Time to quit recruiting one and done's
I have a good friend who is an NCAA coach. We talk from time to time. Today, he said something that made a lot of sense. "Recruiting kids who believe they are one and done just isn't worth it most of the time." I agree 100%. For every kid you get like Colin Sexton there are ten times as many who just aren't worth it. Sexton was a great player, he had a great attitude, and he took his classes seriously. After he announced his intention to go pro he took the time to let everyone associated with Alabama how much he loved his time with the Tide. Too many of these kids are just prima donnas. They want to be courted and promised far too much to sign. They drag signing out to a bitter end. Notice, I didn't say the bitter end. I said a bitter end for the parents, the fans, and the school.
If I was a parent of Trendon Watford, I'd tell him where he could go to school. I might tell him to go to Indiana because your brother went there. You go to Memphis because you have a lot of friends there. Or, heaven's forbid, I might say if you are going to only play one year in college you go to where we get to watch you play every home game. Parents spend far too much time trying to make their kids happy as opposed to helping them make proper decisions. I'm not suggesting that all parents become helicopter mom and dad, but a big-time decision is something the parents need to make or at least help make.
Coaches need some incentive to quit recruiting one and done's. If you recruit a one and done, you lose a scholarship or two the next season. If you don't recruit a one and done you get an extra scholarship. Please note I said not recruit as opposed to not sign. College is supposed to be about obtaining an education. Boy, that is a joke. It is a sad joke. If the NCAA and college administrators want to help amateur basketball, then you have to make players stay in school. At the end of a players eligibility if they don't have a degree you lose a scholarship the next season. The NCAA helps colleges promote the monetary aspect of college sports. I'm not sure the fans even care in the least about the educational part of a players life. College football and basketball have become big business.
How many of you remember how Gonzaga became a big-time program? It's a lesson every school should be aware of how it happened. Do I want Alabama to sign five-star kids who want to play for one year and then leave? No, I don't. That is not a program, that selling your soul for a player. I'd rather have players who are less talented, who can get better through player development, and stick around to graduate. Call me old school.
I have a good friend who is an NCAA coach. We talk from time to time. Today, he said something that made a lot of sense. "Recruiting kids who believe they are one and done just isn't worth it most of the time." I agree 100%. For every kid you get like Colin Sexton there are ten times as many who just aren't worth it. Sexton was a great player, he had a great attitude, and he took his classes seriously. After he announced his intention to go pro he took the time to let everyone associated with Alabama how much he loved his time with the Tide. Too many of these kids are just prima donnas. They want to be courted and promised far too much to sign. They drag signing out to a bitter end. Notice, I didn't say the bitter end. I said a bitter end for the parents, the fans, and the school.
If I was a parent of Trendon Watford, I'd tell him where he could go to school. I might tell him to go to Indiana because your brother went there. You go to Memphis because you have a lot of friends there. Or, heaven's forbid, I might say if you are going to only play one year in college you go to where we get to watch you play every home game. Parents spend far too much time trying to make their kids happy as opposed to helping them make proper decisions. I'm not suggesting that all parents become helicopter mom and dad, but a big-time decision is something the parents need to make or at least help make.
Coaches need some incentive to quit recruiting one and done's. If you recruit a one and done, you lose a scholarship or two the next season. If you don't recruit a one and done you get an extra scholarship. Please note I said not recruit as opposed to not sign. College is supposed to be about obtaining an education. Boy, that is a joke. It is a sad joke. If the NCAA and college administrators want to help amateur basketball, then you have to make players stay in school. At the end of a players eligibility if they don't have a degree you lose a scholarship the next season. The NCAA helps colleges promote the monetary aspect of college sports. I'm not sure the fans even care in the least about the educational part of a players life. College football and basketball have become big business.
How many of you remember how Gonzaga became a big-time program? It's a lesson every school should be aware of how it happened. Do I want Alabama to sign five-star kids who want to play for one year and then leave? No, I don't. That is not a program, that selling your soul for a player. I'd rather have players who are less talented, who can get better through player development, and stick around to graduate. Call me old school.
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