How Great Would College Basketball be Next Year if.....

[WilsonHog]

Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon were coming back for the respective teams?

All true freshmen last year.

Through in the Lopez twins, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, and Joe Alexander.

The college game will never be what it once was. As a diehard college hoops fan who watches NBA ball only during the Finals, I hate to see that.   

[Oliver]

I'm just happy that the NBA decided to be unfair and make an age limit, thus almost making you play a year in college.  We probably don't even see Michael Beasley play for Kansas State last year if that age limit didn't exist. 

[Michael11]

Kobe Duke, Lebron either Ohio State or North Carolina... Don't know about Garnett

[Oliver]

I have always thought if the rules now were back then where players like  Kobe, Garnett, and Lebron would have played at?

Kobe would have played for Duke, LeBron committed to Akron, and I'm not sure where Garnett would have played. 

[LRCentralTiger]

You will have a couple this year that will be one year and off to the NBA.

[hawgsav1]

They need to put at least a 2-3 year limit instead of just one year.  The one year is a joke.  It's a tax on coaches, players, fans, and schools.  I mean, the one and dones only had to go to class and do well for one semester.  They can just take the second semester off virtually.  In quarter system it's even worse, cuz you only have to go for one 10 week quarter.  I mean, imagine if Beasley and Bill Walker decided to stay at K-State for 2 more yrs.  They could really put a dismal program on the map from that and it would be nice to see someone shut up KU for a while.  However, Beasley's one year, despite its impressiveness, is not enough to turn around a program like K-State.

[LRCentralTiger]

They need to put at least a 2-3 year limit instead of just one year.  The one year is a joke.  It's a tax on coaches, players, fans, and schools.  I mean, the one and dones only had to go to class and do well for one semester.  They can just take the second semester off virtually.  In quarter system it's even worse, cuz you only have to go for one 10 week quarter.  I mean, imagine if Beasley and Bill Walker decided to stay at K-State for 2 more yrs.  They could really put a dismal program on the map from that and it would be nice to see someone shut up KU for a while.  However, Beasley's one year, despite its impressiveness, is not enough to turn around a program like K-State.

Agree whole heartedly.  I would hate to be a coach and go through the recruiting battle just to watch a kid walk after his first year.  The NCAA classifies them as "Student Athletes" and the emphasis is on student.

[SardisHog]

I can't say that if I could get drafted and make the big bucks I would stay in college. Multi million dollar contracts would be the way to go.

[HardKnockBlu]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Brandon Jennings.  If he decides to go overseas and play ball for a year and then jump to the NBA, and it actually works out for him, then I'm sure more high school players will seriously consider going that route.  If the NBA raises the requirement to two years in college then I would be suprised if several high school kids don't go this route. Get paid for two years and get endorsements. Hard to pass up if you have no desire to go to college in the first place.

[DMacIsASaint]

I think the rule will eventually get changed to 2 years if this happens consistently

[hawgsav1]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Brandon Jennings.  If he decides to go overseas and play ball for a year and then jump to the NBA, and it actually works out for him, then I'm sure more high school players will seriously consider going that route.  If the NBA raises the requirement to two years in college then I would be suprised if several high school kids don't go this route. Get paid for two years and get endorsements. Hard to pass up if you have no desire to go to college in the first place.

Yeah, I think that's actually a very valid point.  If Jennings shows that he can adjust well from going to Europe and playing there and then coming back here, I think it would solidify his status next year.  One negative about playing overseas is tha tyou lose some of the exposure you would normally get which may make teams less likely to take you if you're not well-known enough to sell tickets.

[HardKnockBlu]

Yeah, I think that's actually a very valid point.  If Jennings shows that he can adjust well from going to Europe and playing there and then coming back here, I think it would solidify his status next year.  One negative about playing overseas is tha tyou lose some of the exposure you would normally get which may make teams less likely to take you if you're not well-known enough to sell tickets.

With all of the scouts overseas that can evaluate him and follow his progress I don't think it would really hurt him. In past years, the first round of the draft has been full of foreign guys that I have never heard of. But you're right, I don't think it would hurt his draft status but it would definitely affect his endorsements due to lack of exposure in the states.

[The Boar War]

They need to put at least a 2-3 year limit instead of just one year.  The one year is a joke.  It's a tax on coaches, players, fans, and schools.  I mean, the one and dones only had to go to class and do well for one semester.  They can just take the second semester off virtually.  In quarter system it's even worse, cuz you only have to go for one 10 week quarter.  I mean, imagine if Beasley and Bill Walker decided to stay at K-State for 2 more yrs.  They could really put a dismal program on the map from that and it would be nice to see someone shut up KU for a while.  However, Beasley's one year, despite its impressiveness, is not enough to turn around a program like K-State.

I see your Beasley and raise you one Carmelo Anthony (even though it was before the one year rule).  One player can be enough.  I understand that Kansas State is not Syracuse but there's no way the Orangemen win without him.  As long as the one year rule is out there we should use it to our advantage.

[Ugly Uncle]

Garnett would not have gone anywhere.  If memory serves, he didn't even have the grades to get into a JC.

Someone with a better memory can correct me, but I think his only option was to take a shot at the pros.

[hawgsav1]

I see your Beasley and raise you one Carmelo Anthony (even though it was before the one year rule).  One player can be enough.  I understand that Kansas State is not Syracuse but there's no way the Orangemen win without him.  As long as the one year rule is out there we should use it to our advantage.

I wasn't referring to just winning one title.  A title can do wonders for your program but that's apples and this is oranges.  Syracuse has been a very successful program and Jim Boeheim has gone far in the NCAA tourney without Carmelo Anthony (Anthony helped put em over the top, but that was icing on the cake more building up Syracuse's program).  Kansas State has never been successful at basketball.  Players like Bill Walker, OJ Mayo, Beasley, and the like talk about putting programs on the map, but one good year isn't going to make a program.  SC basketball will still be in the gutter with or without Mayo.  A few successful years here and there will not change that.  If he had stayed for several years, then the success would have piled up, and bigger and better recruits would have started coming.  Then they can talk about building a program.

[AnthroHog]

Garnett would not have gone anywhere.  If memory serves, he didn't even have the grades to get into a JC.

Someone with a better memory can correct me, but I think his only option was to take a shot at the pros.

Garnett wanted to go to college, but when he couldn't pass the ACT it forced him to turn pro.  After he was drafted by the Timberwolves he found out that he had scored a 960 on the SAT and would've been eligible for college.  I remember when he was a high school senior, someone said that he was distant cousins with Al Dillard.

I always thought Kobe was said to be a lock for Duke, Garnett narrowed his choices to UNC and Michigan, and I read somewhere that Lebron would've gone to Syracuse had Carmello stayed.  If Lebron and Anthony had been forced to stay in college four years, they would've had a mini-dynasty at Syracuse.

[jcmojica23]

Pac 10 is representing so far in the NBA Draft.  They could possibly have 5 take in the first 10 picks.  Mayo, Westbrook, and Love went 3, 4, & 5.  Brook Lopez and Jerryd Bayless are projected top 10 picks

[Smokehouse]

Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon were coming back for the respective teams?

All true freshmen last year.

Through in the Lopez twins, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, and Joe Alexander.

The college game will never be what it once was. As a diehard college hoops fan who watches NBA ball only during the Finals, I hate to see that.  

I agree completely, Wilson, and even watching the Finals I find it hard to get into the NBA unless there's an ex-Hog on one team because there's no team I really like in the NBA.

[Smithian]

It would have been fun to see LeBron go to Akron and destroy everyone alive. Wouldn't his coach have been Dan Hipsher?

[yraciv]

It would have been fun to see LeBron go to Akron and destroy everyone alive. Wouldn't his coach have been Dan Hipsher?

Yeah it would have been cool, but  I think it was more of a loyalty to the hometown school thing.  Lebron was smart, so he knew he was going pro all along.

[HogFaninMemphis]

Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon were coming back for the respective teams?

All true freshmen last year.

Through in the Lopez twins, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, and Joe Alexander.

The college game will never be what it once was. As a diehard college hoops fan who watches NBA ball only during the Finals, I hate to see that.   

The NBA is considering making athletes play 2-3 years now.

[TRUHOG718]

Ive always thought what we would have been like if Famutimi, Brewer, Johnson and Big Al Jefferson had went/stayed in school and played together. Final 4 at least IMO. 

[craftyhog]

If you can go to war you should be able to go to work. College basketball will always be great because of the passion of the players and fans.  The ones that are there will play for pride instead of money and we will root HOG til death!

[Beaverfever]

No player should be forced to go to college.  Colleges aren't minor league basketball developmental institutions.  The NBA either needs to decide to be like other professions where degrees are required(which would be extreme) or the age requirements need to be killed.  Or the league can keep their age requirements for entering the league and send kids who have no desire for an education to the developmental league.  Teams can draft them and pay them bonuses similar to what MLB does and the draft can be expanded to 3 Rounds.  But players who don't care about college shouldn't be in college. 

You don't have to go to college.  You realize that right?  You can play in Europe and probably in various organizations in the US.  The NBA is smart enough to realize paying high school kids bajillions of dollars that may or may not pan out is a bad idea.  The high school drafting thing was getting way out of hand.