Sorry Coach, College Basketball Players Are Ready When They're Ready

[Orangeyes]

Sorry Coach, College Basketball Players Are Ready When They're Ready

 

[Orangeyes]

Syracuse Basketball: Questions Fans Want Answered Before 2014-15 Season

 

[Col. Bleep]

Sorry Coach, College Basketball Players Are Ready When They're Ready

Good to see Jim Boeheim taking this position.
But it's a losing battle.
He may be a dinosaur in that regard.
And it seems the logical extension is that college players will wind up getting paid for their effort.

As for this article:

"Boeheim also makes sure not to mention guys like Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine, Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson or even Gerry McNamara. Guys who stayed for the full ride but who were ultimately unable to secure long-term employment in the NBA."

Each one of those guys improved every year in college. They maximized their NBA chances by staying.
And that's been true of the overwhelming majority of players Syracuse has recruited over the years.
For each one who bombed out by leaving early...there are more who had a shot because they stayed and worked for it.

 

[sufandu]

"College basketball players are ready when they're ready." Well duh. The problem isn't whether that statement is true or not. Of course "they're ready when they're ready." The problem is that nobody truly knows when someone is ready, and the NBA doesn't draft based on readiness, they draft based on potential. So the question is do you go while your hot and get the quick payday hoping you'll improve enough to stick around or do you stay in college until you're ready to stick around but risk that you'll cool off in the eyes of the scouts?

 

[73CAV]

"College basketball players are ready when they're ready." Well duh. The problem isn't whether that statement is true or not. Of course "they're ready when they're ready." The problem is that nobody truly knows when someone is ready, and the NBA doesn't draft based on readiness, they draft based on potential. So the question is do you go while your hot and get the quick payday hoping you'll improve enough to stick around or do you stay in college until you're ready to stick around but risk that you'll cool off in the eyes of the scouts?

This leaves unanswered the question: If a player isn't NBA-ready, is he more likely to improve by staying in college or on a professional roster? I suspect the latter. As an NBA pro, he can afford a personal trainer and private coaching, and he has the time (no classes with which to contend) to put all those to good use. To my way of thinking, the only pertinent concern is whether, by entering the draft, said player can secure a guaranteed contract. The only other issue worth mentioning is: Is the player really enjoying the collegiate experience? Running away from happiness has its own set of concerns.

 

[TexanMark]

Cav you might be right for some players but not all. These kids who leave early are 19-20 years old...in many cases they are the meal ticket for the whole family and a bunch of straphangers.

 

[RandygoCuse]

This leaves unanswered the question: If a player isn't NBA-ready, is he more likely to improve by staying in college or on a professional roster? I suspect the latter. As an NBA pro, he can afford a personal trainer and private coaching, and he has the time (no classes with which to contend) to put all those to good use. To my way of thinking, the only pertinent concern is whether, by entering the draft, said player can secure a guaranteed contract. The only other issue worth mentioning is: Is the player really enjoying the collegiate experience? Running away from happiness has its own set of concerns.

I feel like it takes more than a personal trainer for a player to develop. For basketball, a team environment with a focus on improving fundamentals is ideal. The NBA isn't geared toward that and I don't think the D-League has the best resources. Currently, the NCAA is the US's best version of a farm league, although I'll admit it isn't ideal. It won't be until the objective of teams is to develop players rather than win now. I understand when players want to leave early. But I don't think Boeheim is being self serving when he mentions they could use more time in college. When he thinks a player is ready (or it's in his best interest to jump), he'll say so.

 

[sufandu]

This leaves unanswered the question: If a player isn't NBA-ready, is he more likely to improve by staying in college or on a professional roster? I suspect the latter. As an NBA pro, he can afford a personal trainer and private coaching, and he has the time (no classes with which to contend) to put all those to good use. To my way of thinking, the only pertinent concern is whether, by entering the draft, said player can secure a guaranteed contract. The only other issue worth mentioning is: Is the player really enjoying the collegiate experience? Running away from happiness has its own set of concerns.

But this leads to the question of how does a player get better? If a guy gets drafted and plays 5 minutes per game, therefore never getting into a flow, and practices during the season are more about installing strategy and not necessarily improving players, would he be better off going back to college? A guy can work on individual skills, but that may not necessarily translate to improved on court play. Contrast that with a guy that plays 35 minutes per game in college getting multiple touches on the offensive end. He has a chance to slump and work out of that slump. He makes mistakes but gets to play through them and make corrections. And his practices in season are geared toward player development.

I don't think it's as easy as saying one is always better than the other. I think some guys can start off as bench warmers, work on skills with all of the trainers they hire, and improve. I think others could do the same thing and become really good at drills, but not transfer that to the court because they don't see enough court time to make the transition. I think some guys can stay in college, work on individual skills during the week at practice, and then immediately put them to use in game situations thereby reinforcing the skills immediately at game speed, whereas others would be no better off in college. The thing is, we have no way of knowing which type of guy any of these players are. Hopefully, they have a better idea, but considering it's been nearly 20 years since I was a teenager, I know that I understand myself much better than I did at 19 or 20.

I agree that whether the guy is actually enjoying college should be a strong consideration. If he is enjoying it and he has the goods, he'll find his way to the pros. If he's not enjoying it, he might as well leave and see what happens.

 

[Briancuse]

Cav you might be right for some players but not all. These kids who leave early are 19-20 years old...in many cases they are the meal ticket for the whole family and a bunch of straphangers.

That is the biggest problem with the process, these kids listen to the wrong people. They listen to the advice of their buddies who are looking for a pay day, rather than listen to scouts or their coaches who know the process inside and out.