No basketball coach has benefited more from the one-and-done rule than Kentucky’s John Calipari, yet he wants to put an end to it. Or so he said last week.
“Kids should be able to go (to the NBA) out of high school. That’s not our deal. That’s between the NBA and the Players Association,” Calipari told the Star-Telegram during a discussion on how to fix the crooked culture of college basketball. “Don’t put restrictions on kids.”
Ironically, this is coming from one of the highest paid coaches in the country who has had more than 20 players declare for the NBA Draft after playing only one year at Kentucky.
In 2007, the NBA made a rule that you had to be 19 years old or one year out of high school to be draft eligible. The rule compelled elite players to seek big-time college programs to play for a year, get some exposure, perhaps increase their draft stock, and then turn pro.
Holding kids back from earning a fat NBA salary has only added to the widespread corruption throughout college hoops the FBI is currently investigating. While kids can’t earn an NCAA paycheck, they have been offered money by agents and sneaker companies to play at certain schools.
Instead of forcing kids to masquerade as student-athletes for one college basketball season, Calipari suggested holding a combine for high school juniors that would essentially separate NBA-ready talent from those kids who might benefit from playing in college.
“The players and the families need to know — here are the ones who should be thinking about the NBA, and here are the ones who should not,” he said. “That’s why you need a combine.”
Calipari also wants the NBA’s G League to offer $30,000 contracts and college education opportunities and act as a true developmental league.
Until there is an overhaul of the NCAA college basketball system, corruption will probably continue and coaches like Calipari will continue to benefit. Surprisingly, he wants that to change.
“What do we do with these kids now?” he said. “What do we do if they are not academically ready at all, because they didn’t plan on it. Who wants to take care of those thousands of kids whose family, many times, are dealing with generational poverty and their chance was maybe to get him an education?
“Now, how many kids do you think who went thinking, ‘I’m here one, or two, and done and stayed all four years? It’s been proven by the graduation rates it’s a ton. What’s wrong with that? I don’t care what they do, but let’s not force them to go to the G League. If they choose to do that, that’s fine, but why don’t we make sure if they don’t make it in, they at least have a chance at a guaranteed education?”
If they can play, the University of Kentucky will gladly take them.