Zachary Huberty

Eng 1102

Professor Hughes

28 April 2016
One and Done Rule
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, when one thinks about the N.B.A. these are names that
come to mind in all cases. These players went straight from playing basketball in high school to
playing professionally and have been lauded as some of the best players in the league. In 2006,
the NBA implemented a brand new rule that was specifically enforced on basketball players
coming out of high school. The one-and-done rule, as it has universally been referred to,
states that all high school graduates would gain eligibility for the draft one year after their high
school graduation as long as they turn 19 years old by the end of the calendar year of the draft.
Prior to 2006, high school players were eligible for the NBA draft immediately upon
graduation. (Beaulieu). Before this rule was established a player could go from being a high
school senior to the NBA draft. Now this did not always give birth to players who changed the
way that we see basketball, like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, the majority of the time we saw
players coming from high school to the realization that the NBA is a completely different caliber
than what they were used to playing at. For this reason we now see two sides to the story for and
against the development of the one and done rule.
College athletics are some of the most competitive in the industry of sports, and for the
athletes they treat it like it could be their last game, every game. There are so few spots open to

play professionally that these players are so committed to being the best, so they get noticed like
the best. A college basketball player who decides to commit to the University of Texas is going
there in order to get scouted and hopefully develop his basketball career to the next level. This is
one of the main ways to ensure that if your talent is equal to your hype, you will be ensured that
spot on one of the NBA teams rosters. This is not guaranteed, though. Making it on to a college
team, most likely with a full-ride or half-ride scholarship, is also a sure way to get an education
while enjoying your craft. In order to succeed in a society where most fields require some sort of
higher education, whether that be an associates degree or a bachelors, college provides an
environment where athletes who may never play professionally can get an education and still
play their game one last time. Statistics show that 1.1% of all the basketball players eligible for
the draft make it to play professionally. Out of 4155 people, forty-six players make it into the
NBA (NCAA.org). One percent of athletes that play at a collegiate level move on to something
better but for the players that did not make it, moving on with a degree and pride is a reason to
hold your head up high.
The One and Done rule provides a player with an option. The current one-anddone rule by the NCAA gives pro-ready players the opportunity to pursue a professional career
in the NBA after one year of college play. This gives young talented players the chance of a
lifetime to chase down their dreams of being an NBA superstar instead of having to waste two
more years playing college basketball. There is no need for a three-year collegiate stay.
(Mcdiffett). There is the choice of being a student-athlete, which is the more popular option, or
being a one and done athlete. The only problem is that each of these options come with baggage
and expectations. A One and Done athlete is recruited to the NBA with the expectation of

competing with the best of the best and putting on a show for the fans. With student-athletes on
the other hand there is a completely different expectation.
They are expected to be both successful in the academic as well as the athletic domain.
They must meet the same academic demands as other students with only minimal
accommodations while devoting extensive time (30 to 40 or more hours a week) and energy to
their sport, spending time away from classes for athletic competitions, satisfying demanding
coaches whose livelihood depends upon their athletic performance, and maintain self-esteem by
performing up to their own, coaches' and family and friends' expectations. (Simons). The farther
that we look into the one and done rule, the more we see how much it really needs to change.
Competition combined with academically draining schedules and equally draining physical
training can lead to serious questioning on whether or not being a student-athlete is the right
decision. As a society, we expect that these athletes be equally as impressive off the court
because they are there essentially free and do not have to worry about stressful payments for
school or debt when they get out. But what if school is not the right place for a high school
basketball player? Analysts and basketball players alike all recognize problems with the one and
done rule. Being expected to do something that one does not find interesting or just plain is not
good at is the most complicated thing to do or focus on. It is not the job of another person to tell
you what you can and cannot do, in the end it is your job to realize whether or not you feel
school is the right place for you. There are developmental options that could be made available
to the players that are not right for school.
If one devotes their time and money towards a sport in which they know that they can
succeed at, they are obviously devoting themselves to a career or what they perceive to be a

career. The one and done rule takes this career and tells that athlete to put in on hold for a year
before they can make it to the show and get paid for what they know that they can do. There is
no rule like this for any other type of professional sport, with the exception of football. Many
NFL coaches and general managers say it takes time for players who have spent four or five
years in college footballs power programs to adjust to the physical demands of the league.
(Logwold). In football it is expected for you to go through college in order to gain weight and
get more physically fit to meet the needs of NFL scouts and teams.
College competition is meant to bring out the fire and spark of these players to make
them ready for the NBA. This rule ensures that the talent that we see is not fake or false hopes,
and that they do have enough to make it. Also it helps you develop better attributes to your game
and helps you maintain a playing style that is up to the competitive level of playing
professionally. There are people who have been in the league for 10 to 15 years that know
playbooks inside and out and can pick apart defenders at will. A high school player has not yet
developed himself to play at that level. In the end there are different types of play calling that
makes up what basketball is today. For example, zone is a type of defense where each player is
allotted a zone on the court where they have to defend if the ball makes it into that zone. Man to
man defense is where each player on the defending team is allotted a player on the other team to
defend (Zone Defense). If a player comes from a team in high school that only plays zone
defense to a NBA team that plays man to man defense. That player will not be able to tell that
couch to wait for him to understand and develop how to play that style of play. There is just no
waiting because you are playing a sport professionally and are expected to be prepared in every
sense of the manor.

But then we also have to consider on what this rule is doing to the state of college
basketball. One and done players are in and out of college so fast that they dont focus on
anything else except for their gradual raise in competence and abilities. Coaches like John
Calipari, who plays for Kentucky, get paid for how much they win and how many titles that they
win. That is a big incentive for sending out invites for the most valuable players that one can
find. When you recruit someone whose talent is that of a God, the coach knows that they are
only there for a year and then they will be moving on to the NBA. A coach is spending all that
time and effort to recruit someone who will only be ditching out after a year to move on with
another company. When you recruit a highly wanted player there is an idea that this player will
be there and utilize the school for all of those four years, and although there are many that stay
and finish their career in college that one player could make all the difference.
In the end, some change needs to come to this one and done rule that can make both sides
come to agreements. A compromise will bring sides to the conclusion that the wellbeing of a
college athlete, whether or not he stays in college or does not attend, is more important than a
rule. There are always alternative solutions to problems that we have. In the NBA, when a player
is not performing to the coaches standards that coach will send that player to what is called the
D League, or Developmental League. That player will play in the D league until the coach feels
like he has improved himself enough to come back up. There instead should be the option for
qualified athletes to be able to come to the NBA and the athletes need to apply and be able to
show extensive knowledge on different aspects of the game. An athlete gears his entire life
towards his sport, to him that is a career and if he is able to succeed with drive and compassion
for the game than there is no argument. For the other players that still need development, the
college route still exists where that player is able to perform for all those four years but be able to

opt out any year he wants. For the player that feels school is not the right place for them, if they
are being scouted by foreign teams, which is where a lot of players go after they get out of
college and werent drafted, than there is the option to be able to play overseas. In conclusion,
there should be no rule on age and being able to draft into the NBA. But there will be extensive
testing to decide if you are fit physically and mentally, with the criteria being based upon an
average NBA player. A mans career is something that he should take as seriously as his
passions, dreams are meant to be followed but not without some bumps and challenges

Works Cited
Beaulieu, Daniel Ryan. "A Framing Analysis: The NBA's "One and Done" Rule." Diss. U of
South Florida, 2012. Abstract. Scholar Commons, Jan. 2012. Web. 12 May 2016.
Streck, Katie, and Gerald Masterson. "The One And Done Rule: A Need For
Change." Insights.
"Estimated Probability of Competing in Professional Athletics." NCAA.org. 2015. Web. 12 May
2016.
Journal 41.2 (2007): 251-273. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 May 2016.
Logwold, Jeff. "Adrian Peterson among Few Who Could Make Leap from High School to NFL."
ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 2 Oct. 2015. Web. 13 May 2016.
<http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/182078/adrian-peterson-among-few-whocould-make-leap-from-high-school-to-nfl>.
Moore, Matt. "Larry Brown Defends College Hoops as Best Development Program."

CBSSports.com. 16 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

McDiffett, Trev. "POINT: NBA one-and-done Rule Gives Athletes a Head Start." Daily
Nebraskan. 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
"Site Search." Zone Defense Concepts & Tips. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
To A Changing World Journal 4 (2010): 55-64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 May 2016.