[GrandmamaParticipant]

The reason for this post is to point out how many high school players have been successful making the jump straight to the NBA.  I’m a huge supporter of high school players having the option to make the jump to the pros, and past success of players making the transition is one of my main reasons.  College isn’t for everyone, especially for basketball players who know their future is playing professionally.  Why deny kids the option of joining the NBA if they’re ready?  If the NBA doesn’t work out, they can always go play overseas professionally.  Personally, I think the one and done thing is ridiculous.  I don’t see any proof that one year of college prepares these guys any better than making the jump straight.  If you look at the success rate of high schoolers versus players who leave after one year of college, I can guarantee you there really isn’t a difference.

 

 

1995 1 5 Kevin Garnett* F United States Minnesota Timberwolves Farragut Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois) [28]

1996 1 13 Kobe Bryant* G United States Charlotte Hornets Lower Merion High School (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) [29]

1996 1 17 Jermaine O’Neal* F/C United States Portland Trail Blazers Eau Claire High School (Columbia, South Carolina) [30]

1997 1 9 Tracy McGrady* F United States Toronto Raptors Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, North Carolina) [31]

1998 1 25 Al Harrington F United States Indiana Pacers St. Patrick High School (Elizabeth, New Jersey) [32]

1998 2 32 Rashard Lewis+ F United States Seattle SuperSonics Alief Elsik High School (Houston, Texas) [33]

1998 2 40 Korleone Young F United States Detroit Pistons Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Virginia) [34]

1999 1 5 Jonathan Bender F United States Toronto Raptors Picayune Memorial High School (Picayune, Mississippi) [35]

1999 1 25 Leon Smith C United States Dallas Mavericks Martin Luther King High School (Chicago, Illinois) [36]

2000 1 3 Darius Miles F United States Los Angeles Clippers East St. Louis High School (East St. Louis, Illinois) [37]

2000 1 23 DeShawn Stevenson G United States Utah Jazz Washington Union High School (Fresno, California) [38]

2001 1 1 Kwame Brown F United States Washington Wizards Glynn Academy (Brunswick, Georgia) [39]

2001 1 2 Tyson Chandler C United States Los Angeles Clippers Dominguez High School (Compton, California) [40]

2001 1 4 Eddy Curry C United States Chicago Bulls Thornwood High School (South Holland, Illinois) [41]

2001 1 8 DeSagana Diop C Senegal Cleveland Cavaliers Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) [42]

2001 2 46 Ousmane Cisse# F Mali Denver Nuggets St. Jude High School (Montgomery, Alabama) [43]

2002 1 9 Amar’e Stoudemire* F/C United States Phoenix Suns Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, Florida) [44]

2003 1 1 LeBron James* F United States Cleveland Cavaliers St. Vincent – St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio) [45]

2003 1 23 Travis Outlaw F United States Portland Trail Blazers Starkville High School (Starkville, Mississippi) [46]

2003 1 24 Ndudi Ebi F United Kingdom Nigeria Minnesota Timberwolves Westbury Christian School (Houston, Texas) [47]

2003 1 27 Kendrick Perkins C United States Memphis Grizzlies Clifton J. Ozen High School (Beaumont, Texas) [48]

2003 2 48 James Lang C United States New Orleans Hornets Central Park Christian High School (Birmingham, Alabama) [49]

2004 1 1 Dwight Howard* F/C United States Orlando Magic Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (Atlanta, Georgia) [50]

2004 1 4 Shaun Livingston G United States Los Angeles Clippers Peoria High School (Peoria, Illinois) [51]

2004 1 12 Robert Swift C United States Seattle SuperSonics Bakersfield High School (Bakersfield, California) [52]

2004 1 13 Sebastian Telfair G United States Portland Trail Blazers Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn, New York) [53]

2004 1 15 Al Jefferson F United States Boston Celtics Prentiss High School (Prentiss, Mississippi) [54]

2004 1 17 Josh Smith F United States Atlanta Hawks Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) [55]

2004 1 18 J. R. Smith G United States New Orleans Hornets Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School (Newark, New Jersey) [56]

2004 1 19 Dorell Wright G/F United States Miami Heat South Kent Preparatory School (South Kent, Connecticut) [57][58]

2005 1 6 Martell Webster G/F United States Portland Trail Blazers Seattle Preparatory School (Seattle, Washington) [59]

2005 1 10 Andrew Bynum+ C United States Los Angeles Lakers St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey) [60]

2005 1 18 Gerald Green F United States Boston Celtics Gulf Shores Academy (Houston, Texas) [61]

2005 2 34 C. J. Miles G United States Utah Jazz Skyline High School (Dallas, Texas) [62]

2005 2 35 Ricky Sánchez# F Puerto Rico Portland Trail Blazers IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) [63]

2005 2 40 Monta Ellis G United States Golden State Warriors Lanier High School (Jackson, Mississippi) [64]

2005 2 45 Louis Williams G United States Philadelphia 76ers South Gwinnett High School (Snellville, Georgia) [65]

2005 2 49 Andray Blatche F United States Washington Wizards South Kent Preparatory School (South Kent, Connecticut) [66]

2005 2 56 Amir Johnson F United States Detroit Pistons Westchester High School (Los Angeles, California)

 

 

Success’ – (23) Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine Oneal, Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis, Deshawn Stevenson, Kwame Brown (yeah he was a bust for the number one pick, but he’s an 11 year vet who’s weaknesses only would have been shown in college), Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, Lebron James, Travis Outlaw, Kendrick Perkins, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Dorell Wright, Andrew Bynum, C.J. Miles, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Andray Blatche.

 

Questionables – (8) Jonathan Bender (he was injured right?), Darius Miles (hung around for a while but not much success), Eddy Curry (showed promise and had a few decent years, but heart troubles have really put his career on the back burner), Shaun Livingston (injuries have really derailed his career), Sebastian Telfair (backup, never really produced), Gerald Green (back in the league, may be able to salvage a couple solid years), Martell Webster (has shown glimpses, hasn’t put it together), Amir Johnson (another guy who has shown glimpses, still has time to be successful).

 

Failures – (8) Korleone Young, Leon Smith (nut bag), Desagana Diop, Ousmane Cisse, Ndubi Ebi, James Lang, Robert Swift, Rickey Sanchez (don’t even remember this bum).

 

Again to drive home my point, obviously there have been many more successful players than failures of kids jumping from high school to the NBA.  Why force them to go to college if they’re ready to play?  Would one year of college really have done anything for any of the failures above?  I highly doubt it.  Let the kids that are ready make the jump. 

 

**note** if I hear any arguments about football making them wait 3 years I’m negging you.  Two completely different sports in which players must physically get stronger to play football so they don’t get seriously injured on the football field.

[Jason_GrayParticipant]

 What about them taking the concept of baseball instead? Letting them get drafted and if they decided they don’t wanna go further or they get picked in a less than desirable position, then they have to go to college for at least 2 years (in baseball it’s 3). It makes perfect sense if you ask me. It’s then the teams that have to take onus on their decision making while also giving these young man a chance to go to school and play for a couple years. 

Players can’t go to training camp or play summer league either. They should decided before summer league starts.

Just don’t think kids should be FORCED to go to college. It’s a decision.

[mosdefParticipant]

on original poster…alot of your questionable I consider bust

 

on the 1st reply. you ever fill out a job application and it says would like 1 to 2 years experience in the field….I know my job in healthcare says it all the time. I consider it like that. they arent ready

[ChewyParticipant]

I like playing Devil’s advocate so I’ll try to argue the best I can…

1. Bender has serious injury issues. He was Paul George before we knew who Paul George was.

2. Now my counter argument. While some are blatently ment to jump straight to NBA (KG and James types) there are many many more who are not ready and think they are (ex: Micha Downes thought he should go straight to the NBA, instead went to KU and couldn’t cut it and eventually finished a dissapointed college career at Gonzaga). The AAU system was out of control and were literally destroying young men’s lives with bad advice. Agents hounding 16 yr old offering dreams of millions and shoe deals. AAU coaches telling kids to jump to the NBA so they can improve their name and get better players from their area (sometimes expecting the kid to pay the coach back with intrest). Coaches flew players to camps, gave parents money and when NCAA catches wind of it the kid pays for it and the AAU coach remains untouched.

That brings me to my next point, ANYONE can be an AAU coach. There are no regulations or requirements to become one, that not only opens the door for shady people but pretty much carries them through the door and gives them a back massage once they get there.

All these adults profit off of a kid’s hard work and talent. This is the same thing that makes people cry in outrage at the NCAA every year (the annual "should college athletes get paid" debate)

Allowing HS players to jump straight to the NBA immediatly brought shady selfish adults into the AAU organization whose purpose was to serve kids and teach fair and fun competition. Allowing these people to be AAU coaches crippled the youth development of players and kept players from learning from real coaches (who teach the fundimentals, stress team play, and genuinely care for the social and mental well being of the young children on their team)

[ChewyParticipant]

I like playing Devil’s advocate so I’ll try to argue the best I can…

1. Bender has serious injury issues. He was Paul George before we knew who Paul George was.

2. Now my counter argument. While some are blatently ment to jump straight to NBA (KG and James types) there are many many more who are not ready and think they are (ex: Micha Downes thought he should go straight to the NBA, instead went to KU and couldn’t cut it and eventually finished a dissapointed college career at Gonzaga). The AAU system was out of control and were literally destroying young men’s lives with bad advice. Agents hounding 16 yr old offering dreams of millions and shoe deals. AAU coaches telling kids to jump to the NBA so they can improve their name and get better players from their area (sometimes expecting the kid to pay the coach back with intrest). Coaches flew players to camps, gave parents money and when NCAA catches wind of it the kid pays for it and the AAU coach remains untouched.

That brings me to my next point, ANYONE can be an AAU coach. There are no regulations or requirements to become one, that not only opens the door for shady people but pretty much carries them through the door and gives them a back massage once they get there.

All these adults profit off of a kid’s hard work and talent. This is the same thing that makes people cry in outrage at the NCAA every year (the annual "should college athletes get paid" debate)

Allowing HS players to jump straight to the NBA immediatly brought shady selfish adults into the AAU organization whose purpose was to serve kids and teach fair and fun competition. Allowing these people to be AAU coaches crippled the youth development of players and kept players from learning from real coaches (who teach the fundimentals, stress team play, and genuinely care for the social and mental well being of the young children on their team)

[mosdefParticipant]

on original poster…alot of your questionable I consider bust

 

on the 1st reply. you ever fill out a job application and it says would like 1 to 2 years experience in the field….I know my job in healthcare says it all the time. I consider it like that. they arent ready

[Jason_GrayParticipant]

 What about them taking the concept of baseball instead? Letting them get drafted and if they decided they don’t wanna go further or they get picked in a less than desirable position, then they have to go to college for at least 2 years (in baseball it’s 3). It makes perfect sense if you ask me. It’s then the teams that have to take onus on their decision making while also giving these young man a chance to go to school and play for a couple years. 

Players can’t go to training camp or play summer league either. They should decided before summer league starts.

Just don’t think kids should be FORCED to go to college. It’s a decision.

[HaleParticipant]

I’ve always said that you should be able to leave straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to go for two years. The player leaving out of high school should also be considered a 1st round talent, just to make it safer.

[HaleParticipant]

I’ve always said that you should be able to leave straight out of high school, but if you go to college you have to go for two years. The player leaving out of high school should also be considered a 1st round talent, just to make it safer.

[Csharp3410Participant]

I dont really have a problem with High Schoolers going pro…but NBA players get pissed about it because a 18 year old like Korlene Young takes their spot on a roster when they have no place in the NBA. And many times…High Schoolers take 3-4 years to really develop so thats 3-4 years NBA pros might be out of a roster spot.I dont see a problem with the 1 and done rule….think its been a success so far. If you cant play at the college level…you obviously need to stay there to develope.  

[Csharp3410Participant]

I dont really have a problem with High Schoolers going pro…but NBA players get pissed about it because a 18 year old like Korlene Young takes their spot on a roster when they have no place in the NBA. And many times…High Schoolers take 3-4 years to really develop so thats 3-4 years NBA pros might be out of a roster spot.I dont see a problem with the 1 and done rule….think its been a success so far. If you cant play at the college level…you obviously need to stay there to develope.  

[ChewyParticipant]

told you I liked playing Devil’s advocate haha

3. Making kids go to college for one year means that now the NBA is dealing with colleges not AAU coaches. The NBA is talking to professional coaches who get paid because they know what they are doing rather than Coach Jon from down the block. Also, these kids are at institutes of higher learning that have rules are regulations for conduct of all their employees. Do you think Coach K would accept a bribe from an agent for pushing one of his players to sign with said agent? No, but many AAU coaches would…

[ChewyParticipant]

told you I liked playing Devil’s advocate haha

3. Making kids go to college for one year means that now the NBA is dealing with colleges not AAU coaches. The NBA is talking to professional coaches who get paid because they know what they are doing rather than Coach Jon from down the block. Also, these kids are at institutes of higher learning that have rules are regulations for conduct of all their employees. Do you think Coach K would accept a bribe from an agent for pushing one of his players to sign with said agent? No, but many AAU coaches would…

[llperez]

im all for keeping the current format. I think 2 years would be unfair for pretty much all the same reasons the ts stated he thinks one year is unfair. Quite frankly too many players have proven capable after 1 year of college to justify making them sit out another year.

However, i do not think we should go back to straight from highschool. The main reason being that the owners and GM’s just want to be able to scout these kids at a higher level then highschool for one year before investing millions in them. As a league they have that right and i dont see anything wrong with them looking out for themselves when its only costing the players one season. Also, lets stop saying the kids are forced to go to college instead of being able to make a living. Thats absurd. None of them are forced to go to college. They can go to the NBDL for that one year or go overseas or sit out and train or do whatever they want. They choose to go to college becasue it is the best system currently available to both develop as a player and get minutes and get national attention that increases their draft status. Playing against grown men in games not televised might pay, but it wont help them get noticed as much.

[HaleParticipant]

To be fair, if you’re a guy who is likely going to be a lottery pick the D-Leauge isn’t really an option. The NCAA is easily the best way to improve your stock. Europe isn’t a great place to go either. Too hard for most kids to handle and playing time is scarce.

[HaleParticipant]

To be fair, if you’re a guy who is likely going to be a lottery pick the D-Leauge isn’t really an option. The NCAA is easily the best way to improve your stock. Europe isn’t a great place to go either. Too hard for most kids to handle and playing time is scarce.

[llperez]

im all for keeping the current format. I think 2 years would be unfair for pretty much all the same reasons the ts stated he thinks one year is unfair. Quite frankly too many players have proven capable after 1 year of college to justify making them sit out another year.

However, i do not think we should go back to straight from highschool. The main reason being that the owners and GM’s just want to be able to scout these kids at a higher level then highschool for one year before investing millions in them. As a league they have that right and i dont see anything wrong with them looking out for themselves when its only costing the players one season. Also, lets stop saying the kids are forced to go to college instead of being able to make a living. Thats absurd. None of them are forced to go to college. They can go to the NBDL for that one year or go overseas or sit out and train or do whatever they want. They choose to go to college becasue it is the best system currently available to both develop as a player and get minutes and get national attention that increases their draft status. Playing against grown men in games not televised might pay, but it wont help them get noticed as much.

[r377Participant]

While there are some good cases (KG, LBJ, even add Shawn Kemp) alot of teams that are struggling and get a high lotto pick get burnt (Kwame, Curry, Miles).

Now imagine if your favourite team is really struggling and gets a top 3 or 4 pick – In the past couple of years they may well have drafted Perry Jones, Terrence Jones or Drummond with a 2nd to 5th pick. They are examples I have used of previous highly touted highschoolers, but how pi$$ed would you be if your favourite team drafted Perry Jones with a 3rd or 4th pick ?

[r377Participant]

While there are some good cases (KG, LBJ, even add Shawn Kemp) alot of teams that are struggling and get a high lotto pick get burnt (Kwame, Curry, Miles).

Now imagine if your favourite team is really struggling and gets a top 3 or 4 pick – In the past couple of years they may well have drafted Perry Jones, Terrence Jones or Drummond with a 2nd to 5th pick. They are examples I have used of previous highly touted highschoolers, but how pi$$ed would you be if your favourite team drafted Perry Jones with a 3rd or 4th pick ?

[Author]

Posts