When No. 4 Duke took on No. 5 Kansas on Nov. 12, it was billed as the showdown between two freshmen phenoms — Duke’s Jabari Parker and Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins.
While the players lived up to their hype, imagine a world where Kyrie Irving was throwing lobs to Parker. Or if Wiggins was hitting treys off of Thomas Robinson double teams.
Or even a world in which those players never touched a college basketball court.
The NBA’s rule forcing players to attend college only for their freshman season is asinine and makes a mockery of the NCAA’s “student first, athlete second” policy.
When the top high school players in the nation are choosing schools, they aren’t worried about actually having to attend class anymore. Knowing they are bolting for millions in less than a year, what’s the point of going to class?
Wiggins recently said when he was growing up he didn’t watch college basketball or even have a favorite team. The most hyped college player in the nation said his goal for the season was to go first in the NBA draft at the end of the season.
Even if Wiggins brings excitement to the games he plays in, his attitude hurts college basketball. He doesn’t want to be at Kansas, the system in place forced him to be there.
It punishes the high school players who are ready to make the jump, without changing anything for those who want or need to go to college. The decision to go to college should be exactly that — a decision.
Yeah, having LeBron James, Kevin Garnett or Dwight Howard participating in March Madness would’ve been fun, but as fans, we can’t put our selfish desire to see players play for favorite colleges over the players’ need to take the next step in their careers.
The dangers of players leaving too early and skipping a crucial step of their development has been fixed in recent years with the expansion of the NBA D-League. There are 17 D-League teams this season, with all 30 NBA teams funneling younger players into those teams. In 2005, there were only eight D-League teams.
Players who are forced to declare for the NBA Draft due to financial hardship before they are ready now have a place to go to develop their skills while still making money to support their families.
Talented players will still go to college and NCAA basketball won’t devolve into high school basketball on steroids.
In 2005, the last year high school seniors were allowed to jump to the pros, Emeka Okefor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Vilanueva, Jarett Jack, Will Bynum and Anthony Morrow played a college game. All of those are current NBA players.
Basketball needs to institute the same rule as baseball — players have the option to go pro straight out of high school, but if they choose to go to college, they have to stay for three years instead of just one.
Teams will then be given the chance to build the talent they recruit, rather than just hoping the freshmen they bring in are better than another teams’ recruiting class.
After the Duke-Kansas game, LeBron James tweeted, “GM’s are wishing the draft was tomorrow.”
But really, the draft should’ve been long before then.

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Karl B DeBlaker

Duke's Jabari Parker (1) celebrates with teammate Rasheed Sulaimon (14) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)