One and Done | Teen Ink

One and Done MAG

November 30, 2010
By Keaton Roberson BRONZE, McDonough, Georgia
Keaton Roberson BRONZE, McDonough, Georgia
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Today, many colleges are handing out full-ride scholarships to student athletes. However, for some of these talented individuals who play college basketball, their university days are short-lived. Due to a rule passed in 2006 by the NBA, a player is not eligible for the pro draft until one year after high school graduation and they must be 19. This has led many players, including Kansas's Xavier Henry and Kentucky's John Wall, to leave college after just one year to enter the NBA.

How much scholarship money is being spent on these “one and done” college athletes? The majority of these players' transcripts show that they take light course loads and rarely attend classes. Why pay for an education they don't care about? There is no point.

Many college basketball coaches and fans would like to see the NBA return to its old rule, which allowed player to be drafted right out of high school. Players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were drafted this way. They would also like the NBA to amend the rule so that if a player chooses to attend college on a basketball scholarship, they will only be eligible for the NBA after sophomore year, allowing coaches to create longer-lasting programs for success. The way it is now, coaches can't building competitive teams with players they will have for only one season.

The athletes cannot be faulted for leaving college early. They stand to earn millions of dollars at the pro level. And after all, they are simply following the current rules. However, I and many others believe that the NBA should change the rules and put an end to these one-and-done players. It's wasting too much scholarship money on athletes who are just using college as a stepping stone to the NBA.



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This article has 1 comment.


on Mar. 23 2011 at 7:48 am
iloveyou.xoxo., Easley, South Carolina
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I agree with you 100%. I don't think schools should waste scholarship money on an athlete that isn't going to take advantage of it. There are way more people that need the scholarship money. Some people may take their scholarship and make something out of it instead of barely reaching their potential.