Dear David Stern,
Thank you for making the best high school basketball players go to college. This has been one of the most fantastic pre-conference seasons I can remember, and I directly attribute that to the influx of battle-hardened top-line AAU players into the college game. Kevin Durant. Chase Budinger. Greg Oden. So many more...
In the past, we would have lost these guys to the NBA. We would forget their potential as most of them quietly wasted away the prime of their basketball educations at the end of a bench. Some of them, we would have never heard from again, lost like Ndudi Ebi in the shadow of men and legends.
But now we get to see them grow, learning to dominate and showing the enthusiasm of youth. The NBA has millions, but, as far as personal experiences go, nothing comes close to college sports. And as fan, I couldn't be happier. I am thoroughly enjoying this season, and I can't wait for what will surely be one of the greatest NCAA tournaments in history.
So thank you again, Commissioner Stern. I may not watch your league anymore (especially now), but I think you're a swell guy. Merry Christmas.
Sincerely,
Seth Doria
***
I mean every word of it, too. The games this year have been fantastic, and there are so many dangerous teams, you could come up with a list of 20 or more teams that have a shot at making Atlanta (site of the Final Four). Picking this year's bracket is going to be brutal.
The difference this year is the tremendous number of high-quality freshman players coming into major programs and playing big minutes right from the start. If you take a look at an early prediction of Tier 1 (what?) conference All-Freshman teams, the list of players and their impact is undeniable.
You may not have heard of some of these guys yet, but you will.
ACC
Javaris Crittenton, G, Georgia Tech
30.0 mins, 13.9 ppg, 3.8, rebs, 5.4 assists
Jon Scheyer, G, Duke
31.5 mins, 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rebs, 45% threes
Wayne Ellington, G, North Carolina
24.1 mins, 13 ppg, 2.6 rebs, 50% field goals
Brandan Wright, F, North Carolina
26.4 mins, 15.1 ppg, 6.4 rebs, 63% field goals
Thaddeus Young, F, Georgia Tech
26.8 mins, 13.3 ppg, 5.1 rebs, 1.9 assists
Big 12
D.J. Augustin, G, Texas
31.9 mins, 11.3 ppg, 2.9 rebs, 6.4 assists
Ryan Anderson, G, Nebraska
31.4 mins, 13.7 ppg, 6.0 rebs, 60% field goals
Bill Walker, F, Kansas State
Suspended (becomes eligible 12/16)
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
32.0 mins, 21.6 ppg, 9.6 rebs, 41% threes
Darrell Arthur, F, Kansas
21.7 mins, 13.8 ppg, 5.8 rebs, 60% field goals
Pac-10
Tajuan Porter, G, Oregon
35.3 mins, 20.1 ppg, 96% free throws, 50% threes (31 for 62!)
Christian Polk, G, Arizona State
29.1 mins, 17.7 ppg, 2.4 rebs, 2.9 assists
Chase Budinger, F, Arizona
33.3 mins, 17.6 ppg, 6.1 rebs, 56% field goals
Ryan Anderson, F, California
31.2 mins, 16.7 ppg, 8.5 rebs, 42% threes
Quincy Pondexter, F, Washington
26.6 mins, 16.0 ppg, 5.6 rebs, 54% field goals
Big Ten
Mike Conley, G, Ohio State
26.8 mins, 9.3 ppg, 6.4 assists, 54% field goals
Daequan Cook, G, Ohio State
23.1 mins, 16.3 ppg, 6.3 rebs, 51% threes
Tyler Smith, F, Iowa
31.5 mins, 14.4 ppg, 4.6 rebs, 3.4 assists
Raymar Morgan, F, Michigan State
25.1 mins, 11.7 ppg, 5.6 rebs, 49% field goals
Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
22.5 mins, 15.0 ppg, 7.0 rebs, 4.0 blocks, 92% field goals
Note — You'll notice I didn't list the Big East or SEC freshman. That's not to say the talent isn't there, just that more Big East and SEC teams feature upperclassmen, leaving less opportunity for freshmen to play major minutes. Of note: Luke Harangody (F, Notre Dame), Edgar Sosa (G, Louisville), Patrick Beverley (G, Arkansas), and Ben "Little Bro" Hansbrough (G, Mississippi State).
Note — If not for Oden, I wouldn't have listed the Big Ten, either.
As the Pac-10, Big 12, and ACC loaded up this year, so will the other conferences when they cycle in their next big recruiting classes. And with the trickle-down effect of a bigger player pool, more high-level talent will become available to Tier 2 and Tier 3 conferences, fueling the development of the A-10, Mountain West, and Missouri Valley. That, in turn, will make conferences like the Horizon, Colonial, and Sun Belt what the Missouri Valley used to be.
Everybody assumes most of the players who would have gone to the NBA this year if not for the age limit will instead just go next year. Some still will (Oden, Durant, Crittenton, and/or Young). But others will have had the opportunity to expose themselves to the bright lights, and realize their games are nowhere near NBA ready. They'll have a much stronger support system in place to fight off the lies and false promises from agents and other leaches. Instead of bolting, they may stay two, three years. They may even graduate.
And it's not as if the NBA is losing in all this. First, it helps keep out players who aren't ready, but nonetheless get drafted on potential for greatness, taking up a spot/contract that could have otherwise gone to a known commodity whose ceiling may be coming off the bench as a role player.
Second, when these stars do get to the NBA, they are going to be far more able to have a real impact on the game. Their bodies will have developed for another year, and they will have already had the first-time-away-from-home experience. They will have learned to play within a disciplined defensive scheme, which is why a lot of these high school kids can't see the floor in their first year or two in the league. And they will have had at least a year of college courses and the lessons that come with being responsible for your own actions. Basically, they'll be much better employees.
So to the NBA, I enjoyed our time together, but it's time for us to go our separate ways.
So long, and thanks for all the Frosh.
Seth Doria is a freelance writer based out of St. Louis, MO. His weekly NFL picks and daily NCAA men's basketball picks can be found at The Left Calf.
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