NCAA president Myles Brand talks about one-and-done rule of college basketball
7:38 PM Fri, Jul 25, 2008
Brandon George

NCAA president Dr. Myles Brand spoke Friday at the National Football Foundation's 11th annual "Play It Smart" Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Arlington.

He set down for a 15-minute one-on-one interview with The Dallas Morning News. He talked about topics that range from the current college football bowl system vs. a playoff format to an early signing period in football to the NBA's one-and-done rule for college basketball athletes. I'll give you what he thought about the one-and-done rule today and follow-up with his answers to other topical questions as next week progresses.

Brand said he likes there being a rule for high school basketball players having to at least attend one year of college before making the jump to the NBA. Though the NCAA has no say-so in that rule - it's governed by the NBA and its Players Union - Brand said he would like to extend it to two years.

"The college basketball coaches are uncomfortable with it. They prefer not to have it because they want to be able to figure out who their team is going to be in the future, although some of them like particular players who come in," Brand said. "My own view is there is an advantage to the one-and-done rule that's not often recognized, and it's similar to the kind of issues you face in the football Play It Smart approach. Namely, if a young man understands that in order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, he's going to have to go to college for a year and that means he's got to be admitted to college and eligible for college and he can't blow off high school.

See the rest of Brand's answer after the jump ...

"So in the old view, you have hundreds of kids blowing off high school, thinking they're going to be one of the 10 kids who is going directly from high school to college. Now, believe it or not, not everyone is Lebron James and not everyone is going to be able to play at that level. So you have hundreds of kids who get disappointed and they blew off high school and they're not going to graduate from high school, they're not prepared for college and once they don't get into the NBA, what are they going to do? Flip hamburgers at best? So now if they figure at least 'I have to be eligible for college, I got to graduate high school, I have to take my core academic courses' and then after one year, I'll go into the NBA. Well, a vast majority is not going into the NBA, but now they've graduated from high school, they're prepared for college, they're in college, and many more now will get a decent education as a result and not just high school but a number of them have graduated from college as a result.

"And that's hundreds of kids, not the handful who are going into the NBA, so I think the media, the sports media, has really focused in on - this year it was 12 - the 12 kids who are going to the NBA after one year. Good luck to them. I don't have any problems with them going to the NBA and making millions of dollars. Good luck to them. I'm worried about the hundreds, literally hundreds of others, who otherwise were left out in the cold who are now getting a high school education and probably a college education and they're much better off. So it has some beneficial effects for lots of kids, as soon as you stop talking about the 12 who are going into the NBA.

"I would like to see it at least two years. I did a CBS show with [NBA commissioner] David Stern in which we talked about this. I asked David how about two years, and he said 'yes.' He thought two years was better than one year, and I think two years is better than one. I think three is better than two, but I'll take two. But of course he has to negotiate that with the NBA's Players Union, and I think the contract is up in 2½ to three years, but he at least at that point expressed interest in exploring two years."

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/

You know what, do that for EVERY sport then. You go to college to earn a job and now you're telling people that they can't take that job why? So the NCAA and the universities can make an extra buck off of you? If you get a scholarship from any place, academic or what have you, I doubt they force you to attend college for a full year. Could you imagine if a University and Microsoft got together and blocked people from getting jobs at Microsoft and forced you to attend school for a year?

CatsClaw, you do know that the next NBA contract will expand that to 2 years removed from high school. Teams are saving a huge amount of money. It also helps with extendings some careers too. Both sides has already agreed to this. It will be part of the next contracts. I really wonder what effect this will have on players going overseas.

CatsClaw Wrote:You know what, do that for EVERY sport then. You go to college to earn a job and now you're telling people that they can't take that job why? So the NCAA and the universities can make an extra buck off of you? If you get a scholarship from any place, academic or what have you, I doubt they force you to attend college for a full year. Could you imagine if a University and Microsoft got together and blocked people from getting jobs at Microsoft and forced you to attend school for a year?

I agree. If kids are good enough they can play major league baseball right out of high school or at least go to the farm system. The same applies for soccer, tennis and golf. However, there is a reasonable double standard for football, but the double standard for basketball is totally unreasonable. If the NBA trys to institute this crap, then the universities need to start paying the players above the table or the federal government needs to investigate the NCAA and the NBA for attempting to restrain trade. In any event, the European and Asian leagues would certainly benefit from the NCAA's greed.

gdayre Wrote:CatsClaw, you do know that the next NBA contract will expand that to 2 years removed from high school. Teams are saving a huge amount of money. It also helps with extendings some careers too. Both sides has already agreed to this. It will be part of the next contracts. I really wonder what effect this will have on players going overseas.

If this is not an age requirement, then will this rule apply to only American kids or does it apply to kids from other countries as well?

PirateMarv Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:You know what, do that for EVERY sport then. You go to college to earn a job and now you're telling people that they can't take that job why? So the NCAA and the universities can make an extra buck off of you? If you get a scholarship from any place, academic or what have you, I doubt they force you to attend college for a full year. Could you imagine if a University and Microsoft got together and blocked people from getting jobs at Microsoft and forced you to attend school for a year?

I agree. If kids are good enough they can play major league baseball right out of high school or at least go to the farm system. The same applies for soccer, tennis and golf. However, there is a reasonable double standard for football, but the double standard for basketball is totally unreasonable. If the NBA trys to institute this crap, then the universities need to start paying the players above the table or the federal government needs to investigate the NCAA and the NBA for attempting to restrain trade. In any event, the European and Asian leagues would certainly benefit from the NCAA's greed.

The NCAA is amateur sport. NO, they should not get paid. When you get paid, it is a job. Tutuion is there pay. If that the case, then every smart person in your school should be paid to keep their school in the top of academic standard. See how this works. Every person in college could make an arguement on why they should be paid Rules governing pro sports are made by those sports. They decided on when not us. It is much harder to get in the NBA from overseas. How many kids have made the NBA after going overseas. Not many at all. If anything it will assure that most of these kids go to college.

PirateMarv Wrote:

gdayre Wrote:CatsClaw, you do know that the next NBA contract will expand that to 2 years removed from high school. Teams are saving a huge amount of money. It also helps with extendings some careers too. Both sides has already agreed to this. It will be part of the next contracts. I really wonder what effect this will have on players going overseas.

If this is not an age requirement, then will this rule apply to only American kids or does it apply to kids from other countries as well?

Most of the kids coming from overseas are already playing pro sports. But the NBA is considered the Best basketball league there is. Like any other sports, you want to play in the best league. That is here in the USA.

gdayre Wrote:

PirateMarv Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:You know what, do that for EVERY sport then. You go to college to earn a job and now you're telling people that they can't take that job why? So the NCAA and the universities can make an extra buck off of you? If you get a scholarship from any place, academic or what have you, I doubt they force you to attend college for a full year. Could you imagine if a University and Microsoft got together and blocked people from getting jobs at Microsoft and forced you to attend school for a year?

I agree. If kids are good enough they can play major league baseball right out of high school or at least go to the farm system. The same applies for soccer, tennis and golf. However, there is a reasonable double standard for football, but the double standard for basketball is totally unreasonable. If the NBA trys to institute this crap, then the universities need to start paying the players above the table or the federal government needs to investigate the NCAA and the NBA for attempting to restrain trade. In any event, the European and Asian leagues would certainly benefit from the NCAA's greed.

The NCAA is amateur sport. NO, they should not get paid. When you get paid, it is a job. Tutuion is there pay. If that the case, then every smart person in your school should be paid to keep their school in the top of academic standard. See how this works. Every person in college could make an arguement on why they should be paid Rules governing pro sports are made by those sports. They decided on when not us. It is much harder to get in the NBA from overseas. How many kids have made the NBA after going overseas. Not many at all. If anything it will assure that most of these kids go to college.

You make legitmate points. However, I have not heard any discussion from the NCAA and the PGA about preventing college golfers from leaving school early. Nor have I seen discussion between the NCAA and the WTA about college tennis players. I don't follow college hockey and baseball, but I would be interested in knowing if the NHL and MLB are making the same rules for the NCAA.

Mary, several pro sports works on ranking. Notice, tennis offer open bids, which is reserve for people who is not rank high enough to qualify for, in some of these tournaments. I believe that they have qualifying tournament before the tournament actually begins. Several sports you pay an entree fees also. That is probably why? Now baseball, there are many team with subdivision so they need alot of players so therfore they can afford to. In soccer, that is where AAU comes in probably more so than any other. Soccer is set up different than other sports. Here, a player will make the under age national team, and will spend more time with this team than in other sports. Usually in soccer, those under age teams are pretty much the same with a few exceptions. When a player is to old for league, he is usually taking a place for one who just left for another one. USA team that is going to Being, is pretty much the same team from the last few years.

gdayre Wrote:Mary, several pro sports works on ranking. Notice, tennis offer open bids, which is reserve for people who is not rank high enough to qualify for, in some of these tournaments. I believe that they have qualifying tournament before the tournament actually begins. Several sports you pay an entree fees also. That is probably why? Now baseball, there are many team with subdivision so they need alot of players so therfore they can afford to. In soccer, that is where AAU comes in probably more so than any other. Soccer is set up different than other sports. Here, a player will make the under age national team, and will spend more time with this team than in other sports. Usually in soccer, those under age teams are pretty much the same with a few exceptions. When a player is to old for league, he is usually taking a place for one who just left for another one. USA team that is going to Being, is pretty much the same team from the last few years.

Without getting into the name calling and all of that; isn't that what the NBDL is for?

I was college basketball would just adopt the rule college baseball/MLB have.....if you are one of the few great players you can go from HS to the pros, however if you choose to go to college you have to stay three years...the great players can earn the cash they are entitled to and college programs are protected from having to replace players who unexpectedly go pro

Jackson

I wished I could help you here. I dont know nothing about that league. I think most american players probably prefers playing overseas because they make more money. You never hear of a player coming here to play in that league. Sorry, I wish I could be more help. I think the lack of tv exposure, doesnt help that league.

I, truly believe, that was put in place for two reason. 1) to ensure the teams arent paying players who is not ready to compete in the NBA, 2) help prolong some careers. High School games are completely different from college and from college to the NBA. Many high school students arent ready for the demands of the NBA, but were drafted out of fear that another team would get him, without him proven he can play. Many of them never develop into what they thought they woiuld, and many had to ride the pine for years before getting adapted to the game. Alot had to do with the press, overrating players in my opinion.