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Freshmen Ineligibility Will Be The Death Of The NCAA

By Bobby Reagan

Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby before the game between the Michigan State Spartans and Baylor Bears in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby before the game between the Michigan State Spartans and Baylor Bears in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Imagine a world where you never got to watch Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Anthony Davis, John Wall or Carmelo Anthony. Well, that is something that got tossed around recently by a couple conference commissioners.

Called “A Year of Readiness,” commissioners are discussing the possibility of making freshmen ineligible in football and men’s basketball. Well, it’s quite possibly the dumbest thing – no, it is the dumbest thing the NCAA could do.

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The Big 10 recently sent an e-mail to ESPN saying it’s gauging interest from its members about a national discussion regarding a year of readiness for student-athletes. Oh, you are? Well, there goes Melo Trimble and D’Angelo Russell, you know, two of the three biggest stars in your basketball conference. Not to mention D’Angelo Russell is in contention to win National Player of the Year. But, yeah, he needs that year of readiness.

In the same ESPN article, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott told CBSSports.com that he had already had discussions with other commissioners and that there will be more serious conversations about it in the coming months and year. Bye Stanley Johnson, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad.

Bob Bowlsby, the Big 12 commissioner, told CBSSports.com that there’s growing interest in debating the possibility. Nice to never watch you Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley and Kelly Oubre Jr.

Freshmen were ineligible to participate in NCAA sports until 1972, roughly the same time there wasn’t a three-point line and rules against dunking. This is how dated this absurd idea is. The fact conference commissioners think this is a good idea proves the NCAA is the most backward organization out there.

I mean, hey, sure, let’s ruin the two moneymakers for college athletics. Do you really think players that are the top recruits in the country will stay in the USA to go to college? Wouldn’t the majority of players just pull a Brandon Jennings or Emmanuel Mudiay and play overseas? You don’t think a team in China would pay good money for Anthony Davis?

The real reason behind the talk of making freshmen ineligible is because conference commissioners hate the one-and-done philosophy. There are those fans who hate it too. Well, those who are argue about it are the same ones who tend to have no idea it’s an NBA rule, something the NCAA can’t touch.

If you want to argue freshmen aren’t ready for collegiate life why have freshmen at all? Why is this just a football and men’s basketball issue? Why not women’s basketball or Olympic sports? Isn’t Title IX in place for all sexes to be treated evenly in sports? What make this just an athletic issue? Should freshmen be allowed to join fraternities and sororities?

Also, if freshmen aren’t ready, why are so many of them the best players in college basketball? Are you telling me Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow at Duke weren’t ready to compete against North Carolina? I haven’t heard anything about academic problems for them either.

What about John Calipari’s Kentucky team? His freshmen sure seem to be doing just fine on the court. Not to mention his team’s average GPA tends to be well over the national average.

So, if you want to be “educators” as conference commissioners, go ahead. Just know you’re not educators. You’re businessmen who will be making the worst decision for your business. It’s 2015, not 1971.

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