The Landscape of College Basketball

Is the Perspective on College Basketball Changing?

This year's freshman class in College Basketball was suppose to be one of the best of all time.  With the influx of talent coming in like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle (1,2,3 in ESPNs Top 100) these players were suppose to arrive and dominate on the respective teams and jet for the Draft in April.  But it isn't necessarily happening that way.... Both Wiggins and Parker had early departures and had less than stellar performances in this years NCAA tournament, Wiggins in their third round game scoring only 4 points on 1-6 shooting with only 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers against the defensive gauntlet that is Stanford (116th in points allowed this year) and Parker scoring 14 points but only on 4-14 shooting (28.6%) 7 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 0 assists against the classic powerhouse Mercer Bears and that has some people wondering if they should declare for the NBA at all.  It wasn't enough that both Parker and Wiggins played poorly, it was how they played.  Parker was very erratic on the offensive end of the floor and defensively couldn't slow his man down.  On the other hand Wiggins looked terrified out there showing no sense of urgency with the ball in his hands.  It's one thing to go 1-12 on the floor, that is just chucked up to a bad shooting night.  However, with Wiggins only shooting 1-6, that translates to him not being aggressive enough to find his shot.

And its not just Parker and Wiggins.

Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis scored 19 points but on an abysmal 7-21 shooting and 0-5 from beyond the arc with 3 assists and 2 turnovers in the Orange's loss against the Dayton Flyers (91st in the nation in points allowed.)
 

 Between the three Freshman they shot a combined 0-10 from three.

So what do all of these numbers mean?

One&dones have been a thing for the last twenty years and even before then players were coming out straight from high school.  But is this good for the NCAA or the NBA? Some are saying yes, but most tend to disagree.

In the last five draft classes their have been 29 freshman drafted in the first round and of those 28 were ranked in ESPN's Top 100 coming out of high school. (The only one not was Eric Bledsoe) Names highlighting this list consist of rising stars like Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris.  But there have also been some serious busts... Players who were told coming out of both high school and college believing they could compete with the best of the best.  Players like Daniel Orton, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Steven Adams. (Coincidentally all 7 footers.)  Out of the 29 freshman that declared early they have a combined six all star game awards. SIX! And of those only one player has earned the honor more than once, Kyrie Irving, both years he has been in the league.  Out of the 29 freshman that declared early only Tyreke Evans has declining Points Per Game averages since his rookie season.

So what does this translate to? Well some are suggesting that the NCAA should extend the One&Done rule to a Two&Done to allow these players that are one year removed from high school to have more time to develop their game on the court and in the weight room at their college facilities.  This is a solution that not only is allowing these players to improve the quality of their game individually but also improving the overall quality of the league.  However, some are claiming this proposed change would delay these players from making NBA money that they have earned.

Have no fear, there is a solution! 

NBA players don't make their big, BIG money until their second contract and beyond.  The rookie average salary of those drafted in the first round last year was $1,791,996.  However if we look back to the then freshman that declared in 2009 who signed their second contracts in 2013, their salaries average $10,169,910 this year!  So where does that lead us? Well I'm glad you asked.  The most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement has set the rookie contracts at 4 years.  There is no way around that.  But why not reward those who stay for their sophomore years by allowing them the option to sign 3 year contracts instead.  This ensures that no matter what, a player that is four years removed from high school to sign their second contract and make the NBA money.


So what should Parker or Wiggins or the other "One and Dones" do?

Personally I think both Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid will return for their sophomore seasons.  Parker was quoted that he had a bad taste in his mouth from the Blue Devils tournament loss and Embiid seems to really enjoy the college lifestyle.  As for Andrew Wiggins, I don't think he will stay for another campaign at Kansas, but I think he has the most to benefit from another year.  He really has a great opportunity to develop under a great coach in Bill Self and both he and Embiid could position themselves for a great year at Kansas next spring.

Welcome to the party

Tonight were going to talk about Michael Sam. We're a little late on this, but hey, better late than never, right? 

So recently All-American (and more importantly All-SEC) defensive lineman Michael Sam publically came out and admitted he is homosexual. Backed by his coaches and teammates, who have known for months, he shocked the sports world by being potentially the first gay man to play in the NFL when he gets drafted in the April.  Responses from players and the general public have differed. Some calling him a hero and others claiming he is a terrible person. And I personally don't agree with either.  Michael Sam is who he is; and that is a damn good Defensive Lineman who has all the talent measurables to be a phenomenal NFL player. And I can promise you this.  If you're an offensive tackle, Michael Sam being gay is NOT going to  stop him from burning you off the line and sacking your quarterback, thus making you look silly. 

People in our society are always very quick to pass judgement and try and impose their ideals onto others and I am guilty of that as well. But why do we do it? Who says we are right and others are wrong? Maybe that's something we should reflect on. As for Michael Sam, the decision to go public was just that, his decision. I commend him from a business perspective in the sense that whatever GM drafts an hires him knows everything on the front end. And I hope that he gets the respect he deserves in the locker room and from the fans.  Not because he's the first gay football player in the NFL, but because he's a regular human just like the rest of us. 

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Hello,

First off I want to say thank you.  Thank you for coming to our blog and viewing and reading what we have to say.  Second off, you are probably wondering what you are viewing.  We are a group of people who love sports.  And personally I love sports more than just about anything.  However, we am not a fan of how they are portrayed all the time.  We believe major websites are out there to make money more so than tell you what you should hear or what you need to hear.  So that is what we are for.  To provide you, the viewer, a different perspective on the story you have already heard about, just in a little bit different of a way.  We are nothing without you guys, so if you have any requests for a story or questions feel free to contact us.

Expect about 1-2 posts a week.

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Small World of Sports