Dame USC UCLA

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 14h14 hours ago Manhattan, NY

Our Lady of the Lake d.
Incarnate Word which d.
St. John's which d.
Syracuse.

True story.


Incarnate Word, now up 13 on St. John's, lost its previous game to a school called 'Our Lady of the Lake.' No joke.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

In This Wildly Unpredictable College Hoops Season, Is Our Lady of the Lake Better Than Kentucky? https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/in-this-wildly-unpredictable-college-hoops-season-is-our-lady-of-the-lake-better-than-kentucky/160089530 ... via @SNYtv

How crazy and unpredictable is this college basketball season?

Well, aside from the fact that Duke and Kentucky both lost to unranked teams on Saturday, I can prove (with an assist from my man Anthony E. Parelli) that Our Lady of the Lake, an NAIA team out of San Antonio, Texas that boasts a 5-3 record, is better than Syracuse, UConn and Kentucky.

Our Lady of the Lake owns a win over Incarnate Word....

Which defeated St. John's....

Which beat Syracuse....

Which downed UConn....

Which beat Ohio State....

Which toppled Kentucky on Saturday.

So there you have it, irrefutable "proof" of how crazy this college basketball season is.

Before everyone in BBN goes crazy, keep in mind that I'm joking here. Mostly.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

In This Wildly Unpredictable College Hoops Season, Is Our Lady of the Lake Better Than Kentucky? https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/in-this-wildly-unpredictable-college-hoops-season-is-our-lady-of-the-lake-better-than-kentucky/160089530 ... via @SNYtv

It's only ''crazy and unpredictable'' cause the talent is so young and thin that there aren't any outstanding teams year in and year out and very few good teams.

When everybody has weaknesses and the differences in a lot of teams is pretty thin, literally anything can happen on any given night.

[jim shell]

im older than most dirt I know and I don't like the one and done thing

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

And btw, it's hard to miss something you've not experienced.

This sort of question creates a disposition of people over 40 ='s crusty and out of touch.

Why not simply view the quality of the game on it's own merits as now vs then?

For the record, Jay Bilas, Colin Cowherd (who used Nielsen ratings and actual game time attendance in his argument), and even the reluctant Dukey V has stated that the game has suffered.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ  11h11 hours ago
Calipari said he's trying to convince Jamal Murray that "degree of difficulty does not get you two more points." http://cjky.it/1S6EbbS

Calipari on Murray: "He laughs. He can't help himself. But let me say this: He's one of the best players in the country."



Has been a long-time criticism of the Sports Center Top Plays Era.

[jbcarol]

A reason why Adam Silver wants the one-and-done:

Skal's struggles puzzle analysts as well as UK fans

Jerry Meyer: 'This should cause introspection in my business'

Chad Ford expects Labissiere to fall to as low as 15 in mock draft

They can't believe how Skal Labissiere has played. They expected dominance. They wonder how they could have been so wrong about the Kentucky freshman. They hold out hope that he will ultimately validate their lofty expectations.

UK fans? Yes. But also the basketball analysts who make their reputations appraising, rating and projecting the impact of players.

"I'm a little speechless about it all, honestly," said Evan Daniels, an analyst for the Scout.com recruiting service. "It's shocking."

Jerry Meyer, an analyst for 247 Sports, saw a cautionary tale in Labissiere's fall from possible first player selected in this year's NBA Draft to rag doll thrown aside by Kentucky opponents.

"This should cause introspection in my business," Meyer said. "We should try to get better."

For example, the analysts should place greater importance on physical strength and mental toughness, Meyer said.

Chad Ford, who projects NBA drafts for ESPN, originally had Labissiere as the second player chosen in 2016. LSU freshman Ben Simmons was his first pick.

In a later update, Ford dropped Labissiere to the fourth pick. Another update in his mock draft is scheduled for this coming week.

"He's not going to be a four," Ford said. "He'll drop. But it's really tough. NBA scouts preach patience."

Ford said he might project Labissiere as high as the sixth player chosen and perhaps no lower than the 15th pick.

"Pretty big range," he said. "Kentucky fans might be surprised (Labissiere will not drop farther in the first round)."

Two factors are in play, Ford said. The 2016 NBA Draft is not seen as particularly strong. And NBA teams see Labissiere as a fluid athlete at nearly 7-feet tall, not the novice low-post player at Kentucky.

Labissiere made his reputation at the Nike Hoop Summit. As a fluid, skilled player, he wowed the analysts and NBA scouts and general managers. Soft touch. Rebounding out of his area. Blocking shots.

"He was the best prospect there," Daniels said. And, don't forget, another player there was Simmons. "He's flat-out not the same player I saw at the Nike Hoop Summit."

Added Meyer: "The NBA was drooling over him at the Hoop Summit."

In retrospect, the analysts question how two days of basketball at the Hoop Summit swept them off their feet.

Then there's a more basic question: How well does high school and AAU basketball simulate the sport on the college and NBA levels?

[jbcarol]

Jason Butt ‏@JasonHButt 2h2 hours ago

Mark Fox is right. NBA's one-and-done rule hurts college bball and needs to change: http://www.macon.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/article59015653.html ...

ATHENS -- Mark Fox isn't a fan of the NBA's one-and-done rule. He says many of his colleagues in the SEC and elsewhere in college basketball aren't either. The rule benefits only a select few teams that have been able to use it to their advantage.

And kudos to the teams that have been able to do so.

One of those teams just happens to be Georgia's next opponent. The Bulldogs will travel to Kentucky on Tuesday to take on the Wildcats, who have regularly brought in freshmen who shouldn't be forced to go to college before jumping to the NBA.

Fox isn't bitter about Calipari's strategy...

"I think kids should be allowed to go pro out of high school," Fox said. "Why restrict a kid who's good enough to go? Because there aren't really any who are good enough to go. Then if they go to college, let's do what other sports have done and keep them around for a while."

The closest player Fox has had to a one-and-done was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a former five-star who was drafted eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons after his sophomore season. Fox's overall point is that the rule prevents a team that isn't established nationally to recruit five-star talent consistently because of the feeder programs -- Kentucky and Duke in particular -- that hoard all of these players.

[jbcarol]

@GrantRamey ‏@GrantRamey 5m5 minutes ago Knoxville, TN

Barnes asked about one-and-done rule: "It doesn't matter what we think. I think that rule will get back to the NBA, they'll decide"

[jbcarol]

Kentucky does not run from its one-and-done reputation.

"The players that have that opportunity, I think we coaches should be more about them than ourselves," Calipari said Monday. "Which means if they're able to leave after a year then so be it."

Since Calipari's arrival, Kentucky has had 16 freshman get picked in the first round, an average of almost three a year. A couple more seem certain to be added to the total in June.

Georgia coach Mark Fox, whose team on Tuesday must find a way to beat Calipari's latest bunch of NBA prospects, is among the many who wish the pros would let the high schoolers back in. Fox has long favored the same rule as in pro baseball: You can go pro out of high school, but when you go to a four-year school you can't be drafted until after your third year.

"Why restrict a kid who's good enough to go? Because there aren't really any who are good enough to go," Fox said. "Then if they go to college, let's do what other sports have done and keep them around for a while."

Yes, the one-and-done issue generates plenty of heat. Here are some truths about it:

– It's the NBA's rule.

Last year 12 of the 30 first-round picks were used on college freshmen. Only four seniors and four juniors were picked in the first round...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 8h8 hours ago

There isn't a single projected one-and-done player left in the NCAA Tournament
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/one-year-after-duke-won-ncaas-with-one-and-dones-elite-eight-teams-now-feature-veteran-teams/169195756 ...

[jbcarol]

N.Y. Times: 'Big Boy League' A.C.C. Rules the Final Four

A.C.C. dominance may become the norm for the next few seasons. With a kaleidoscope of talent — from elite recruits to juniors, seniors and postgraduates — the A.C.C. has served notice that it is built for the short and long run.

"There's so many kinds of systems and styles and the talent and the depth," Bennett said of the conference. "It battle-tests you. It can break you a little bit at times, but you see a lot, and it does toughen you up."

Virginia was one of four A.C.C. teams competing for the last two Final Four spots. But this year, the conference also became the first league to place six teams in the round of 16, and the first in N.C.A.A. tournament history to have at least five in the final 16 in consecutive years.

(Louisville could have been the A.C.C.'s eighth team in the tournament had it not imposed a postseason ban on itself.)

What's encouraging about the approach to building programs at several A.C.C. universities — especially Virginia — is an emphasis on recruiting players who will remain in the program for three to four seasons. I care less about the basketball than I do about ending the obscene practice of having players on campus for a total of five months.

Over the last seven years, Bennett has become a much-needed antidote to the one-and-done model espoused by John Calipari and Kentucky. Bennett preaches building upon pillars, recruiting players just below the radar and then keeping them, helping them improve and — ideally — reaping the reward. On Sunday, it almost worked, until Syracuse ended the Cavaliers' run with a 68-62 win in the Midwest Regional final.

Virginia is an older team, starting two seniors, a junior and two sophomores.

After five years of major programs trying to match Calipari's one-and-done circus, it's reassuring to see a university, perhaps even a conference, adopt and dominate with another approach: Stay the course, enjoy slow and steady growth and, with luck, reap the rewards in March.

William C. Rhoden has been writing about sports for The N. Y. Times since March 1983

[root_hawg]

Louisville not on probation, think that Syracuse gets left out