Has there been a precipitous decline in the quality of NCAA BBall in the last 4 or 5 years? I'm sure the trend is longer than that; it's the only sport I can think of where I'm confident I can come up with teams from 20 years ago that would absolutely smoke _any_ current team. But seems to have fallen off a cliff of late -- especially offense.

Last year's Kentucky team was REALLY good at the end of the year.

So I'd disagree about any team smoking them from 20 years ago.

Skills/offense wise, yeah, overall, it's fallen off in the last 15-20 years. Combination of how we teach the game(AAU LOOK AT ME) and the kids jumping straight to the NBA and/or 1 and done.

college basketball is horrible.

NBA players arent even good at basketball anymore, now we're going down to the guys who aren't good enough to play in the NBA.

The NBA is at one of the highest levels its ever been....

It's a different game than it was even 10 years ago. It has turned into 3 pt shoot out, dunking and ESPN highlight footage. Basic fundemental basketball is long gone probably forever

He was very honest saying there is a decline in college ball and he blames how games are officiated.  He said college ball is more physical than NBA because NCAA allows too much physicality on defense.  This cuts down in the perceived focus on fundamentals because players on offense can't do basic cuts and drives like they used to because they are constantly being knocked off their path by the defense.  He also quoted Pat Riley taking some blame because in the late 80s and 90s some NBA teams like Detroit and Knicks started to be far more physical because they didn't have the talent as other teams.  It worked.  NBA has worked over the recent years to clean this up, but NCAA has not.

I never thought of it that way but it was an interesting perspective.

Many of the teams that we remember had their best upper-classmen playing college basketball. Now, the most skillful players leave early for the NBA.

Here are some names at Duke and N. Carolina who left early in recent years.

www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbm...TCLID=205416889

A by-product is that players play for themselves to try to improve their NBA draft position, and team chemistry in college is poor in many cases. The most high profile schools have rosters in constant churn which makes it difficult for the coaches.

Also, I recently read an article about college basketball attendance being down (including Duke) and one of the theories was that fans can't develop an affinity for teams who rosters churn every year.

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

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--- claw22 wrote:

The NBA is at one of the highest levels its ever been....

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Jesus wept.

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--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

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I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

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--- laxduck wrote:



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--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

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I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

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Not that I necessarily agree basketball should do it, but baseball already does that. You can enter the MLB draft straight out of high school, but if you choose to go to college you have to stay for three years before you can enter the draft again.

Now, this is the NBA's decision so this isn't gonna happen, but what I think would be best for college hoops (and it might possibly help improve the NBA) is to say that you can enter the draft straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to stay for at least two years before you can enter the draft again. When you could enter the draft straight out of high school, there were kids that would try to enter it when they weren't ready. Now there are guys who are one and dones but really aren't ready yet for the NBA. At least if it changed to this then those kids that decide to go to college would be forced to get at least two years of college work to improve their game before going to the NBA and it wouldn't punish the few kids who really are capable of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

I would guess, though, a reason MLB is okay with that is because they would never draft a play and immediately put him on the major league team without having him go through the minors first (even if it's a short stay in the minors), so there isn't as much of a rush to say we want that player right now.

I went to a high school game not long ago and you can see it there too. The mid-range jumper is a lost art. Everything is a three or a slash to the hoop.

The NBA lost me as a fan twenty years ago when I no longer recognised the game I loved to play. I have also watched less and less of the college game starting about 8 years ago. Basketball at all levels just isn't the same game anymore and imho it's not for the better. Football on the other hand has also changed dramatically since I played but has become a way more entertaining game. Weird....

One thing that bothers me, if we are going to call these guys professionals they should have a degree. No other "professionals" in any other field gets there without a degree. I know it will never happen, but that is my stump speech. They need to stay in school and earn the right to be a professional.

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--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:



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--- laxduck wrote:



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--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

---------------------------------------------

I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

---------------------------------------------

Not that I necessarily agree basketball should do it, but baseball already does that. You can enter the MLB draft straight out of high school, but if you choose to go to college you have to stay for three years before you can enter the draft again.

Now, this is the NBA's decision so this isn't gonna happen, but what I think would be best for college hoops (and it might possibly help improve the NBA) is to say that you can enter the draft straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to stay for at least two years before you can enter the draft again. When you could enter the draft straight out of high school, there were kids that would try to enter it when they weren't ready. Now there are guys who are one and dones but really aren't ready yet for the NBA. At least if it changed to this then those kids that decide to go to college would be forced to get at least two years of college work to improve their game before going to the NBA and it wouldn't punish the few kids who really are capable of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

I would guess, though, a reason MLB is okay with that is because they would never draft a play and immediately put him on the major league team without having him go through the minors first (even if it's a short stay in the minors), so there isn't as much of a rush to say we want that player right now.

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A professional mechanic doesn't have to have a degree. A professional pilot doesn't have to have a degree - just a pilot's license and training. I think you're confusing a "profession" with a "learned profession." And really, the biggest reason most people choose to earn degrees is to learn more about the field they want to enter and in many cases to become qualified for that field.

If you're gonna require a basketball player to earn a degree to be able to enter the NBA, you're gonna have to create a degree in basketball. Have classes on rules and strategies, classes on the history of the game, etc. And of course there wouldn't be enough there for a degree, but you could combine all the sports together and have it be a "sports" degree with an emphasis in whatever your sport is, so you'd have to take rules, strategy, history, etc. classes in a number of different sports.

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--- sogaduckfan wrote:

One thing that bothers me, if we are going to call these guys professionals they should have a degree. No other "professionals" in any other field gets there without a degree. I know it will never happen, but that is my stump speech. They need to stay in school and earn the right to be a professional.

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--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:



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--- laxduck wrote:



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--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

---------------------------------------------

I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

---------------------------------------------

Not that I necessarily agree basketball should do it, but baseball already does that. You can enter the MLB draft straight out of high school, but if you choose to go to college you have to stay for three years before you can enter the draft again.

Now, this is the NBA's decision so this isn't gonna happen, but what I think would be best for college hoops (and it might possibly help improve the NBA) is to say that you can enter the draft straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to stay for at least two years before you can enter the draft again. When you could enter the draft straight out of high school, there were kids that would try to enter it when they weren't ready. Now there are guys who are one and dones but really aren't ready yet for the NBA. At least if it changed to this then those kids that decide to go to college would be forced to get at least two years of college work to improve their game before going to the NBA and it wouldn't punish the few kids who really are capable of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

I would guess, though, a reason MLB is okay with that is because they would never draft a play and immediately put him on the major league team without having him go through the minors first (even if it's a short stay in the minors), so there isn't as much of a rush to say we want that player right now.

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sogaduckfan wrote: No other "professionals" in any other field gets there without a degree.

That is utter nonsense.

I would disagree with you, imagine that? lol

Any "professional" mechanic worth his hire certainly does have not only a degree but several. They all go through advanced training and ongoing certifications and most of them have their "degrees" hanging on the walls. No they aren't from a university, but they are from the schools that trains mechanics. Just as a "professional" insurance/financial advisor or many other occupations do not require a degree from some university, the good ones all have degrees through American College whether it be CLU, CFP, LUTCF, RCU, or several other degrees avialable.

Same can be said for many other professions


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--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:

A professional mechanic doesn't have to have a degree. A professional pilot doesn't have to have a degree - just a pilot's license and training. I think you're confusing a "profession" with a "learned profession." And really, the biggest reason most people choose to earn degrees is to learn more about the field they want to enter and in many cases to become qualified for that field.

If you're gonna require a basketball player to earn a degree to be able to enter the NBA, you're gonna have to create a degree in basketball. Have classes on rules and strategies, classes on the history of the game, etc. And of course there wouldn't be enough there for a degree, but you could combine all the sports together and have it be a "sports" degree with an emphasis in whatever your sport is, so you'd have to take rules, strategy, history, etc. classes in a number of different sports.

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--- sogaduckfan wrote:

One thing that bothers me, if we are going to call these guys professionals they should have a degree. No other "professionals" in any other field gets there without a degree. I know it will never happen, but that is my stump speech. They need to stay in school and earn the right to be a professional.

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--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:



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--- laxduck wrote:



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--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

---------------------------------------------

I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

---------------------------------------------

Not that I necessarily agree basketball should do it, but baseball already does that. You can enter the MLB draft straight out of high school, but if you choose to go to college you have to stay for three years before you can enter the draft again.

Now, this is the NBA's decision so this isn't gonna happen, but what I think would be best for college hoops (and it might possibly help improve the NBA) is to say that you can enter the draft straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to stay for at least two years before you can enter the draft again. When you could enter the draft straight out of high school, there were kids that would try to enter it when they weren't ready. Now there are guys who are one and dones but really aren't ready yet for the NBA. At least if it changed to this then those kids that decide to go to college would be forced to get at least two years of college work to improve their game before going to the NBA and it wouldn't punish the few kids who really are capable of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

I would guess, though, a reason MLB is okay with that is because they would never draft a play and immediately put him on the major league team without having him go through the minors first (even if it's a short stay in the minors), so there isn't as much of a rush to say we want that player right now.

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Totally agree.
It's a combo of things that we are seeing develop over the years. The NBA allowing players to leave too early from College, the preponderance of me-first basketball and the ESPN highlight replays on Sportscenter, the AAU frenzy of look-at-me basketball to get noticed by college recruiters, all add up to the lack of fundamentals development by young kids growing up.
College basketball is a highly diluted sport now, filled with one year one and dones, to the yearly repetitiousness of too many transfers from one school to the next, that is driving the quality of the game downward towards abysmal mediocrity.

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--- cheswick wrote:


<blockquote dir="ltr"><strong>Ducksatbat wrote:</strong> It's a different game than it was even 10 years ago. It has turned into 3 pt shoot out, dunking and ESPN highlight footage. Basic fundemental basketball is long gone probably forever</blockquote><span style="color: #008000; font-size: large;"><em>This...+1</em>< /span>

<span style="color: #008000; font-size: large;"><em>fundamentals are lacking throughout college hoops. There are a few solid fundamentally sound programs...Duke, Michigan State, Indiana. But for the most part it's 3pointers, or dunks, (or missed dunks) with traveling, carrying the ball, treating a ball possession like it has the plague, and missed free throws. Teams don't even know how to set solid screens or come off of them hard, and instead of solid defense they play grab ass.</em></span>

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Nope, lots of jobs just require a degree in anything. I don't actually believe this is a viable option. These athletes, whether they like or not, are role models and very influential members of society. They have an impact on millions of people in one way or another, the least we can ask for is they at least earn a bachelors degree, hell most of them don't have to pay a dime for it, just delay their financial gratification. Obviously there is the risk of injury that would destroy their ability to make money, but not much more so than current requirements.
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--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:

A professional mechanic doesn't have to have a degree. A professional pilot doesn't have to have a degree - just a pilot's license and training. I think you're confusing a "profession" with a "learned profession." And really, the biggest reason most people choose to earn degrees is to learn more about the field they want to enter and in many cases to become qualified for that field.

If you're gonna require a basketball player to earn a degree to be able to enter the NBA, you're gonna have to create a degree in basketball. Have classes on rules and strategies, classes on the history of the game, etc. And of course there wouldn't be enough there for a degree, but you could combine all the sports together and have it be a "sports" degree with an emphasis in whatever your sport is, so you'd have to take rules, strategy, history, etc. classes in a number of different sports.

---------------------------------------------
--- sogaduckfan wrote:

One thing that bothers me, if we are going to call these guys professionals they should have a degree. No other "professionals" in any other field gets there without a degree. I know it will never happen, but that is my stump speech. They need to stay in school and earn the right to be a professional.

---------------------------------------------
--- Saxophoneguy2001 wrote:



---------------------------------------------
--- laxduck wrote:



---------------------------------------------
--- FightnDucks wrote:

The one and done is killing the college game.

I really think that once a schollie is offered to an SA it should stay locked on that player for 3 years. That would force schools to recruit COLLEGE players.

---------------------------------------------

I don't think keeping someone from earning a living is fair just because we want to see better basketball.

---------------------------------------------

Not that I necessarily agree basketball should do it, but baseball already does that. You can enter the MLB draft straight out of high school, but if you choose to go to college you have to stay for three years before you can enter the draft again.

Now, this is the NBA's decision so this isn't gonna happen, but what I think would be best for college hoops (and it might possibly help improve the NBA) is to say that you can enter the draft straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to stay for at least two years before you can enter the draft again. When you could enter the draft straight out of high school, there were kids that would try to enter it when they weren't ready. Now there are guys who are one and dones but really aren't ready yet for the NBA. At least if it changed to this then those kids that decide to go to college would be forced to get at least two years of college work to improve their game before going to the NBA and it wouldn't punish the few kids who really are capable of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

I would guess, though, a reason MLB is okay with that is because they would never draft a play and immediately put him on the major league team without having him go through the minors first (even if it's a short stay in the minors), so there isn't as much of a rush to say we want that player right now.

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