RARE NBA DRAFT SUCCESSES

THREE ATHLETES FROM THE SAME SCHOOL~UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA~  WHO WERE  DRAFTED IN 2007 AND NOW CURRENTLY WITH TEAMS IN 2011 NBA PLAYOFFS ~ VERY RARE!!

Al Horford         Atlanta Hawks
Joakim Noah      Chicago Bulls
Corey Brewer     Dallas Mavericks

(Video by Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun)

TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

Although the NBA withdrawal date is June 13, under the NCAA new rules, Sunday, May 8^th, was the deadline for underclassmen college athletes to decide whether to remove their name from consideration in the 2011 draft in order to retain their college eligibility. 

Some athletes that have opted out of the 2011 draft are:

•    Terrell “Tu” Holloway, 6-0, Junior returning to Xavier

•    Terrence Jones, 6-8, Freshman returning to Kentucky

•    Reggie Johnson, Miami, 6-10, Sophomore returning to Miami

•    John Shurna, 6-8, Junior returning to Northwestern

Stayed tuned for more updates!! 

LAND OF NO RETURN!!

The good news is that the 7-foot forward Ralph Sampson III, son of the former Houston Rocket Twin Tower, Ralph Sampson II is among the few that have chosen to remain in college to get their education and further develop their skills. The last minute decision to remove his name from the NBA draft did not emerge until Monday.  It is said that he attended a pre-draft workout and collaborated with his family before making the right call. 

Great call, Mr. Sampson!!  Whew!! Not only can he continue to get his education, but he can work on his low-post game and hone in on his defensive skills to complement one of his biggest assets~his size.  He has both length and strength.

The bad news is there is a long list of NBA hopefuls that did not remove their names from the NBA draft by the May 8, 2011 NCAA deadline.  

What does that actually mean for these athletes?  It means that their college eligibility is gone~~

Well, even being in the draft leaves the hopefuls with many unanswered questions.  Here’s the scenario! You’re offered a job, maybe? It’s the profession you’ve always wanted ~ It is your dream job so you accept.  But you don’t know who you will work for, you don’t know how much you will be paid, you don’t know where you will live, and did they mention, it’s not actually a job offer.  It’s more like an internship/apprenticeship.  Just come out and see if you have what it takes to make the cut.
 

Oh, and by the way, did they mention that you have to give up your previous life.  It is the river of no return. You cannot return to college and continue to get your education or prepare yourself for another opportunity to get your dream job.

Did you buy into the hype from the NCAA's constant harping about concern for the athletes and their unceasing use of the term "student-athlete".
The structure of big-time college sports exists to enhance and maintain the status of coaches and administrators, and the draft rules offer the most damning evidence.  The only loser in this game is the athlete.


Athletes should be able to retain their college eligibility until they sign a pro contract or sign with an agent. Why should declaring for a draft or getting drafted mean an athlete’s college career is over?


It doesn’t work that way in baseball. Doesn’t in hockey. Doesn’t in soccer. But, football and basketball? The coaches are protecting their organizations.  Who’s protecting the athlete?

Where do you go from here? The athlete most likely will have to start from scratch.  If a team invites you to play for their summer league you can go on from there, and hopefully make the roster if you perform well enough.  Or if you don't make a NBA roster you are most likely eligible to play for the Development League to improve your game. A NBA team can always call you up if you play well in the D-league.

Or you can become an unrestricted free agent, and then any team can invite you to summer league and then you can be signed by any team, although most athletes end up just going overseas or in the D-League.

You can play overseas, or try to get invited to an NBA camp as a free agent. But if you're like many players who neglected their education while pursuing their dream, you try to find a job, which most likely will involve the phrases "Paper or plastic" or "Would you like to supersize that?" How tragic!!!  :-(


RESOURCES
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=19609


CHECK OUT THESE LINKS
Change NCAA Draft Rules?
THE END OF THE MID-MAJOR

ROAD TO THE FINAL DESTINATION

Let’s first take a look at the road that prospective players may take to get to their final destination.

Since the NBA started barring players from entering the draft straight out of high school five years ago, 17 players have left college early for the draft despite averaging less than 10 points per game in their final season.   Of the 17 early entrant hopefuls, only 8 were actually drafted.  Is the draft over-rated or is it the athlete?

Many of these hyped and high profiled athletes have yet to make any meaningful impact on their teams despite the high potential coming out of school early. Is the lack of a collegiate impact a telling sign after all? Well, the NBA has seen such hype before and we have witnessed it go unfulfilled.

Now, it is worthy to note that most of these athletes move on with the “blessings” from their prospective college coaches.  For example, Bill Self, coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, will be losing the twins, Marcus and Markieff Morris to enter the 2011 NBA draft.  Following the announcement of their decision, Self released this statement,

            "I am proud of Marcus and Markieff for the development and improvement

             they made, not only off the court, but on the court in their three years here.

             They have been an absolute joy to coach and performed at a level to give 

             them the opportunity to leave and enter the NBA draft after three years.  We

             not only wish them the best moving forward but also 100 percent support this

             decision for them to enter."

However, for each of the future pros who will bask in a glow of jubilation on June 23rd, there will be many more whose dreams will be at least temporarily dashed, a significant portion of whom would otherwise have had the chance to continue to develop in college.

Those such prospects will look back at May 8th, which is the deadline to withdraw from the draft pool, as a day of missed opportunities and irreversible mistakes.

It is also worthy to note that not all high profiled athletes opt for the early out.  Although Kansas lost the Morris twins to the NBA, two other players at KU, Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson have committed to stay in Kansas.  


Stay tuned!!  It will be interesting to specifically see the progress of these four players and others with similar paths in the coming years.

Also check out these links:

Undrafted and Undeterred: Long Shots Can Still Find NBA Success

Terrence Jones returning to Kentucky

RESOURCES
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/06/21/undrafted-and-undeterred-long-shots-can-still-find-nba-success/