The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
THE NCAA IS THE SCHOOLS
CURRENTLY: The most common mis conception about college sports’ governing body is that it is an independent organization that governors the schools. The NCAA is a voluntary association of the schools and that membership ultimately determines the rules — like what payments to an athlete or his family members are allowable. NCAA President Mark Emmert is the face and voice of the
association, but — unlike a commissioner of a professional league— he has very limited power beyond being a potential catalyst for change. Or protector of the status quo.
THE TALK: There are 351 schools that play Division I basketball from powerhouse Kentucky to tiny St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Priorities range far and wide and what an Atlantic Coast Conference school sees as a potential fix to the system, an Atlantic Sun school could see as a threat to what little competitive balance exists in D-I. The result is: Many of the potential remedies floated for corruption in college sports don’t actually involve NCAA changes.
ONE-AND-DONE
CURRENTLY: The NBA instituted a rule 12 years ago that prohibited players from entering the draft before they were at least 19 and a year removed from high school. The NCAA has no control over this rule. The NFL rule — which requires players be three years removed from high school — is also problematic, but high school aged football players are not generally as close as basketball players to being proready.
THE TALK: There is much buzz about change. One option would be to let pro-ready high school seniors enter the NBA draft and make players who chose to attend college stay at least two years. The rule only impacts the top players. Since 2006, 66 one-and-done players have been NBA draft lottery picks — and that’s after a record 11 in last year’s draft.
And while age is a hotbutton issue, several players who played two or more college seasons were listed in probe documents as potentially accepting impermissible payments, according to Yahoo.
When Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy slammed the NCAA recently as “maybe the worst organization in sports,” he pivoted to point blame at the league where he works, even suggesting the oneand-done rule was racist in how it limits black athletes.
“I don’t get it. You can get out of high school, you can turn 18, let’s say, and go to work anywhere else,” Van Gundy said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during the recent All-Star break his league is “conflicted” about one-and-done. The players’ union and teams both benefit from players using a year of college to develop skills, mature and grow name recognition before they enter the NBA and start pressuring veteran players.
FARM SYSTEMS
CURRENTLY: The NBA and NFL essentially set up college sports to be a de facto farm system for professional teams and the people who defend college sports want no part of that.
THE TALK: James said the NBA should explore expanding its developmental G League to make it more like major league baseball’s farm systems. He also wondered why the United States does not have an athlete development model more like what exists in Europe, where elite soccer players, for example, can get professional development outside of higher education.
“We have to figure out a way that we can shore up our farm league and if kids feel like they don’t want to be a part of that NCAA program, then we have something here for them to be able to jump back on and not have to worry about going overseas,” said James, who said he wants to meet with Silver to discuss his ideas.