"But onto the game..."

...says Reece Davis.

As much as I like to rag on old coaches and their war stories and 1970s philosophies, I wish ESPN had given some airtime to let the Digger-General-DickieV 700 Club Roundable Hour hash out this topic. (And I'm not even ragging on ESPN.... because the sitation warranted the move-on. Hence, the tragedy of limited time.)

That topic being: the NBA rule that encourages one-and-done 6-credit-hour athletes to play NCAA ball for a year.

It's grotesque, ugly, shady, unseemly, and then some. And it undeniably undermines the modern college game--not to mention the way it undermines a libertarian philosophy of "elevate yourself and make some money doing it."

The three former coaches were in the midst of a meaningful discussion on this topic during Gameday a few minutes ago, in which they made some excellent points. But sadly, the producers gave Reece the "move on" signal. Yet this is the most important topic facing the NCAA (at least in terms of major-conference basketball) today.

The point being: let the kids take on the NBA if that's what they want. Don't make them feign school spirit and ameteur-game ideals for a year if their heart's not in it and if they never intend to join the blue-collar world.

Don't rob NBA fans of a rookie year like LeBron or Amare had for a stupid rule that--ostensibly--encourages superior athletes to give "higher" education a chance but--more accurately--intends to create a deeper 12-man NBA roster. (And I'll save the fact that LeBron strikes me as one of the short list of the most intelligent and amazing personalities in sports, despite his lack of a college education, for another post.)

Stern!: You greedy bitch: Don't turn the NCAA into a farm league even more than it is.

I love Dickie V's idea of creating a committee of NBA execs and NCAA officials to give an unbiased, non-agent-driven evaluation of gifted 18/19 year-olds to separate the corrupted from the Real Deals.

Sadly, this discussion was cut short. Which is not to say that the ESPN college hoops panel is the Mensa of the unpaid-paid sports issues dynamic, but I'm disappointed to see that this discussion couldn't get its fair due on a forum that more people will see than all the "alternative" sports media outlets combined.

Basically, Beasley, Mayo, and Rose should be millionares because it's within their abilities... and they'd be successful doing it. And college basketball--and its devotees like me--shouldn't pretend that they're one of "ours," when these studs forcibly held themselves back to set their footprint in this cult.

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