Checking out NBAdraft.net today (Which is a draft where you can find predictions for the NBA draft) I found to my surprise 7 out of the expected top 10 picks are freshman. Michael Beasley 1st, Derrick Rose 2nd, Jeeryd Bayless 4th, OJ Mayo 5th, Eric Gordon 6th, Blake Griffin 8th, and DeAndre Jordan 9th.
This is incredible and a lot of these freshmen will turn into very very solid players in the NBA. However, this is a big fault of the age limit rule. With the rule of being 1 year removed from high school in affect...it causes too many "one and done" players. This leaves college coaches wondering who they can build a team around and who they can't. A great example of this is Ohio State last year. Last year they were playing for a national championship with a team built around Center Greg Oden and PG Mike Conley Jr. This year, they're competing for an NIT Championship....which used to be prestigace, but now is more referred to as the "Not In Tournament." Had Oden and Conley stayed for 3 or 4 years, Ohio State would have been premier school in men's basketball no doubt...and would have returned to the final four more than once. This could have also made Ohio State more desirable for recruits to attend...turning them into a NCAA powerhouse, and etc. But instead...Oden goes one and done and they fall off the map this year. This is why I believe the NBA should make it at least 2 or 3 years...so these colleges don't get short changed by players leaving.
Brad Thibeau
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