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Ineligible for the NBA and College: Undrafted Underclassmen
sports.espn.go.com — Mississippi State junior Jamont Gordon and USC freshman Davon Jefferson got a tough lesson Thursday. After leaving school early, both failed to be selected in the NBA draft. They flushed away their college eligibility, they lost their amateur status and now they'll be trying to make a team as a free agent.
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- alapoet, on 06/27/2008, -1/+19That's the huge downside of leaving the NCAA early... I don't think some of these guys have thought it through.
- RichardSwingman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0A lot of players who stay in school handle themselves better...Thats what you need in the league nowadays, people who use their heads more and act maturely.
and later they can all be basketball analysts :D
- RichardSwingman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0A lot of players who stay in school handle themselves better...Thats what you need in the league nowadays, people who use their heads more and act maturely.
- Jayemen, on 06/27/2008, -2/+28The problem is that most of these young guys receive no real or honest input as to their skill level. Agents, family members, and hangers-on all want a piece of the NBA bucks, so even marginal players and those not quite there are fooled into thinking they'll be in the lottery. Half of the non-drafted guys will latch on in Europe or elsewhere and try to work their way into the NBA in a few years.
I'm not one who believes anyone not drafted should be able to return to college ball. That would be a mess. - DaviDTC, on 06/27/2008, -9/+4Good.
- rald84, on 06/27/2008, -6/+12what exactly is the downside to finishing your degree and then trying to get drafted? i don't see one ..
- drunkmonkey01, on 06/27/2008, -2/+19they are blinded by the dollar signs and want to sign a contract as soon as possible. they see it as time spent in college = time spent not making millions. most of them could care less about getting their degree.
- TomK88, on 06/27/2008, -6/+25Are you kidding me? Injury is one. Flushing millions down the toilet. Then there's the fact that you can slip in the draft or out of it completely and lose more.
- Rahodeb, on 06/27/2008, -3/+3Without basketball, they probably lose their scholarship, and may not have the money to go back.
- pandlcg, on 06/27/2008, -4/+16Getting injured and passing up on what could have been a very lucrative career is a realistic risk. You can always go back and get a degree, but you can't always go back and get drafted into the NBA.
Now i think people should stay out of the draft until they're actually ready, but staying in school could cost you - TheHeat, on 06/27/2008, -1/+2The fact that teams become hesitant on players once they reach the age 28. And if you haven't produced by then, you're in trouble.
- haydesigner, on 06/28/2008, -0/+1Not too many people are 28 when they graduate college.
- mikedaul, on 06/27/2008, -1/+4Take Roy Hibbert for example. One year ago he was a lock as a lottery pick - maybe even top 3. Last night he went at 17. While I'm sure he'll do fine in the NBA, that's a huge drop-off of earnings (from 3+ mill a year to 1+ mill).
http://www.mynbadraft.com/nba-rookie-salary-scale- ...
First-round picks are guaranteed 2-year contracts. Second round pick might not even make the team. - RichardSwingman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0Not a lot of players will have max contract anyway, so they will get it if they really deserve it. On this one its a matter of following a rule that the league(who gave you the opportunity anyway) has set.
The only argument i see for players is a matter of greediness. go to europe if you dont want to go to school.
- republicker, on 06/27/2008, -1/+8counting chickens........
- DannyDriffs, on 08/25/2008, -9/+2Don't be a fool, wrap your t--- stay in school.
- jonthefisherman, on 06/27/2008, -7/+5haha thats what they get
- mass922, on 06/27/2008, -6/+30They deserve it.
Players who get college scholarships are putting so many kids who are talented athletes and smart but don't have the money to get in, out of it. Kids who would give anything for a college education, let alone a chance to play NCAA ball... and these dumb thugs go and drop out of college because they think they're hot *****.
Let them be unemployed and tell all the people in the food stamp line how good of ballers they are... they deserve that.. idiots.- quomen, on 06/27/2008, -1/+7I sorta agree with you, in a less douchey way. But why are you calling thugs? Because they are black? No, seriously, why else would you call someone a thug for thinking they made the best career choice. Just as you said, some kids would give anything to go to college. Some other kids would give everything to have a career in the NBA. This was their dream. Many kids leave college early to pursue a dream, whether it be making software or playing basketball. If Bill Gates didn't do so well after leaving college, would you have called him a thug?
- Jackson0909, on 06/28/2008, -6/+1Oh Give me a break. Looks like we found Diggs very own Al Sharpton. Take your politically-correct ***** somewhere else. There dream is to play basketball, huh? What a load of crap. If that were the case, they would stay in college a few more years. Instead, these morons take a huge gamble. No, there dream is making millions of dollars.
And to answer your question, these guys ARE thugs. Is it now not acceptable to call any black person a thug? - ShayDetta, on 06/28/2008, -0/+0I agree but they still should have stayed. Like Bill Gates they aren't thugs, they are impatient though.
- SydBarrett420, on 06/28/2008, -0/+1If many of these schools didn't have these athletic programs and star athletes you would see a drop off in the quality of facilities and people attending. Having a really popular football and or basketball program can bring great exposure for schools and generate huge revenues and attract more potential future students.
- Jackson0909, on 06/28/2008, -6/+1Oh Give me a break. Looks like we found Diggs very own Al Sharpton. Take your politically-correct ***** somewhere else. There dream is to play basketball, huh? What a load of crap. If that were the case, they would stay in college a few more years. Instead, these morons take a huge gamble. No, there dream is making millions of dollars.
- TheShad0w, on 06/27/2008, -0/+3I have to agree with you but just as Quomen said I'm not going to be a douche about it. If these kids want to spend their college education getting into the NBA fine more power to them. But lets be honest. They are gambling. They are risking their college education and scholarships for a slim chance to make the NBA. I for one can't feel remorse for them. They made their decisions and now they have to live with it. Personally I don't see the big deal. You get a free ride for an education and to get that education all you have to do is play a sport you enjoy. I wouldn't throw that option away just for a 1:1000th chance to make it Pro. But then again. Thats me.
- clockdist, on 06/28/2008, -1/+1Quit it with this "free ride" crap....these guys are incredibly skilled and athletically gifted. The SCHOOL benefits from them being there way more than the kids benefit! These schools aren't stupid; the return on investment for giving these kids a scholarship is nothing compared to having a chance for a school to do well in a tournament.
- quomen, on 06/27/2008, -1/+7I sorta agree with you, in a less douchey way. But why are you calling thugs? Because they are black? No, seriously, why else would you call someone a thug for thinking they made the best career choice. Just as you said, some kids would give anything to go to college. Some other kids would give everything to have a career in the NBA. This was their dream. Many kids leave college early to pursue a dream, whether it be making software or playing basketball. If Bill Gates didn't do so well after leaving college, would you have called him a thug?
- Miamisun, on 06/27/2008, -5/+2Mario Chalmers FTW!
- emilyerin, on 06/27/2008, -2/+3good lesson...maybe they won't be so cocky in making future decisions.
- wally40, on 06/27/2008, -1/+6Greed is a partial cause pulling the "students" to the big leagues.
- khuongsta, on 06/27/2008, -4/+1getting older.
- evanmyers, on 06/27/2008, -1/+9STAY IN SCHOOL!
- garyi113, on 06/27/2008, -3/+12"Life's tough...but it's tougher when you're stupid." - John Wayne
- ironhide, on 06/27/2008, -2/+3said the man who filmed the worst movie of his career at a nuclear test site.
- DJTre, on 06/27/2008, -9/+1Be cool, stay in school. B)
- a1cd, on 06/27/2008, -7/+1What I dont understand is why they are not allowed to go back to college if they are not drafted..,
I realize that they might seen as cocky and such, but if they are not allowed to go back then there pretty much stuck with a high school diploma for the rest of their lives.- evanmyers, on 06/27/2008, -0/+9They're allowed to go back to college, they just can't play basketball there.
- emilyerin, on 06/27/2008, -2/+2why is this exactly?
- superherocolbs, on 06/27/2008, -1/+7The rule states that if they hire an agent they are declared ineligible. Why? Because if they did not have this rule, every "average" player would withdraw from school and test the waters, and hire the agent to whisper pretty nothings into their ears. It's all about money for the agent, and lots of false hopes could be presented.
I go to UNC. We had 3 players "test the waters" this year. None hired agents, and they are all back for another year of Tar Heel basketball. - vision777, on 06/27/2008, -1/+1Still doesn't make sense regular students on scholarship can go try to get a job and if they are not successful they can continue to go to school. So what if everyone tests the waters the NBA will still just pick the best in the draft, they look at everyone who is good anyways so I still don't see the problem.
- wally40, on 06/27/2008, -1/+2What evanmyers said. Consider it encouragement not to leave in the first place.
- acknotSW, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1WOW, you mean decisions sometimes have consequences?
- agenthamsta, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1The issue is that they leave their scholarship behind to turn a profit. Once you forfeit a scholarship you're not getting it back, academic or athletic. Most of these kids enter the draft to help their family and themselves financially rather than looking to their future if they're injured and they can't produce the lucrative salaries they would in the NBA.
- evanmyers, on 06/27/2008, -0/+9They're allowed to go back to college, they just can't play basketball there.
- whygohome10, on 06/27/2008, -1/+20there is always the marines
- Hetman, on 06/27/2008, -1/+3You are correct they are healthy young and smart. That would be a good place for them, if they like that kind of thing.
- Hetman, on 06/27/2008, -1/+2So basically that means they cannot afford college now because they are not getting any scholorships? I mean they can just go back to school. I do not see what the big deal is. Take out some loans and finish your degree you are a junior anyways.
- mrmrok, on 06/27/2008, -2/+8There's always the WNBA, look what's it's done for many of those players........What? What do you mean those are women?
- johnnynapalm, on 06/27/2008, -1/+5I was really hoping that Deandre Jordan wouldn't get drafted, just to spite his lazy ass.
- Scrappy1850, on 06/27/2008, -5/+2you dont get no education you cant hardly get a job
- sjbradyusd, on 06/27/2008, -1/+4We can use you In on the D-League on the Sioux Falls Skyforce. If you don't mind Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- sjbradyusd, on 06/27/2008, -0/+6after reading that I guess we don't grammar so good, either
- metalmosq, on 06/27/2008, -1/+1We don't need no education...
- disoriented, on 06/27/2008, -1/+4Thats why I still say let them come out of highschool if they want to. Half those guys don't want to be in college in the first place, and frankly, if they're dumb enough to enter it and not get picked thats their own damn fault.
- bigmrpig, on 06/27/2008, -2/+4Buried for "ineligible for the NBA."
If we're gonna consider being a big long shot and having to work your way up to be "ineligible," then we've got hundreds more baseball players wasting their lives in the minor leagues.
Also buried for all the people saying these players threw away their education. The only ones that actually can't just go back to school in the fall are the ones this article isn't about: the drafted ones.- Hetman, on 06/27/2008, -0/+2Are they eligible to play basketball next year?
- jamesLankford, on 06/27/2008, -0/+3they can't go back to school in the fall because they have no scholarship
- LightPhoenix, on 06/27/2008, -1/+5The problem with undergrads leaving for the draft isn't just a problem with the kids. The NBA has trended younger and younger over the last twenty years. In many cases a player that might benefit (in experience, discipline, teamwork) from additional years at the college level will still get drafted anyway. The NBA, and the teams, are encouraging these kids to leave school early by choosing them over college, and that can't be ignored.
- acknotSW, on 06/27/2008, -2/+1Best news I've heard in awhile. I hope this gets some very wide air play.
- andretii, on 06/27/2008, -3/+1what is the nba?
- JeTed, on 06/27/2008, -0/+2Poor DeAndre Jordan. If he had come straight out of high school he would have been a lottery pick just on potential alone. College exposed him. Still it's hard to feel too bad for an athletic 7-footer who never bothered to learn how to pass, shoot, or even block shots.
- acmc, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1First, a clarification: if you are declared for the draft after a certain date, you lose your eligibility to play basketball. You are not kicked out of school. If you really wanted to take that sweet comp lit seminar and eventually get your degree, and you had the $$ (I'm assuming you lose your scholarship), I'm sure they would let you.
Nevertheless...I can't stand all the ridiculous hypocrisy and over-simplification surrounding athletes leaving college early. The NCAA money sports (football and basketball) are twisted agreements between the professional leagues (who get a youth development league for free), the colleges/universities (who get absurd amounts of money from the TV contracts, corporate endorsements, etc), and rich alumni (who like to base a multibillion dollar business on exploiting some young kids so that everybody gets paid except the athletes on whose skills the whole industry depends. The BS "education" aspect has nothing to do with it except providing a ruse to avoid having to share some of the money with the very people who generate the value of the product.
So based on that, I don't see why it's even a question whether you would want to play ball so that somebody else can make millions instead of you. If you have a skill, it's not greedy to make money commensurate with the market value of your skill. It's much easier to make the argument that it's stupid not to. Of course, if you're not actually good enough to play in the NBA, that's a pretty good reason to stay in school. But that just goes to show how f-ed up the whole system is. They're taking YOUNG kids, who may or may not have to background/family support/personal maturity to deal with it and surrounding them with agents/scouts/hangers on jackals who will tell them ANYTHING to get some of the money. The system is messed up. Not these kids. - Divic, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1The only people who should leave school are people who are "guaranteed" to be drafted (Kobe, Lebron, though neither had to go to college are good examples), but this brings up the "1 and Done" rule. It should be graduate from college or dont require kids to go to college before declaring the NBA draft.
- sndream, on 06/27/2008, -1/+1Nice, I hope colleges start booting out more moron out. College is a place for education, not ball games.
For most of them, the only reason they got accepted into college is because the college want their school team to win. Most of them won't be accepted into a college not to mention graduate if not the college go easy on them. - spoofer56, on 06/27/2008, -0/+2I love USC, and USC basketball actually got me watching these past two years
But I have to say, I think Davon Jefferson is the biggest retard ever - aserer511, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1why do they dump their college eligibility? assets much...
- scoottie, on 06/27/2008, -0/+1it sucks but not everyone is Kobe or KG. Even if they get into professional sports and dont finish their education whats to stop them from having a career ending injury?
- captric, on 06/28/2008, -2/+1Stupid basketball players - it isnt like any of them were going to find a cure for cancer or something.
- banderwocky, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1Aww. You're just a sad panda cause a Canadian invented basketball. Poor muffins.
- quiggibub, on 06/28/2008, -1/+2Good. Too bad their scholarships can't be given to people who WANT to go to college to LEARN. Have fun playing for small town teams at night and making fries during the day.
- matt.rubin, on 06/28/2008, -0/+2the NBA really need to up the age required to join these kids are throwing their lives away. Leaving college when still a freshman?!
- RichardSwingman, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0kids and agents need to man up on this one. if an organization will offer you millions of dollars, i think you just better follow whatever rules they have. Doesnt matter if you start like a year later, these kids should just be thankful and not think about if they get a max deal sooner and all that crap.
if you work hard then you deserve a max deal.
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