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Note: Admittedly, this post has been in the can for a while, but it is still somewhat topical, with the recent NBA Draft and the recent gut-wrenching-yet-totally-expected defection of LeBron James to Miami. It is still a relevant topic, and worth a serious discussion in the world of sports. That being said, thanks for checking it out.  Enjoy:

I wish to begin with some very sincere thanks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Finally somebody who can actually be considered an athlete and a role model stepped up and said it!

The all-time leading scorer of the NBA spoke at a banquet in Omaha back in May, saying he believes the NBA needs to raise its minimum-age requirement to 21. It is about time.

Let me just say this right off the top. I’m a “go-to-college,” “stay-in-school” kind of guy. I am also not what a lot of sports fans would call an “athlete.” It was clear from my freshman basketball season that a full-ride basketball scholarship as a Shawnee State Bear just wasn’t in the cards for me, so I made other plans. To be clear, I’m not a sedentary klutz, either – I’m just not… you know, All-Star material.

The NBA established "one-and-done," I assume, as some sort of half-assed “high-road” approach to keep kids from jumping from high school directly to the NBA.

That pseudo-disclaimer aside, I’ve had a problem with this “one and done” garbage the NBA started a few years back, ever since its inception. The NBA established it, I assume, as some sort of half-assed “high-road” approach to keep kids from jumping from high school directly to the NBA.

Yes, I cheered for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (see ya, LeBron). Yes, I understand that might lead some people to think I’m being a little hypocritical. Think what you will… I didn’t think LeBron James should have skipped college to go to the NBA, either. Or Kobe. My thought on the whole thing was, “Are they crazy?”  Hey... you try being the first one to tell someone what to do, when everyone else has already set him off in the other direction.

Sure, LeBron James probably wouldn’t have wound up in Cleveland had he gone to college for a few years, and I probably wouldn’t have even cared about him as a pro player, other than his Ohio connection. I watch basketball when I can, but it’s not a front-burner sport for me. I personally would like to watch more, but as my significant other already refers to herself as the “Sports Widow” in the house… well, you make some concessions, hand over the remote on non-hockey nights, and pray she can’t find anything.

Besides, it’s not like I or anyone could stop LeBron. He was anointed at a young age by the sports media, coaches and fans, much like Sidney Crosby was in the NHL a few years ago. LeBron James carried that extra weight in high school and into his pro career, and it’s pretty obvious he has handled it well. Aside from that whole “no championships” thing… and quitting in the Playoffs.

But, I digress.

"Who is to say a guy like LeBron will happen every time some dumb freshman decides he IS the next LeBron James? Take a look around. It doesn’t"

Who is to say a guy like LeBron will happen every time some dumb freshman decides he IS the next LeBron James? Take a look around the NBA, folks. It doesn’t.

However… among the latest guys taking that bet is John Wall, who bailed on the University of Kentucky. Surely, you recall the hype around him, and the huge media frenzy over the misprinted jersey he wore to a magazine photo shoot. The jersey read “KENTCUKY.” As in, “C U Kentucky,” which of course sparked the whole “was-that-on-purpose?” brouhaha. Obviously, it was already an accepted fact that Wall would be the latest “one-and-done” college player jumping to the NBA.

Anyway, everyone else has gone along with the whole “Well, [insert overhyped athlete name here] is massively talented, and he’s ready for the NBA,” or “Why go to college, to play 3-4 years? He could be *gasp* injured and give up his future in the NBA!”

Awwwww…. Guess he’ll have to get a real job, huh? It happens.

Now, to be clear, I don’t endorse leaving school early to go pro, no matter what the circumstances are. I don’t disagree any less with Evan Turner’s leaving OSU after three years, than I disagree with John Wall’s leaving Kentucky after one. I think it’s simply a copout.

However, the NFL at least draws a line when it comes to athletes bailing early: Three years out of high school before you can jump. Again, I’m not saying it’s any better. However, whether or not an athlete can “cut it” in college academically, at least there’s a commitment involved in college football. He gets recruited, he has to have the grades to be eligible to participate in the first place, and has to maintain the grades to stay eligible. Then, when he says he’s leaving for the NFL, but he has “every intention of finishing what he started academically, ” it’s a little more credible.

How’s this for commitment: Remember Tim Tebow, that quarterback we hate so much here in Columbus – whether it’s for the fact that he lit up the Buckeyes in the National Championship Game a few years back, or for the fact that he plays in the much-hyped, “we’re better than everyone else” SEC? Get this. You know how many classes he took during the last football season? One.

Why only one? Was it so he could have extra time to prepare himself for Florida’s rigorous non-conference schedule consisting of Charleston Southern, Troy, and Florida International? Nope… because it was the last class he needed before graduation. The dude won two national championships and was arguably the nation’s best college quarterback during his tenure, and practically finished his degree in three years.

That, my friends, is the very epitome of a “scholar-athlete.” Whatever you thought of the uniform he wore or his overzealous religious beliefs… those things aside, I bet you wouldn’t mind if your kid turned out like him.

College basketball is basically a free minor-league farm system for the NBA. Since "one-and-done" started, the NBA reaps all the benefits, still pays for nothing, and universities get hosed.

Meanwhile, the NBA has turned the concept of “scholar-athlete” into a pathetic oxymoron. College basketball is basically a free minor-league farm system for the NBA. This wasn’t a huge problem until the NBA came up with the “one-and-done” rule. Now, the NBA reaps all the benefits, still pays for nothing, and universities get hosed.

And college basketball fans in Columbus need look no further than their own backyard to find an example in which people get screwed because of some selfish kid who has been told all too often how awesome he is.

Let’s talk about Greg Oden for a moment. He was a terrific college player (for the year that he suffered to play non-professional basketball), who received tons of accolades and awards, annointed the next great freshman to go right to the NBA… blah, blah, blah. He becomes the First Overall Pick in the NBA! Woo-hoo! Then he has surgery that causes him to miss the entire 2007-08 season. In 2008-09, he plays 61 games… while also missing time with injuries. This past season, he managed a paltry 21 games before getting – you guessed it – injured again.

Soooo… Greg Oden, in three years in the NBA, has managed to play 82 games. That is one season’s worth of games… in three seasons. Is that what the Trail Blazers expected from him when they picked him first overall – playing about one-third of the time, with 9.4 points per game? Wow.  What a huge impact.  I think he made more headlines when racy pictures of him turned up on the Internet.

Wow. Do you think they’ll want to re-sign him when the time comes?

"OSU wound up losing two basketball scholarships because Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos were in such a rush to declare for the NBA and dropped everything. Gee, thanks a lot, guys."

Now, is Greg Oden limping all the way to bank? Sure. But I hope he has a backup plan, because there may not be room on an NBA roster for him in a couple years. It’s not just because he’s injury-prone. It’s because the NBA is drafting more kids to take his place.

Greg Oden’s practically an old guy now. And he’s what… 22?  23, tops?

Now let’s talk about who got screwed in the deal: The Ohio State University. OSU wound up losing two basketball scholarships because of selfish kids like Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos. Why? Well, because they were in such a damn rush to declare for the NBA, they dropped everything… withdrew from classes and everything, not even bothering to finish freshman year, which meant OSU took hits to its Academic Progress Rate (APR) score.  In fact, in 2009, when the NCAA dropped that hammer on OSU, the Buckeyes’ APR was between the 20^th and 30^th percentiles for men’s basketball among Division I schools. Now were other players slacking in class? Sure. But the timing of Oden’s and Koufos’ departures tied OSU’s hands.

Thanks a lot, guys. Really cool. Ingrates.

However, if the NBA won’t stop it this travesty… who will?

Will college coaches stress academics when they make recruiting visits to these blue-chip high school phenoms that fully expect to go “one and done”? Will they talk about the great programs and majors that are available at their schools? Will they stress that there are academic standards those athletes must meet, and that there is a commitment involved to being a part of the team? I’d like to think so… but it’s probably too much to ask.

Will they just stop recruiting them? That’s a laugh.

"If universities didn’t nudge college coaches about academics, the coaches wouldn’t care, plain and simple."

These coaches want to win championships, and they’ll do whatever they can to get them, even if it means settling for some dumb kid who plans to cruise through a couple quarters and drop it all at the first sight of money. If universities didn’t nudge college coaches about academics, the coaches wouldn’t care, plain and simple.

It’s a sad truth. We can’t rely on college coaches to do the right thing, so the NBA needs to do it.

Just set the rule. Send a message:  Three years out of high school. You don’t want to sit through college?  Fine… don’t do it. But earn your NBA spot in the Developmental League, or in Europe or something.

Think you’re the next LeBron? Good for you.

Prove you’re not the next Greg Oden first.

Tags: college basketball, developmental league, greg oden, john wall, kareem abdul jabbar, lebron james, nba, ohio state buckeyes, one-and-done, shawnee state bears, tim tebow