THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MARCH 29, 2007
3B
DENT (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Now on to the NBA life. There, you don't have to worry about that class stuff. It's all basketball. Practice on off days, arrive in the evening for a shoot around on game days, and then play one of 82 regular season games every other night.
It's this emphasis on basketball that turns kids like Rush into better ball players. You can only learn so much in college. The NCAA limits the amount of practice time during the season and disallows coaches to regularly work with their players in the summer. It doesn't even let athletes play in certain recreation leagues. Rush will have more time to improve his left hand and ball handling if he goes pro because those rules won't cut into practice time. Plus, he'll be practicing and playing against the best players in the world.
Oh, and when you're not playing basketball? Buy 24-inch rims, shop for clothes you'll never need.
go to Eva Longoria and Tony Parker-hosted parties at the All-Star Game or pay a member of your entourage to be your designated video game partner. You can do anything you want.
Let's say Rush forges this life for another year (or two) and comes back. He could average 20 points per game, lead Kansas to the Final Four and be a first team All American. That's great, but it would barely elevate his draft status.
Take a look at UCLAS Arron Afilfo. He entered the Draft last year but withdrew after not being guaranteed a first round spot. This season he increased his averages and was a first team All-American. But the NBA doesn't care. Afilfo is still considered a late first rounder.
The worst scenario for Rush is that he could slip to the early second round. Second round picks are not guaranteed a contract. That
sounds like a raw deal, but it could actually be a benefit.
If Rush goes in the early second round, he'd be picked by one of the worst teams in the league. He'd probably be able to make the team and get significant playing time.
Salim Stoudamire, Mo Williams and Monta Ellis are three recent players who have done that.
Rush has nothing to lose by going pro. His draft standing is high as it will ever be, he'll be able to escape the boring school life and his coach will be behind him.
"Do what's best for your family and yourself and we'll support you." Self said.
And for Rush, the best choice is to go pro.
Dent is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism.
Edited by Mark Vierthaler
MLB
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Erik Bedard walked the mound and into the Baltimore Onioles dugout, where the left-hander was met by manager Sam Perlozzo.
Orioles, Cardinals pitchers prove valuable this spring
"Great spring." Perlozzo said from the top step before both men shook hands.
Braden Looper pitched 6 2-3 shutout innings for the Cardinals, further proving that he can be a valuable part of the starting rotation for the defending World Series champions.
In his last start before the regular-season opener, Bedard allowed three runs and eight hits in four innings Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat an Orioles split squad 5-1.
The 32-year-old Looper has never pitched more than three innings in a single outing in his
major league career. He had 57 saves in two seasons with the New York Mets before going 9-3 with a 3.56 ERA with St. Louis last season.
Looper gave up only four hits, struck out two and did not walk a batter. He made four starts this spring, finished with a 2.18 ERA and is expected to start against the Mets in the Cardinals' opening series.
Bedard, meanwhile, is slated to start the opener in Minnesota on April 9. He finished spring training with a 1.96 ERA over 23 innings.
"You can't ask for much more than that." Perlozzo said.
The three runs Bedard yielded Wednesday were one more than he allowed in his previous five starts this spring. He gave up a two-run homer to Tagg Bozied in the first inning and an RBI single to Aaron Miles in the second.
"I was just pitching as usual
MOORE SPORTS
NBA age-limit rule wastes scholarships
Bob Huggins, Rick Barnes and Thad Matta should all be sending NBA commissioner David Stern a box of chocolates and thank you letters galore.
Thanks to Stern's NBA age-limit rule change that took effect this past season, Texas was the talk of college basketball because of freshman phenom Kevin Durant. Ohio State is in the Final Four this weekend because of Greg Oden, who NBA scouts have been drooling over since Oden could grow a beard
— so sometime around his 11th birthday. And next season Kansas State is going to benefit from the arrival of Michael Beasley, who is just biding his time before he can declare for the draft.
Take Beasley for example.
But Stern's rule, which changed the age limit from 18 to 19 and one year removed from high school, has unfairly made it so players like Beasley, Oden and Durant have no other option but to attend one year of college and sometimes these guys just don't belong in school.
"I'm just wasting time here," Beasley told a Washington Post reporter several weeks ago about going to high school, an opinion he's sure to take with him to Manhattan. Beasley, a senior at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., has been kind enough to spread the wealth of his talents during his scholastic career, attending six schools in five different states
Beasley would never go to Kansas State if it were not for the age limit. He said he's counting the days until he turns 19 and is able to
enter the draft. He obviously made it clear that he does not plan to attend college more than one year. So why should he even enroll?
If Beasley were not a stud on the basketball court, he would most likely not be planning on attending college, nor would anyone encourage him to. Before the age limit, if a player did not want to go to school, he did not have to. The guys who wanted to attend college or thought it was in their best interest went to school, and the players who felt like going to school was just "killing time" skipped college altogether.
Since Beasley is obviously going to declare for the draft next year, he could stop going to classes after the season or even after first semester. He wouldn't even need to be passing his classes second semester and he could still play.
The age limit practically turns the college game into a minor league system, where players like Beasley are not really student-athletes but athlete-students (using student loosely).
— just not attended. This is a scholarship that could go to someone who would actually use it to get an education. Despite the stereotypes, which are not being helped by this age limit, there are still some athletes who use their athletic ability to get a free education. Many use their free education to enter the job market when they graduate.
When the athletes stop going to their classes after they decide they want to declare for the draft, they don't lose their scholarships. Those classes are still being paid for
As the NCAA commercial goes, most college athletes go professional in something other than sports. So a Beasley-like player will take up a scholarship next season instead of a player who actually wants to go to school and isn't just there "killing time."
The schools that take in these players do benefit from their short stays on campus. At Kansas State, for example, the basketball team sold out its season tickets for the first time in 23 years this past season. The big reason was because of the arrival of Bob Huggins and the Michael Beasleys that were sure to follow.
NBA-bound players are coming to play for Huggins because they realize he could care less if they get an education, which he has proven with his well-documented poor graduation rates. He may have to start caring at some point, because the NCAA now penalizes teams for not graduating players. It's a price Huggins and Kansas State are probably willing to pay because of the exposure and money that is generated by having players like Beasley.
of going to Texas. Without Durant. Texas would have played in the NIT this year instead of the NCAA tournament. Some would argue that Durant's year in college has been a blessing for both Durant and college basketball. He has been able to improve his skills, star quality and get big game experience at the college level while college basketball has benefited from the exposure he brings to the game.
The schools also benefit from taking in these one-and-done players by winning games. Without the age limit, Durant would most likely have declared for the draft instead
The NBA benefits by making these players go to school because the scouts get to see future pros play against real competition. By players going to college, it makes it easier for the NBA to evaluate their talent and potential instead of evaluating them against pimply-faced high school kids.
Beasley could be getting the same preparation for the pros and tutelage he will get under Huggins in a minor league system similar to baseball's minor leagues. But why should the NBA take trouble of forming
a minor league system when the NCAA is providing one for free?
The NBA could follow baseball's model and start a minor league system that prepares players who do not want to go to school for the league. But that would take time and money.
Beasley is 18 years old. By law, he's an adult. He can go fight a war for his country if he feels like doing so. But he wants to play basketball for a living. To play in the NBA, one needs to be really good at basketball — Western Civilization isn't a pre-requisite. Beasley is really good at basketball. He does not need a year at Kansas State to prove that and he would rather not go.
As a university, it's K-State's job to educate, not babysit. If the NBA wants a farm system, it should make one and leave Americas colleges out of it.
Moore is a Shawnee senior in journalism.
Edited by Lisa Tilson
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