The most inspiring and important season of college basketball will kick off in three days.
It’s a truth lost in the current NBA lockout woes, buried somewhere beneath union votes and announcements to cancel more and more of the upcoming professional season. As frustrating as the entire ordeal is for NBA fans, the lockout provides – at least for one year – exactly what the entire sport of basketball needs: a reason to stay in school.
The idea of embracing the college game and all it offers on and off the court died for many out-of-this-world athletes at the sight of an 18-year-old Kobe Bryant slashing his way to stardom. The perception furthered when an 18-year-old Akron, Ohio native followed similar footsteps, literally, in signing a Nike deal prior to becoming the first selection in the 2003 NBA Draft. (I’m from Cleveland. Please understand the use of anonymity.)
Pro’s and con’s and dissenting opinions have stirred the pot over eligibility debate, thus delivering us a requirement almost nobody seems to be in favor of. The NBA’s one-and-done rule, requiring athletes to wait a year before entering the draft, fails to suit either party of the college experience discussion. It’s a rule reeking of politics and stands as a lackluster compromise to an issue deserving better attention.
The popular issue aside, the NBA’s looming lockout presented the prototypical one-and-dones a concrete reason to give college basketball another go. The fear of not playing basketball for a year didn’t sway the minds of every elite prospect (see: Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams). It did certainly help stockpile an upcoming college basketball class that blows many of recent past out of the water.
By rights and normalcy, North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger shouldn’t still be here. They weren’t supposed to stick around based on scouting reports, trends and their elite skills that match those of routine one-and-dones. Both individuals have their own reasons for staying in school, but the idea of the NBA not operating for an entire season more than likely played a significant role in their return to the college game.
The remainder of the college basketball landscape is dotted with star players of similar predicaments, from Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and Bayor’s Perry Jones III to UNC’s Tyler Zeller and OSU’s William Buford.
What does this all mean? For college basketball enthusiasts, much. And for fans of these players’ teams, the world.
For teams like North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State, the consensus top three teams in both the AP and Coaches’ Preseason Polls, it means rust is an issue of yesteryear, team chemistry has never been an easier build and the youth influxes that smack more pedestrian teams only fuel the teams with an untraditional blend of experience and talent.
For the stars in question, it means an easier and more natural game as well as a rare opportunity to dominate with seasoning. As opposed to the commonality of elite players tasting the bitterness of March Madness shortfall and bolting for greener pastures, stars of the game enter the season with a sense of place and a greater investment in the element of a team.
And therein lies the value behind the collegiate experience: the opportunity to learn, burn and return for more.
College basketball is ready to embrace the pause.