Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com scored an interview with Arizona Coach Lute Olson after the news broke of Brandon Jennings decision to play a year in Europe rather than a year at Arizona before jumping to the NBA. Like the growing number of coaches and college basketball punditry, he put the blame on the NBA's one-and-done restriction."Kids should be able to come out of high school," Olson said. "They need to institute something like what baseball has. Once someone enters school, they have to stay a minimum of either two of three years."Of course, if the system was that way then Jennings still wouldn't have gone to Arizona. Olson may be in revisionist world now that he is without a stud point guard for his team next year. In a note, Goodman points out that Olson actually had a choice of taking Jennings or Larry Drew (who signed with UNC). Whoops.
Who is to say that Jennings would have decided at the time of that decision that a leap to the NBA directly was the right call? What if he had changed his mind between signing back in November and draft declaration time in April? Or had his draft stock shoot up during his senior season at high school. It would have been the same situation, only then it would have been the problem of the NBA allowing kids to go straight to the pros.
Olson also seems to ignore the reality that Jennings is going to Europe because he couldn't get a good enough SAT score cleared by the NCAA for admission -- that led to the exploration of the option. Even now, the mystery third SAT score is unknown.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
How much are NIT tickets, just so I can plan ahead?
Coach Olson has obviously forgotten what college is about. It is suppose to educate people and provide them with an opportunity of obtaining a degree. Seems like Olson thinks college is nothing more than the farm system for pro basketball. Too many of these athletes take up a slot in college that should go to someone who truly wants an education and degree.