One-and-Dones: Yea or Nay?

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again, and surely not for the last time: I love basketball.  A lot.  I follow it religiously in the off-season during recruiting and drafting, and when November rolls around, you can bet I'm glued to my TV to watch my Tar Heels, or the first fan in Cassell to cheer on my Hokies.  I just can't get enough.

Every season brings something new to the sport, especially in the sense of new players.  Some come in with promising talent, and we are curious to see how they grow and develop during their time at school.  Others are explosive from the start.  Sometimes we wonder exactly how long they'll stay in school, or if they'll leave after one or two good seasons.  This is where I see an issue.

We've all heard the terms "one-and-dones" and "freshman phenoms," but just in case you need a refresher, let me throw some names at you.  Anthony Davis.  Austin Rivers.  Kevin Durant.  Brandan Wright.  Marvin Williams.  Kyrie Irving.  Kevin Love.  John Wall.  You get the idea.

Okay, so maybe most of those names are from Kentucky and Duke.  Maybe I'm biased.  I'm a Carolina fan...what did you expect?  I listed two UNC names.  Can you guess which ones?

There's no doubt these guys are loaded with talent.  As much as I dislike four of those names, I am not denying that they are solid ball players.  The problem comes in when they go to school for one year, and then turn pro.

On that note, I must admit that I'm surprised Austin Rivers left Duke after one year.  Don't get me wrong, I'm more than glad that I won't have to watch him shoot game-winning threes for another season (still bitter...Lehigh, that's all).  But I really would have thought that Doc would have pushed him to stay and get an education. 

I'm really not a fan of this "one-and-done" concept.  If you're not going to commit to all four--or at least three--years of school, why waste the scholarship money and time?  The "freshman phenom" mindset just cheapens college.  Some players--LeBron, Kobe, and KG to name a few--don't even go to college; they go to the NBA as soon as they can.  Okay.  I'm not crazy about them skipping college entirely, because I think everyone needs an education of some sort.  Pro basketball doesn't last forever; injuries and burnouts happen.  They've got to have something to do with their lives when their basketball time is up, no matter how successful their careers.  But to be honest, I would rather them not go at all than go for a year and waste the schools' time and money.

Even staying for two years, I think is too little.  I really wish Kendall Marshall and Harrison Barnes would have stayed at Carolina for one more year.  Both of them have so much more room to grow and develop, and one more year with Coach Williams would have been ideal. That goes for other athletes, too.  Imagine Jared Sullinger after two more years. 

With that said, I think the idea of the student athlete is slowly dying.  Too many athletes are forgoing their educations, and chances to win championships all too soon.  Athletes like Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller, Eric Montross, Tim Duncan, Jay Bilas, and David Robinson are dying breeds.  Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Wayne Ellington all came back for one more year after the disappointing end to their 2008 season, even though all four of them were more than eligible for first-round picks in the draft.  Their reason for returning: the quest for a national championship, and they got it in 2009.  What would become of collegiate basketball if more players had that same mindset?

In my perfect world, here's how it would be: the NBA and/or NCAA would create some kind of rule that players are not allowed to put their names into the draft if they have played less than three years in college.  Three years gives them plenty of play experience, time to grow, bulk up, gain some maturity, and get at least close to completing a degree.  That's plenty reasonable, I think.  Unfortunately, I don't see this happening, at least any time soon.

I tried to remain as unbiased as possible here, but as a Carolina fan, and considering the topic, it's a bit difficult.  The targets are too easy.  Regardless of your team affiliations, though, I do think that colleges and the NCAA need to take this into consideration, especially if they want their programs to remain respectable.