What a surprise. A freshman college basketball star has reportedly received money and other improper benefits from a sports agency.
The player is Southern California’s O.J. Mayo and the agency is Bill Duffy Associates.
Why people thought the idea of the NBA instituting a 19-year-old age minimum was a good idea, I’ll never know.
Let’s do the math: NBA-bound talent + rule forcing him to go to college for one season when he doesn’t want to be there = disaster and scandal waiting to happen. Thank you, NCAA president Myles Brand and NBA commissioner David Stern.
The NCAA continues to say it’s all about education and the top basketball prospects shouldn’t feel like they are having a decision ripped away from them. Instead, they are having an opportunity of higher education presented to them. Well, education is a wonderful thing, but a rule isn’t going to change the attitude of a student-athlete that does not want to go to class.
I’d like to know how much work Mayo even did in the classroom during his second semester at USC. Judging by the NCAA’s annual academic progress report, probably not a whole lot. USC and Kansas State’s men’s basketball teams, both of whom participated in the NCAA Tournament, were cited in the report and both touted promising freshman that have declared for the NBA Draft in June – Mayo and Michael Beasley.
I don’t blame Mayo. Yes, he should have followed the rules, but at the same time, maybe this will open Stern’s eyes and get rid of the silly idea to add yet another year to the already-laughable age minimum rule; like he wants to do. Instead, he should revert back to allowing graduating high school seniors to enter the NBA Draft.
There are going to be mistakes, of course, like the poor decisions of Ndudi Ebi and others who have jumped to the NBA prematurely. But, it’s not any different than a college freshman or sophomore declaring for the NBA Draft before his game is ready for the spotlight. A poor choice is still a poor choice, even if it’s a year or two delayed.
Meanwhile, the NBA will be denying the opportunity of a high school senior sensation to make an immediate impact like LeBron James did in 2003. Not every talent will be as successful as James, but some of these players are making the college game look too easy. Look at last year’s college stars Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, who wasn’t even playing with his stronger hand for part of the season.
Both left school after one season, and their decision forced both Texas and Ohio State to rebuild their foundations around a different star player. The Longhorns still made a deep run in this year’s tournament, but the Buckeyes didn’t even appear in the tournament – one year removed from an appearance in the national championship game.
Those kinds of special players need to be given the opportunity to make the jump, and allow other student-athletes to collect the scholarships they’ll actually use for four years, or at least more than one year.
