OT: One and done extremism - four freshmen depart Kentucky basketball
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-kentucky-nba
Four freshmen leaving for the NBA. It's going to be difficult to sustain a program with a mass exodus like this every year.
Not when you pay them like Cal does.
Sandwich.
Yeah, who needs four years when you can cheat.
It worked for us with the Fab Five
I blacked out from '91 to '93
FWIW: I can vouch for Block IVI's Michigan loyalty.
At least you came to in time to see Jalen's draft day suit
Michigan didn't play any basketball games while Webber & co were in school.
We only vacated the last two games of the Fab Five's freshman year. Ed Martin officially became a booster at the 1992 Final Four. Everything that happened before then is in the books.
The Fab Five didn't "cheat"; Chris Webber cheated, FWIW.
This just in... 2 of the 4 freshman leaving for the NBA didn't pass their SATs, Calipari takes head coaching job at Duke.
APR woo!
Won't this seriously crush your APR?
This is a little tricky...
Players leaving for the NBA do not affect a program's APR, provided they ultimately sign a professional contract of any sort and they leave having been academically eligible in the last semester or quarter they completed and were on progress for a degree.
This actually works to the advantage of a school on quarters (OSU), versus one on semesters. Basically, the UK kids have to finish out semester in good standing (insert laughter here) to not hurt APR.
So yes... it'll hurt their APR.
I like the spin Calipari puts on it. I think Wall and Cousins did more for Calipari than vice-versa.
“It’s extremely unusual for four freshmen from the same team to have this opportunity, but it’s my job as a coach to prepare these young men for such opportunities,” Calipari said.
would censure him or something, on the basis that he obviously does not have the best interests of the "student athlete" in mind.
are projected to go in the 1st round, the first 20 picks actually. how can you not go if that's the case?
Bledsoe, for one, probably could have boosted his stock even further by staying for one more year and being "the man". I can't say I really blame any of them, but he's one who could have benefited from one more year.
for the new crop of freshmen Calipari is paying for.
This is exactly why the Butler's of the world will have a chance to make a run at a championship. Team chemistry can't be developed with these one and done players. Honestly I think it would be better for the players and the NCAA if they just played over seas or NBDL for a year and then declared for the draft.
It's also why the Dukes of the world can make a run at a championship. The Blue Devils had some experience on their team, too. Krzyzewski does a good job of keeping his players around for a few years, although there will always be Gerald Hendersons, Elton Brands, etc.
Manny Harris does not like this news.
Manny still hasn't hired an agent, has he?
I'd love to see Manny return, but he made it crystal clear at the press conference that his decision was final.
He may not like the news out of Kentucky, but another 50 underclassmen could declare and I don't think it's going to change his mind.
Absolutely. This is why I strongly feel that any underclassman in Manny's position (borderline lottery pick or lower) should test the waters but NOT hire an agent until you see the list of others in the draft. Why lock yourself in like that? Now there is no going back and all he can do is slide farther and farther.
I get so frustrated by underclassmen seemingly making this mistake every year.
not to bad mouth manny....but he is in NO WAY a borderline lottery pick. he will be lucky to be drafted in the first round which i doubt. He will be pleased just to be drafted which that may not happen
I agree. I just meant border lottery picks and down....by all means test the waters, but don't commit until you know who else is in the draft. Remove some of the variables before you commit.
and I think they lead for at least 3 undecided McD AA kids so I can hate them even more next year.
I'm sure they learned all they needed to from their freshman Econ classes to realize how this decision makes complete sense economically. Of course, I cannot wait to read the NCAA violations report in 3 years that shows 3 of the 4 combined SAT scores equal out to room temperate in Seattle.
The one and done is not good for college basketball. The NCAA should make a rule that if a player leaves for the NBA his scholarship is not available until his eligibility time runs out. This would eliminate teams from stockpiling this type of player. They would have to think twice about it. Imagine Kentucky losing 4 scholarships for the next 3 seasons - I like that....
Then you'd be preventing 4 athletes from earning college scholarships somewhere in the basketball world. That would make Joe Schmoe - who has no plans to jump to the NBA, but is pretty good at basketball - have to pay thousands of dollars a year for his education.
Not only what Magnus said, but also you'd be punishing your team by leaving early (moreso than you simply not being there). If that happened here, these guys would seriously fuck over their team for a while.
Maybe one-and-dones are encouraged, but teams and coaches like to see their players succeed and go to the NBA. This would be a major conflict of interest.
I'm in accordance with Wolverine Convert: I think the one and done makes a mockery of the institution of higher education. It's nothing but a thinly-veiled ruse to compete for the cushiest year of drinking and hanging out with college girls before their certain respective NBA futures. Calipari knows this, and simply offers the best situation for this type of player who has zero interest in higher education, and only want to play high-profile basketball for a year with other recruits just like them that will go to the pros. Kudos to Calipari for being the best slimeball in a world where that kind of behavior is not only overlooked, but encouraged with enormous contracts and headlines.
In a sport where at the age of 18 you can step in and immediately be the best player in the world, why not let them do it?
Is this really about educating young athletes? Stop kidding yourselves.
just the education system. This a travesty and makes a mockery of the sport itself, not just the institution and the supposed education the athletes receive. The NBA rule prompted this, but the NCAA is furthering this by allowing it. There should be a 2 year rule for any scholarship in any sport as a condition of receiving it.
This is exactly why College Basketball needs to adobt a rule similar to College Baseball. If you feel you are ready for the NBA, then be all means enter the draft. But if you decide to go to school then you should have to stay a set amount of time...probably 2-3 years. Duke has proven that you can graduate in 3 (see Jay Williams and Carlos Boozer).
This is just rediculous and mocks the whole student athlete thing.
Neither college basketball nor baseball has any control over when players can be drafted. It's the pro leagues that decide this.
I think the real problem here is not Calipari or the players, its the NBA itself. The rule that you have to be 19 and at least one year from high school fosters this type of thing, and until they bump that limit to 21, or remove it completely, this will continue happen.
Is the APR system for all college sports at an institution, or is it just football? I would think this should fall under similar rules. Players leave, you get a small penalty in your APR. Too many leave early, and you get some sort of punishment.
"Mass exodus" is a redundancy. By definition, an exodus is massive.
I would argue that this is the best possible thing for Calipari. This is evidence he can point to when talking to recruits interested in having one high-profile year to get them in prime position to be taken early in the draft. Kentucky is now firmly entrenched as the interstate - the fastest way to get where you want to go.
I don't know about you guys, but I went to college to do what I needed to to get a job in a field I wanted to work in. If I was told that I could get what I wanted after a year (and we're talking crazy money), what is the incentive to stay?
We can debate whether the system is broken or not, but if you're a player, you kind of have to leave college once you're highly likely to get drafted.
Even in the NFL, you have draft mistakes like Shazor and (possibly) Warren.
TL;DR - Calipari is a dirty recruiter but when it comes to putting kids in the NBA he's solid. The APR is intended to punish teams that operate like Kentucky; we'll see if it has any teeth.
speaking of broken systems...
Weird story involving Patrick Patterson, who "officially" has declared even though he says he hasn't:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Nobody-tol…