Originally Posted by
Netboy Extraordinaire
I am so sick and tired of hearing about the "One and Done" Crap. The Sports Reporters are on ESPN and there is this one fella griping about Calipari getting all of these One and Done kids. "Get a kid, gone after a year, get a kid, gone after a year", was his words. He says it is the UNIVERSITY of Kentucky and they are there to get a degree. He said they are not there to be a Pro Basketball Prep School. This is a bunch of garbage. How many of the top programs in College Basketball have had One and Done kids? The answer is ALL OF THEM!!! How many schools have won a National Title or made it to the National Title game WITHOUT any NBA players? NONE. Even Butler had 2 NBA players on each of its Final Four teams the last couple of years. Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Syracuse, UCONN and all the rest of the top programs in basketball have had their share of one and done kids. How many schools in Division 1 Basketball do you think had a scholarship ready for Anthony Davis, if he chose that school? ALL OF THEM. Even if Anthony said, "I am only playing 1 year then going pro", they ALL still would have given him the scholarship to play ball.
Are people mad at Calipari because he gets One and Doners or the fact that he gets so many on the same team? Personally, I think it is the fact that he gets the best of the best at so many different positions. I would think ALL other schools would love to see so many One and Doners at UK because can you imagine if Calipari got the same level of talent and they stayed all 4 years? Imagine this team, Juniors - John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, Sophomors - Brandon Knight, Deron Lamb, Terrance Jones, Freshman - Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marcus Teague, Kyle Wiltjer. Yes I understand that some of these players would not have come to Kentucky if another guy was still on the team. But just imagine if Calipari was to get the same level of talent every year and they stayed 4 years at how many banners would be hung in Rupp Arena.
The NBA Rule is that a kid must be 1 year removed from High School before he can enter the NBA Draft. This is not Calipari's rule, it is the NBA Rule. Calipari has said over and over again that he does not like the rule and it needs to be changed. Every College Coach in America hopes and wishes to sign players of the caliber of Davis, MKG, Wall, Cousins and such. Every College Coach in America is our recruiting such players and they know if they get a couple of them, their team will be in the spotlight competing for Conference and National Titles. Which in turn gives the program exposure so that the next wave of NBA want to be players will come to their program and on and on and on. The One and Done rule is a BAD rule. Kids who have graduated from High School should have the option of going straight into the NBA Draft or going to College. But if he goes to College he should be made to stay a minimum of 2 or 3 years. This will help the kids get a 2-3 year jump on their degree plus help them obtain some maturity before going to the NBA. A perfect example of this is DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins was ready for the NBA physically but he was and still is very immature and needs to grow up. But when Cousins has been THE MAN in high school and I bet had stuff handed to him on a silver platter, then only gets one year of College where he showed his immaturity, he needed more.
Are people mad that Calipari recruits and gets the best talent in America year in and year out? As much money and as competitive as Big Time College Athletics are, each and every coach in America are trying to recruit the best players possible. The best players possible in each position are all quality players with NBA skills. The fact that Calipari gets so many of these players is a testament to his recruiting skills. The fact that Calipari can mold and gel his teams to play together unselfishly as well has play defense is a testament to his coaching ability. The Rule about Kids being able to play a year then turning pro, is not his fault. If people don't like it when Kentucky is consistently in the top 5 with a chance to win it all every year, then too bad. Change the rule makes better sense than beating on Calipari for playing by the rule and recruiting accordingly.
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