Should One And Done Be Done
Recently, college basketball players have been playing for one year and then going straight to the pros.
There is supreme talent in college basketball these days, but because of the one and done rule, we only get to see this talent for one year. The one and done rule, depending on whom you ask, is either killing basketball or making it boom, but this rule does more harm than good for the sport of basketball as a whole.
The one and done rule states that for an individual to be eligible to enter the NBA draft, they must be at least one year removed from high school or 19 years of age or older.
The ratings for championship games were at their highest in the 60’s and 70’s when UCLA was dominating college basketball. So, the one and done rule, which supposedly creates more parody, is not really what fans want.
History also shows that the one and done rule produces fewer star athletes in the NBA. There is a ton of conversation around who is the greatest of all time. Only two athletes from the one and done era are in that conversation, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.
Neither of which were one and done players. If you look back through history, however, that number jumps up tremendously, including athletes like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, just to name a few.
One and done players are also more likely to get a season-ending injury their first season in comparison to players who have played for at least two years in college.
You also hear less about dominant rookies in the NBA. When compared to the NFL, the NBA has less star and dominating rookies. It seems that every year there is a star rookie running back or defensive player, while in the NBA there is less talk of dominating rookies, in this era.
The amount of players that are ready for the NBA after one year of college is not as large as the number of players that leave after that first year. There are some players that recognize this, but it seems like the NBA doesn’t want players that have had more than one year of college, based on recent drafts.
Now, I’m not saying that college basketball players should have to stay in college through completion of their senior year, but the rule should be what it is for college football, where athletes must be at least three years removed from high school.
My name is Mike Marshall and this is my third year on the PLD Lamplighter staff. In my first year, I was a staff reporter and mostly kept up with schedules...
