Column: One shouldn’t be done

It has become a hot topic for debate.

College basketball talents have the choice of whether or not they want to go pro after only their freshman year.

The NBA only found it necessary for a player to have one year of college experience before entering the pros, which has created the term “one-and-done.”

This year will be different with the one-and-dones because of the possible NBA lockout.

This situation leaves athletes in a dilemma.

They can stay another year in college and wait to be drafted next year or enter this year’s draft and possibly force a lockout where they won’t get paid.

Certain players have realized that staying an extra year might help them in the long run because they won’t have to deal with the lockout situation.

North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and Baylor’s Perry Jones all decided that staying another year would be the right move.

These guys have made the right decision because now they have another year to develop their skills on and off the court.

Players who aren’t nearly as highly touted as some of these young stars stay all four years to improve their chances and also earn a degree to be applied to a career if the NBA doesn’t pan out.

Bob Knight was a clear advocate of not just helping student-athletes make it to NBA but also helping them earn a college degree.

Knight stated his viewpoint on one-and-dones in a speech in Wabash, Ind., which reiterated his traditional college basketball coaching style.

Still, some of these talented athletes elect to take the short-term approach.

The NBA’s possible lockout would certainly affect this year’s draft, but it’s hard to tell what will happen.

Regardless, the fact of the matter is that the draft is June 23 and the deadline for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is July 1.

John Calipari took the Kentucky job two years ago and has created a one-and-done team every year.

Last year, Calipari sent six to the pros — four of them as freshmen. This year, three Wildcats have made the decision to declare for the draft.

This trend could continue as long as there isn’t a rule in place to keep kids in school longer.

I’m not saying one-and-dones can’t be players in the pros, but with a possible NBA lockout looming and an extra year for basketball development, staying might be the best option.

These next few months will be interesting to watch if a new CBA can get figured out.
One thing we do know is that without a rule change on eligibility in the future, this stigma of the one-and-done will continue, which isn’t necessarily good for college basketball.

The paths of the NBA’s future stars will be hard to determine, but for now, the smarter move might be staying on a college campus.  

­— amsiegal@indiana.edu