Sports News With College Basketball
Part of the fun of college basketball – a part that left long ago – was watching players develop.
Raw freshman. Sophomore flash. Solid-to-spectacular junior. Senior with leadership skills. There was a process and there was progress.
Well, seniors fell out of this equation long ago. The college players who stay for four years are the ones who aren’t good enough to make it to the NBA sooner (yes, there are exceptions).
Ok, so we saw juniors become the ranking upperclassmen. We got to know the players over a shorter period of time.
Now? The kids are on and off campus faster that the pizza delivery guy. Here today, gone tomorrow.
So while many marveled at No. 2 Duke’s 118-84 beating of No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday night to open the 2018-19 season, others simply paid it no mind. We will not get to know Duke freshman Zion Williamson very well before the NBA’s draft in June. Same for RJ Barrett. Both majoring in basketball, the one-year degree program in Durham, N.C.
Kentucky, of course, has already faced criticism for its recruiting … for 2019. Why? Its entire front-court will likely turn pro in the spring. Remember when cars had four on the floor? The Wildcats may have four leave the floor. And Kentucky is accustomed to players being there for so short a period of time that they never actually unpack.
It’s not the fault of the kids. The NBA won’t let them be professionals unless they are 19 years old, and there is no real basketball minor league. So the players coming out of high school – or those training academies that masquerade as such – do a year of college, creating the one-and-done scenario, and they flock to the places that can teach them fastest and put them in the biggest spotlight. Duke, Kentucky, blah, blah, blah.
Will these young men pass freshman English? Can they balance a chemical equation?
Doesn’t matter. If they can score, pass, rebound, they need only one other skill – hand-writing.
They need to be able to sign that NBA contract.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
-
Correa joined the Mets with a $315 million contract. Recently, baseball player Carlos Correa announced that he had cut...
-
Oklahoma and Texas will depart from the college sports conference at the end of the season. The Big 12...
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...