Fix College Basketball

At this point more players are staying in school. If you like basketball you know who Josh Jackson and Malik Monk are and want to watch them. But lately it's been the Buddy Heilds, Frank Masons and Malcolm Brogdons leading the top teams.

To me it's a nice mix.

 

The NCAA could improve the situation somewhat by allowing players to return to college unless and until they cash a regular-season pro paycheck. They could allow a one-time "academic exemption" of a semester which would allow them to retain eligibility if they had been eligible before leaving school.

 

People aren't getting excited about future eighth men in NBA rotations.

 

If only we could go back to the 80s everybody loved when it was NBA superstars like Thurl Bailey, Steve Alford and Ed Pinkney leading teams to titles.

It just seems to me the complaints are 1.) We want to see future NBA players and 2.) We want players to stay three or four years so we know who they are. In reality, most of the top programs are giving you both.

 

Sure, there are busts. But at least people thought Steve Alford could be an NBA star, and he was playing against NBA stars. People know guys like Buddy Hield are lighting it up against Double A competition.

 

I say this as a dyed-in-the-wool Terp hater, but if Dick can't appreciate Juan Dixon, the man doesn't have a heart.

 

While none of them were superstars, Bailey was one of the top sixth men in the league for many years and had a couple of seasons where he averaged 19 points. Pinckney was a reliable journeyman for a decade. Alford did suck, though.

 

And Brogdon and Hield are also going to have solid, decade long careers. Several of this year's All-Stars played at least three years of college. Several more played two. Yeah, you're only going to get to see Karl-Anthony Towns play in college for a year, but I think things are trending back in the right direction if you care about college hoops.