Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight doesn't like the new rule that say's HS players have to spend at least one year in college before being eligible for the NBA draft.
"Because now you can have a kid come to school for a year and play basketball and he doesn't even have to go to class," Knight said Monday, a day before his team plays at 19th-ranked Texas. "He certainly doesn't have to go to class the second semester. I'm not exactly positive about the first semester. But he would not have to attend a single class the second semester to play through the whole second semester of basketball."
"That, I think, has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports."
So the Tuesday Question courtesy of Coach Knight is:
Are kid's like Spencer Hawes, Greg Oden, and Kevin Durrant essentially one year rental players getting seasoned for the NBA, or are they real students who are mandated to go to class, and make progress towards a degree while they are in school?
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8 comments:
Hopefully all are the latter, but I doubt it. Kick them off the team if they're not going to class, or miss a class, miss a game...or is Knight complaining about players he's forced to face?
You can say what you want about Knight's temper, and ego, but he has always been very consistent on his views regarding performance in the classroom.
A good example might be Corey Dillon who was rumored to have spent a season with the Huskies while not making any academic progress before he left school and entered the NFL draft.
I am absolutely sure that Spencer is attending classes and making progress, but what Knight is saying the possibility exists that other kid's are taking advantage of the new rule and it requires some tightening.
It is a pretty small world, and if Durrant isn't making progress the word get's around...maybe that is hwy Knight is bringing it up.
It doesn't surprise me, but you know what the attitude of the coaches that have players skating is going to be. They're after wins. So am I as a fan, and while I would have been bummed not being able to watch Dillon play, deep down I would have accepted it had he been booted.
I guess it's more a matter of University policy, since they have the most direct oversight. The NCAA can moan all they want, but but by the time anything is done about it the season's over.
It requires more integrity on the part of coaches and balls on the part of administrators if that's the direction college sports should go. I'll enjoy it either way as long as it's a level playing field, which is where the problem will be.
On another note, I'm kind of excited about the Dawgs heading to Greece. If you come across anything specific on the trip, send me an email. I'll probably find it as well, but I don't always.
cheers
No big details released on the trip yet, that will come out in the next few days, but here is a link to try.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/6376988p-5688191c.html
That should be an easy road trip and rare opportunity for you. The team will be excited to see someone rooting for them.
Hair, that would be great for you, a short hop to wherever the dawgs play. I agree with you both, so like even more what we've read about Ty monitoring kids in class etc. Knight does bring up an excellent point however. In another bowing to the TV money gods, the UW/ UCLA game tipoff is now at 1100 am.
11:00 AM is a little early for a basketball game, but I like the idea of getting it on at 1:00 PM in Chicago.
I think the Greece thing is cool for Hair, what where the chances of the team coming alsmost to him this Summer? Pretty awesome
luck plays a lot in games sometimes. We were stationed in New Mexico just 90 miles north of El Paso when the Dawgs beat Texas in 79. My boss was a Hawkeye in 80 when we beat Iowa in RB. By luck of the draw, I happened to be in Miami for a 60 day TDY and got to see the dawgs beat Oklahoma and boomer schooner. Have seen 2 of 4 RBs since 89, plus loved watching the Dawgs play bball here in SoCal when we used to sched one patsy a year here in pre season San Diego, San Diego st, Loyola Marymount etc. But Greece would top most of that.
The first year I moved to Chicago the Huskies played in the ESPN Great Eight Tournament and I was fortunate to be given front row seats. I was wearing my Husky hat, and was probably one of only a dozen UW fans at United Center that night. One by one while the team was warming up, led by Donald Watt's they all came over to my seat to give me a High Five for being there.If you show up in Greece wearing some purple the kid's will dig it.
I
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