BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

While I admire your loyalty I must say it doesn’t work that way. I am an MSU Spartan fan but when they have exhausted their seasons potential I root for any remaining Big Ten teams.
Try as I might, my heart tells me where I am when the “other team” hits a shot and sometimes I can’t help but feel the joy.

bluezzzzz Loc: Stamping Ground, KY

Amen to that!

Won't have to watch endless replays of "The Shot" any more...until next year.

Marshall

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

It does seem that there are a fair number of people in the country that are not fans of Duke

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes it does!

Duke is an elite school. UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, and most of the other ACC teams are state schools. So they take pride in bringing down the Dookies.

I'm a Davidson grad. It's a small liberal arts school (<2000 students) that occasionally sends teams to the ACC Tournament. This year, they lost the first round to Michigan State. When they had Stephen Curry, in 2008, they made it to the Elite 8. Oh, yeah, most Davidson players will be doctors or lawyers or business leaders or ministers. Only Curry became an NBA star. While he left early to join the NBA, he went back and finished his degree. I doubt many of Coach K's Freshman players who dropped out to join NBA teams ever went back for a sheepskin.

Dannj

I doubt if many players, from Duke or any other school, who drop out for the NBA make the effort. There are more “one and dones” now than there were in Curry’s time and I think most coaches don’t even try to hide it. I believe it was Calipari who said that if a player can help him win a championship and he can help a player get to the NBA it’s a “win win” situation.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That's a realistic assessment. But most are gone from the NBA after ten years. What do they do after that?

1.2 percent of men's basketball student-athletes are drafted by the NBA. A lot of high school grads go to college on athletic scholarships. They have dreams of making the pros, but most never come close. If they aren't serious about their education, harsh reality can set in mighty quickly.

Dannj

Granted, many HS and college players have unwarranted dreams of playing in the NBA. Many of them also have the disadvantage of building an entourage of parasites who feed off their success and leave them when the glitter fades.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

I can only comment on the school I attended which was Villanova...can't believe it was just over 50 years ago, it seems like yesterday.

Of the players who stay 4 years their graduation rate is about 100%. Coach Jay Wright makes sure of that.

One of the best players they ever had, Kerry Kittles, stayed 4 years and graduated. After his NBA career he returned to Villanova and earned his MBA and is currently on the Board of Trustees. He also made a sizable donation when the Villanova basketball facility, the Pavillion, was renovated and expanded a few years ago.

An interesting fact about the Pavillion is that it was originally named the John E. Dupont Pavillion as he was a major contributor. However, his name was dropped after he was arrested for murder of an Olympic wrestling hopeful training at his estate.

Many of the former Villanova basketball players who went on to the NBA have remained very close to the school. I can remember Tim Thomas, who was a rare one-and-done player returned to the campus summers to work out while in the NBA.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

It might be more productive for everyone concerned if there was a pathway from HS to Professional sports other than via the University system. When I was in school, star athletes typically stayed for some number of years and at least made a pretense of planning to graduate. The “one and done” seems to me to be an aberration of what collegiate athletics are supposed to be, and while it may be good advertisement for the school and attract money for the athletic program, it doesn’t seem to serve the majority of the players in the long run. Personally, I would be glad to trade more athlete graduations for a national championship, but I’m not a athlete, so just my humble opinion.

Dannj

I don’t know if college athletics have been what “they are supposed to be” for a very long time.☹️

Dannj

“Of the players who stay four years, the graduation rate is about 100%”. I know Jay Wright has a great reputation for “graduating” his players, but the players who stay four years aren’t the problem.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I'd just as soon see them hired as professionals. Pay them a hefty salary. Let them pay for school out of it, if they want an education, but promise full reimbursement if they graduate with a C average or better.

In essence, "student athletes" are already professionals. They are paid with a scholarship. But compared with the money they bring in in broadcast revenue and ticket sales, that's hardly fair payment! It's kind of unfair for coaches to make some of the highest salaries on campus (in some instances the highest), while athletes struggle.