Since the NBA Draft of 2007, the one-and-done concept has become quite common in college basketball, with the near-abolishing of drafting high school players. The one-and-done refers to college basketball players that attend college for just one year and simply use college basketball as a platform to showcase talent and go to the NBA.
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Many college basketball fans are not a big fan of seeing this happen. Most collegiate fans, in general, would like for players to stay in college and try to at least win a national championship before simply jumping to the NBA.
Some reputed coaches in college basketball tend to have a different view on this concept. Coaches like former Florida Gators men’s basketball coach Billy Donovan was very open when saying that he supported the one-and-done concept because a player should be able to seize any opportunity that can provide them success. Few other coaches echo these sentiments, possibly because having a player in a locker room that is being forced to continue to play in the collegiate level is not good for a team nor is it good for the spirit of the game. Though there are some coaches who, also, would like the one-and-done gone because they feel that student-athletes should choose to go to college to play basketball simply for love of the sport, love of the college, and a chance for a future outside of basketball.
College basketball tends to be more of a team oriented version of basketball than the NBA. Thus, having one or two superstar-caliber players make a team of solid players stronger. However, the case at the University of Kentucky the past few years have been very different. The University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball teams under John Calipari have revolved around one-and-done players comprising a starting lineup. There has been no continuity with the Kentucky Wildcats in terms of the players that simply come and go. There have been rumors that John Calipari has created a culture of one-and-done that the University of Kentucky does not fully support unless the Wildcats are winning all the time. The culture that has been built at Lexington is one in which basketball athletes come to Kentucky to simply leave as soon as possible with no regard for the university whatsoever.
Thon Maker has recently been one of a few players that have found a loophole to getting to the NBA without going to college. In order for Maker to skip college, he was required to prove to the NBA that he graduated from high school in 2015 and stayed at the school an extra year as a post-graduate student, upon his own will. This fulfilled the NBA’s requirement of a minimum age and being one year removed from high school. This case shows that going to college isn’t necessary to go to the NBA, and poses the question of why high school players do not just do this when their goal is only to go to the NBA. Why can’t players just avoid college basketball, as many feel that players like this are hurting the game of college basketball?
Many players do not have a goal like this in mind, and, with time to develop through college, are able to become a prospect for the NBA. Taking away the one-and-done rule for cases like this can be detrimental to the spirit of the game as well. The one-and-done rule does not only apply to freshman collegiate athletes either. Any player of any class, such as a sophomore or a junior, can declare for the NBA Draft when they feel they have an opportunity available that cannot be resisted.
Depending on one’s perspective, one will either support the players of college basketball for having free will or the colleges for imposing its own will. With all the recent allegations regarding the NCAA exploiting collegiate student-athletes, it seems that the one-and-done concept should be practiced further. Perhaps a change in the NCAA will foster a change in this rule, but only when the exploitation of athletes is at zero is when the one-and-done rule should truly get reformed.
