Playing a 5th season at a prep school in Canada.
Will be interesting to see if this sets a new precedent or not.
Will be interesting to see if this sets a new precedent or not.
New option for the NBA
How does the whole going to high school for another year thing work? I assume its a one year thing? You cant just keep going to high school...
IllinoisFan733
- Chicago
I think the dilemma is: What is the definition of a "Prep School"? Is it a High School preparing you for college? Or a private institution that does that? Do you need to graduate HS in order to attend a Prep School?
If that's the case, then why did the NBA need to make a ruling? Seems to be a lot of buzz about this decision.
Chances of weaknesses being exposed decreases if you stay in prep school.
But what makes it weird is that it's the same school. And it's more or less one program of five years, which used to be standard in Ontario, though not other parts of Canada.
But your general point is right, this doesn't really change anything. Kids have always had the opportunity to graduate high school and spend a post-grad year at Oak Hill or wherever and be eligible for the draft, they just don't because why not play college basketball against better competition and be on TV and all the good stuff that goes along with that? They can also go pro overseas or in the D-League, but college ball is perceived as the better route for a professional future both from a draft stock and a marketing perspective.
Maker isn't already in college because he either wouldn't pass the clearinghouse academically, or the strange circumstances of his rather nomadic youth wouldn't pass muster with the NCAA, or both.
If the NBA acted like the NCAA, they wouldn't let him in. But they're smart, they see this case is a weirdo exception that has no likelihood of opening up any floodgates, and they're doing right by the kid.
wettsten
- Chicago
could be a "weakness" to not seek out the highest level of competition available to you. unless poor grades make college unavailable.
Can you attend an online high school for a year?
Foggy Notion
- San Francisco
Only if you play on the online basketball team.
You could do nothing for a year if you want to. You don't even need to have graduated high school. You just have to be 19 years old with at least one year having passed since the graduation of your high school class.
BlindLoyalty
- FartNoiseMotivation
Does not matter. You only need a pulse.
Section 1. Player Eligibility.
(a) No player may sign a Contract or play in the NBA unless he has been eligible for selection in at least one (1) NBA Draft. No player shall be eligible for selection in more than two (2) NBA Drafts.
(b) A player shall be eligible for selection in the first NBA Draft with respect to which he has satisfied all applicable requirements of Section 1(b)(i) below and one of the requirements of Section 1(b)(ii) below:
(i) The player (A) is or will be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, and (B) with respect to a player who is not an international player (defined below), at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school); and
(ii)
(A) The player has graduated from a four-year college or university in the United States (or is to graduate in the calendar year in which the Draft is held) and has no remaining intercollegiate basketball eligibility; or
(B) The player is attending or previously attended a four-year college or university in the United States, his original class in such college or university has graduated (or is to graduate in the calendar year in which the Draft is held), and he has no remaining intercollegiate basketball eligibility; or
(C) The player has graduated from high school in the United States, did not enroll in a four-year college or university in the United States, and four calendar years have elapsed since such player’s high school graduation; or
(D) The player did not graduate from high school in the United States, and four calendar years have elapsed since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school; or
(E) The player has signed a player contract with a “professional basketball team not in the NBA” (defined below) that is located anywhere in the world, and has rendered services under such contract prior to the Draft; or
(F) The player has expressed his desire to be selected in the Draft in a writing received by the NBA at least sixty (60) days prior to such Draft (an “Early Entry” player); or
(G) If the player is an “international player” (defined below), and notwithstanding anything contained in subsections (A) through (F) above:
(1) The player is or will be twenty-two (22) years of age during the calendar year of the Draft; or
(2) The player has signed a player contract with a “professional basketball team not in the NBA” (defined below) that is located in the United States, and has rendered services under such contract prior to the Draft; or
(3) The player has expressed his desire to be selected in the Draft in a writing received by the NBA at least sixty (60) days prior to such Draft (an “Early Entry” player).
(c) For purposes of this Article X, an “international player” is a player: (i) who has maintained a permanent residence outside of the United States for at least the three (3) years prior to the Draft, while participating in the game of basketball as an amateur or as a professional outside of the United States; (ii) who has never previously enrolled in a college or university in the United States; and (iii) who did not complete high school in the United States.
(d) For purposes of this Article X, a “professional basketball team not in the NBA” means any team that pays money or compensation of any kind – in excess of a stipend for living expenses – to a basketball player for rendering services to such team.
ChiCityHoops34
- DeKalb IL
I've always been surprised more haven't opted to workout/work on their game for a year rather than risk getting exposed at the next level.
Some kids draft stock will never be higher than it is coming out of high school. Cliff is one that comes to mind.
Yeah, but that's totally 20/20 hindsight. You can't pick those cases out ahead of time.
Regardless, the force of gravity that attracts great athletes and the highest profile level of competition that will have them is overwhelming, across sports, countries, genders, eras, whatever. The best want to be on the big stage, which has a lot to do with why they're the best in the first place. Someone that perceives that as a "risk" is unlikely to be the kind of person in a position to make that decision. The people who do think that way are agents, something these kids aren't allowed to have.
There are the obvious reasons kids don't do this, distance, youth, cultural barriers, but there are two other factors I think people don't always appreciate:
1. Elite European teams don't really want these guys. Regardless of talent level, a 19 year old with no professional experience and next to no name recognition at that point making an explicitly one-season commitment is not a valuable asset for them. They aren't good enough to play a lot, they aren't going to be around to get better, they don't put butts in seats, it's not that appealing of a proposition. China will take anyone, but that's not as good of a developmental situation.
2. The inability to hire agents makes the college route a million times easier on families. Even in a well-to-do, well-educated two parent household (which is a vanishing rarity among elite basketball players), the logistics of really investigating the overseas option is basically impossible. You have to have an agent that knows the ropes. But hire an agent, and you close the college option off. You have to basically fly blind into the overseas option, as opposed to signing on the dotted line at Kansas, Kentucky, or Duke where you know as a family that the path has been well worn many times and everything is going to be paid for and taken care of. You'd be insane to close that option off just for the chance to meaningfully investigate going abroad.
BINGO!!!
Captain Bubbles
- Fairfield, IL
I just want to say something regarding this (guess it's suited for this thread). I can't imagine being in a D1 coach's mindset when a player of his declares to try out for the NBA Draft Combine without hiring an agent. Some will hire one like Poetl did yesterday (and I think he has a legit shot at the NBA), and some will not.
I'm not fond of this rule. It's really a hassle for those on scholarships. For a coach like Indiana's Tom Crean and Troy Williams to try out the Combine waters...I can't imagine what is going through Crean's mind now. Maybe Williams shows promise and could get drafted, maybe not. It's like a chess game.
Amazing how this rule is causing so many headaches among college coaches. Not knowing if one of their players will be back or not. It's unreal. I follow Jon Rothstein on Twitter and he's been echoing the negatives of it.
I'm not fond of this rule. It's really a hassle for those on scholarships. For a coach like Indiana's Tom Crean and Troy Williams to try out the Combine waters...I can't imagine what is going through Crean's mind now. Maybe Williams shows promise and could get drafted, maybe not. It's like a chess game.
Amazing how this rule is causing so many headaches among college coaches. Not knowing if one of their players will be back or not. It's unreal. I follow Jon Rothstein on Twitter and he's been echoing the negatives of it.
I am kind of surprised that it is not a business yet "Future Elite Draft Pick" or something like that...where you (the player) pays the trainer/coach/gym and you basically are just playing/practicing/conditioning and doing interview skills for a year.
The problems it causes for coaches are vastly outweighed by the benefits it presents for players. That's why it's so amazing that the NCAA is allowing it.
Tim Grover, who is the best in the business basketball training-wise, would LOVE to do this with a big time kid. As would any of the big agents. They aren't going to out-recruit Coach K though, nor should they. College is the best option in virtually 100% of cases of American-born players capable of getting into school.
They don't have to deal with the NCAA's BS. And there's a lot of BS for foreign-born kids like Maker, as seen in the Enes Kanter saga, among others.
This is Crean we're talking about. Let's keep it to checkers or bingo.
Anyway, how is it different than any other situation where you don't know if a player is coming back?