NCAA considers rule changes after injury scare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Kyle Spencer

Staff Writer

Recently college athletes have been considering sitting out to preserve themselves for pro level sports.

The most recent athlete considering this is Duke player Zion Williamson. Although he did get hurt when his foot came out of his shoe while playing North Carolina. He has decided to take time off to prevent any further injuries.

Can you blame him though?

Being a top prospect in this years draft he doesn’t want to blow his chance of getting a top three signing bonus that comes with being the number one pick as he is projected to be.

It could be the difference between thousands and millions of dollars.

There has been a lot of different opinions on this topic. If he’s committed to the college then he should keep playing for Duke or if he should save himself for the upcoming NBA draft.

All of these rules will be changed according to the NCAA in the year 2020. High school players will be eligible for the NBA draft and the one-and-done will be put on hold.

Getting rid of the one-and-done would make things a lot easier. Making players stay at college for an extra year would make the competition a lot better because they would have more time to improve their game.

On the other hand, players want to start making money because they are not doing so at the college level.

A perfect example of this is Major League Baseball. The MLB requires their players to stay in college for at least three years prior to being eligible for the draft.

The current rule for NCAA and NBA stated that players must be one year removed from high school to be eligible. This forces players to go to college in order to get more exposure.

The NFL is also known for top prospects to sit out of their Bowl games to prevent any injuries going into the draft.  

Nick Bosa a edge rusher from Ohio state sat out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a lower body injury in order to protect his draft stock.

With players like Christian McCaffrey, Ed Oliver, Will Grier, Devin Bush and N’Keal Harry, the NFL hasn’t put in any rules restricting players choosing to sit out from happening. Which they may put a rule concerning this soon, like the NBA is doing.

As many coaches and fans want the one-and-done rule to be removed, it’s important to remember that it is currently an NBA rule that is collectively bargained between the players’ association and the owners. The commission also suggested that players who leave school early and go undrafted be permitted to return to the same school.

If these guidelines do change then looking into the future, the 2020 draft class could potentially be stacked.

This rule change would also bring in top high school athletes which include centers Vernon Carey Jr., James Wiseman, Charles Bassey and point guard Cole Anthony, the son of former NBA veteran Greg Anthony.

It is hard to judge how good they are because we have only seen them in the high school level which has very minimal competition. The next couple of years are uncertain with what the NBA and NCAA behold as the completion levels change for the better or for the worse.