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PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
07.17.05: Williams
unaware 'graduation gifts' prohibited |
07.16.05: Kansas
acknowledges violations under Williams |
07.15.05: Big
12, Big East divvy up Gator, Sun Bowl spots |
07.14.05: South
Carolina fesses up to "major" infractions ...
Player nabbed for trying to pass funny money |
07.13.05: Football
player dies after conditioning drills |
07.12.05: BCS
rolls out new 'human poll' to plug AP void |
07.11.05: Arsonist
sues school for barring him from team |
07.10.05: Lyme
Disease sidelines FSU QB for 2005 season |
07.09.05: Turnstiles
spun at record rate for Heels' title win ... Convicted 'Bama
booster denies 'buying' Means |
07.08.05: Turnstiles
spun at record rate for Heels' title win ... Convicted 'Bama
booster denies 'buying' Means |
07.07.05: Detour
through Athens, GA, leads Bryant to ECU ... BCS bowls
hopping on video replay bandwagon |
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News Nuggets, 07.18.05
— — — — —
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
Previous Day Nuggets...
Next Day Nuggets...
Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
'One-year rule' presents quandary for recruiters
INDIANAPOLIS — Roy Williams spent three
years recruiting Marvin Williams, but coached him for just one season before
the freshman forward left Chapel Hill for the NBA.
The North Carolina coach considers
himself lucky to have coached Williams at all. In Marvin Williams' only
college season, he helped the Tar Heels win a national championship and went
on to become the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
``If you ask Roy Williams or our staff
or our fans, they're glad Marvin came to school for one year,'' Roy Williams
said. ``I'm sure if you asked the same people at Syracuse, they'd tell you
the same thing about Carmelo Anthony.''
One-year college players such as Marvin
Williams and Anthony, who went to Denver with the third pick in the 2003
draft after leading the Orange to an NCAA title, could become more common
under the NBA's new minimum age limit. The rule requires prep players to
wait at least one season after their high school class graduates before
entering the draft.
Proponents say the new age limit will
help prevent young players such as Indianapolis' Greg Oden, widely touted as
the No. 1 college recruit this year, from making poor decisions and give
them a chance to experience college before turning pro. He will attend Ohio
State.
But some aren't convinced a short-timer
is worth the investment, even for a team that needs to rebuild quickly.
``Some coaches would say they would
take a kid for one year,'' said Arizona coach Lute Olson, who lost four
starters, including three underclassmen, after falling to Duke in the 2001
national championship game. ``But it's really difficult to do that for a
program. I look at the program as being more important than one person.''
Critics say the new rule has potential
pitfalls.
Not all high school players will go to
college. Players could opt for prep school, where their weaknesses may not
be exposed; the NBDL, the NBA's developmental league where they would earn
less money; or even European basketball, where they could sign lucrative
contracts and endorsement deals.
And one-year players might lack
academic dedication, which could affect a program's annual academic
progress.
The NCAA's new academic measuring stick
awards programs one point per semester for each player who is academically
eligible and another point each semester for those who remain in school. A
player who skips classes could cost the program points; a program that falls
below the cut line for two consecutive years risks losing scholarships.
That's one reason the National
Association of Basketball Coaches wanted a rule requiring players to commit
for three years.
``We felt that if you had to make a
commitment for three years that you'd take advantage of your academic
opportunity and that if it was less than three, your chances of returning
would disintegrate,'' said Jim Haney, the NABC's executive director. ``I
think the academic part will hurt more kids than we'll ever know.''
Ramar Smith, a standout from Mt.
Clemens, Mich., who participated in last week's Nike All-America Camp in
Indianapolis, says some coaches have used the new rules to ask for multiyear
commitments.
``That's really what it's all about.
They try to get you,'' Smith said.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber, whose team
was ranked No. 1 most of last season and lost the national title game in
March, thinks the new age limit will help college coaches retain players.
``A lot of kids think they're going (to
the NBA) and their parents think they're going. Someone in their
neighborhood told them they could go, then they get to college and find out
they're not ready,'' Weber said. ``Some elite kids have that chance. But how
many, nine or 10? It's a small number.''
Roy Williams accepts that the lure of
the NBA is too strong for some players to resist. He lost his top seven
scorers from this year's championship team, including four underclassmen —
Williams, Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants — who declared for the
draft.
He'll take whatever time he can get
from future North Carolina recruits.
``The NBA is not going to do something
to help college basketball. It's going to do something to help the NBA, and
we've got to understand that,'' he said. ``I didn't know if we'd get Marvin
for one year, but I'm glad we did.''
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data
published by ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools; and reports from Associated Press and
other sources. Copyright 2005
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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