It is the time of year millions of basketball fans look forward to; the anticipation surrounding this day creates extreme excitement. This day is the NBA draft day. The NBA draft day consists of the best college basketball players of the previous season being selected to play in the NBA. The draft gives the players whom played phenomenally the previous season by allowing them to make millions in the NBA, but for college basketball, the NBA draft day brings anxiety. This anxiety stems from the uncertainty of whether or not your team's best players will still be at your college team. The draft is open to all college students whom play basketball, and many of the players are freshman. Freshman whom declare for the draft use a rule known as the one and done rule. The one and done rule states that any basketball player that completes one year of college can then be eligible to declare for the NBA draft. So why do so many college basketball fans dislike this rule? Many sports analysts and sports writers all speculate that the one and done rule needs to be changed, but why? Many believe that the rule should be changed so that players can develop their skills both on and off the court rather than rush right into the professional league and be unable to compete due to their rushed presence. As of now, the rule states that an athlete only needs a single year of college completed to declare for the draft. That means that these freshman whom declare for the draft only have to pass out of college. In light of all of this, the rule needs to be changed. The one and done rule should be changed to where students may only declare for the draft every other year of college and if they are maintaining a 3.0 GPA. The draft eligibility should start at sophomore year and if players do not get drafted then they must wait until their senior year. 

One of the biggest concerns with the one and done rule is its detraction from education. With the one and done rule being implemented in 2005, hundreds of basketball players have been forced to attend college. Some of these players want to go to college which is great, but many of the top prospects only go because they have to in order to be eligible for the draft. For some basketball programs even cheat the education system in order to maintain their athlete's status for eligibility. For some universities in the country education comes second in the term "student athlete." Two big name universities in the basketball world that have cheated to keep players in their programs are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Syracuse University. While Syracuse was drastically penalized for its actions, UNC Chapel Hill had all but a slap on the wrist for what they did. What UNC did was what is quoted by Ted Sherman of The NJ.com as "steering athletes into GPA booster classes to keep them playing..." that has been "a cheating scheme that went on for 18 years ... " (Sherman 1). In the past 10 years there have been 26 cases of basketball programs cheating(Sherman 1). The one and done rule has numerous programs trying to make sure that their players pass classes in order for them to play on the team so they can then be eligible for the NBA draft. For one and done players whom from the beginning of the season strive to be drafted after their first season, they do not care as much about school. In an interview with Bill Littlefield conducted by Nathan Hatch, an National Public Radio (NPR) sports analyst, Littlefield was asked about a quote that he said which stated that "[The] one and done phenomenon makes a mockery of our hope that student athletes are receiving an education..."(Hatch 1).  Littlefield elaborated on this and stated that he does believe some athletes truly do come into universities with the single intent of being drafted for the NBA.  They recognize that they only have to pass a semester of classes due to the fact that the basketball season ends before the final exam period. With this fact in mind there are always outliers to these such as Duke University. Despite many believing that this program has become a one and done program, one thing that Duke does not allow is for their students to only play basketball and it shows. Many of their players have shown great academic achievements and truly strive for their education. For example, of all the players that were enrolled at Duke University from the years 2005-2013, the basketball program had a 97.2% graduation rate of their players (Featherston 1). They made sure that their players got an education while playing. But the fact of the matter is, that Duke still has one and done players, even if they attempt to make them stay and get their education and play. The one and done rule still detracts from education in college. But with the rule being changed to every other year a player can be eligible if and only if they maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher during their time in school. To make them maintain a 3.0 GPA would ensure that they get an education while waiting through the gap year. If they were eligible after freshman year and every year after then they would just do enough to make sure they could complete the amount of time that they are at their respective colleges. Now with the knowledge that some schools cheating to make sure that their players remain eligible to play, can cause issues to this idea. But with the gap year rule, the players would not be eligible until the following year so they would have nothing to do but play basketball and study. If the athletes did not study and get their respective GPAs equaling 3.0 or greater, then they would not be eligible. Education is the most important reason as to why the one and done rule should be changed, but another reason that it should be changed is so that the athletes have the ability to develop their skills, on and off the court.

Athletes who take advantage of the one and done rule potentially ruin their chances of developing crucial skills to better themselves, both as a professional basketball player and a professional person. College is a time that many revere as the time to grow up before entering the "real world." That many, if they have not already, have to get all of their child -- like behavior out of them. For some players, going to the NBA does help them to grow up, due to the presence of their long-term teammates whom help to guide them through their lives. But for many, if you are not a top prospect in the NBA draft, you will most likely be benched while the senior athletes and best one and done players, take the court. Not being able to play in real games can detract from a player's skill and knowledge of playing basketball. For example, Austin Rivers and DeAndre Jordan are two players whom in their first year of college were the best of the best. They played like they were ready for the NBA, but once they got to the NBA they broke apart. Rivers in college was averaging 16 points per game (PPG) and Cousins was averaging 15 PPG. Rivers seemed to have emotional issues transitioning which led to his performance dropping; Jordan's issue was the fact that he left before all of his skills as a basketball player were mastered(Diaz 1). Two players in the most recent NBA Draft, D'Angelo Russel and Jahlil Okafor, have had trouble maturing as well. D'Angelo Russel, 2015 LA Lakers draftee, has recently come under scrutiny for videotaping a teammate during a private conversation. Russell breached the trust that was between him and his fellow teammate by filming their conversation and posting it on the internet (Holmes 1). Jahlil Okafor, 2015 Philadelphia 76ers draftee, assaulted a man after the man insulted him and his performance for the 76ers (Uribarri 1). The lack of maturity and self-control caused Okafor to lash out at the man and potentially jeopardize his career. All of these gentleman's lack of performing as professionals can be traced to the fact they all left college after their first year. If Jordan and Rivers had stayed in college they may have been able to perform better in the NBA. If Russell and Okafor stayed in college to mature then they would not be in career jeopardizing situations. All of this is because of the one and done rule, these players wanted to play in a professional league when they weren't. They lacked the physical, emotional and mental skill to be able to match the level of play in the NBA. If the rule was changed to where these athletes had to wait to be drafted until sophomore year, they could have had the potential to perfect the fundamentals, learn new skill moves to perform at a higher level, and to grow as people instead of just basketball players. If these players got to sophomore year and needed more time to grow physically and mentally, then they would be able to make that decision with ease because of their extra year as college students.  Developing the skills to become a professional both on and off the court is a great way to show why the one and done rule needs to be changed. Another way to show why the one and done rule needs to be changed is by showing that the rule detracts from college basketball as a sport.

The players whom take the path that leads to them being drafted normally only go to a college that offers a great opportunity at being drafted after their freshman year. They only look at the basketball program that the University or College has to offer. Brandon Ingram is a perfect example of this. Brandon Ingram, Star freshman for the Duke Basketball team, arguably the best player in the country right now, almost did not play for Duke. The reason being is that he was expected to be recruited by Duke's number one rival university, UNC Chapel Hill (Carter 1). Ingram grew up following UNC basketball, he attended their games, wore their memorabilia, believed he was going to be a Tar Heel. But, a few months before Ingram had to make his decision, the NCAA opened up an investigation of the Tar Heel football and basketball team's attempting to learn the truth behind certain allegations (Carter 1). These allegations stated that the university created a fake class to boost the athletes GPAs. Ingram grew fearful and chose the next best option for playing in basketball, Duke. Both of these teams have become the two best teams in Men's College Basketball. Ingram knew that he wanted to go to the NBA and so he made sure that he could by choosing from two of the best teams in the nation (Carter 1). Ingram was looking out for his best interest in finding a suitable school to where he can show his skill and hopefully be drafted after his freshman year. As of now he is predicted to be a lottery pick in the draft, which means he will be one of the first five to be picked (Carter 1). Another player whom blatantly showed that he did not want to go to college, he just wanted to play basketball was Malik Newman. Newman was a Mississippi State commit whom told news reporters that "he did not want to take any college visits ... " (Setter 1). This statement showed the apathy this athlete had towards where he went to school because he just wanted to play basketball in the NBA and show that he could while being forced to be in college (Setter 1). Many players feel this apathy, they only choose what college to go to with the mindset that it can help boost their chances of going to the NBA. They do not want an education, they want to be a professional basketball player. With the rule being changed to athletes having to wait two years, this attitude could be drastically changed. Having these athletes stay in college until their second year and maintaining a 3.0 or higher GPA would make them have to study and develop their skills which would force them to have an attitude change. If some of these college basketball players did not have their attitude changes, it would clearly show through their grades and performances on and off the court. It would then create repercussions that would demand an attitude check. The one and done rule is a rule that truly detracts from the sport of basketball. It forces apathetic players to attend college when they do not want to, it allows immature athletes to enter a mature environment where a childish persona is not permitted, and most importantly, the one and done rule takes away from the education of athletes. To change the rule is absolutely necessary, but the way to change it needs to be discussed. The best way to change the rule is to make athletes eligible every other year of college starting in their sophomore year. The students also must keep a 3.0 GPA in order to be eligible as well. If the athletes do not meet the grade requirements or are not drafted after their sophomore year, then they must wait until their senior year of college is completed where they must graduate before being drafted. This not only will positively affect the players, it will also affect the sport of basketball and college education. Overall, changing the one and done rule to eligibility every other year is the best option of making sure student athletes, basketball, and education remain intact throughout the coming years.

