In today’s culture of the one-and-done player, college basketball brings forth a battle fought year after year between teams built with experienced and developed players facing teams dominated by the extremely talented, yet raw, freshmen. One-and-done players. In the most recent 2018 tournament, America’s hearts were captured by Sister Jean, and Loyola Chicago, who made their first final four appearance since 1963. This team did not have the high caliber star power usually needed to make a deep run in the college basketball tournament. In fact, of the last four standing, with a slight exception to Kansas, were teams riddled with experienced players who developed into outstanding talents through their college years.
The mighty bluebloods were nowhere to be found, which begs the question: who wins out in this battle for college basketball supremacy? Every year it boils down to Freshman Firepower vs. Veteran Savviness. In 2018, the victor was clear cut, developing players 3 to 4 years will be the best strategy for most programs. This doesn’t mean that the top tier of programs can always strike gold and ride one monumental freshman class to an NCAA Championship.
Before 2012, when fans saw the University of Kentucky win the title behind an incredible Freshman class headed by Anthony Davis, Coach K had his ways on the recruiting trail that were often signified by his own belief in developing players. He believed these players would one day be great, and would be necessary to win. After witnessing titles being won on the back of top freshman recruits, the head man at Duke decided to change things up.
Duke and the University of Kentucky come to the forefront of this conversation. Hoops purist are very familiar with the presence of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The impact he has had on young ball players cannot be understated. People who follow and are around the program have seen a dramatic shift in his recruiting and team building strategy. Before 2012, when fans saw the University of Kentucky win the title behind an incredible Freshman class headed by Anthony Davis, Coach K had his ways on the recruiting trail that were often signified by his own belief in developing players. He believed these players would one day be great, and would be necessary to win. After witnessing titles being won on the back of top freshman recruits, the head man at Duke decided to change things up. He now beats Calipari at his own game of hauling in super classes featuring NBA-level freshman. This is what I have dubbed the Coach K effect. Many wonder if this change in strategy was the right move for the basketball genius.
This shift toward the incredibly talented one-and-done type player did have a lot to do with Duke’s 2015 National Championship. Coach K began to aim a bit higher and do a little bit more in order to amass star studded classes who will essentially create a player turnover rate that is very hard to sustain. These top-level recruits often become top draft picks for the NBA. It is safe to bet that the top 10 recruits in each year’s freshman class will all end up being a 1st round selection in the following NBA draft. The top 20 will most likely all be drafted in round 1 or 2. Gathering 3 or 4 players of these top 20 players is now what Coach K and a select few of other blue bloods build their roster around year in and year out.
Landing 2,3 or 4 of these top recruits can fill a huge need on a team’s roster for one season and propel them to the next level needed to claim a championship. When a coach goes after this type of player they are filling a need with a NBA level talent. It is the perfect storm. These players are difference-makers, highly skilled and athletic, and are elite in a few different areas of the game. Every program should want NBA level talent on their roster simply because of the on-court advantage – as the large majority of players they face will not play in the NBA. The trade-off here is the inexperience that comes along with this untapped talent. These players often lack maturity or are not as prepared for the big stage. The one-and-done also creates an environment where players are much less entrenched in their system and program then their older opponents.
This leads into what fans now perceive as the ‘anti-one-and-done’ player. The vast majority of college rosters are built through experienced three or four-year players who have developed and experienced the game much more than these freshman stars. The experienced college baller is not the 4 or 5-star lottery pick that experiences success right away. Instead they are players who have taken different, longer, routes to success. As a coach or spectator, teams in which the same players get to develop in a great program for multiple years, the game of basketball is often beautiful to behold.
The good news for college basketball fans is strong momentum to eliminate the one-and-done rule. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is strongly against the rule, and it is expected that Silver, the owners, and players union will meet this summer to explore potential changes to eliminate the rule.
The recruiting of players whom a coach can develop within their system for three or four years benefits the level of play for division one basketball as a whole. In this developmental process, players are afforded the necessary conditioning, weights, dieting, film time, mental development and facilities to become better at their craft.
Constant turnover of players that is usually seen by elite-level programs can drown out the quality basketball. The good news for college basketball fans is strong momentum to eliminate the one-and-done rule. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is strongly against the rule, and it is expected that Silver, the owners, and players union will meet this summer to explore potential changes to eliminate the rule.
This would possibly allow 18 years to enter the NBA draft out of high school and force college players to stay 3-4 years. In essence, it would be comparable to the system currently deployed between the MLB and college baseball. Teams, no matter how big or small the program is, will have rosters filled with players saturated in game experience. The level of play as a result will be higher than that displayed today. Offenses will be more efficient, system players will come to the forefront as high-level contributors, and defenses will be more cohesive. It will provide fans with a pleasurable viewing experience and the NBA with a superior draft pool. Adam Silver please do us all a favor, make the necessary changes to prosper and give college basketball an avenue out of turmoil into a golden age. This avenue will have Coach K back to his old ways