Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: Bringing Coach K screaming into the "one and done" reality while the media pretends it is not happening

As a lot of people are hoping, this year may be the last year of “one and done” players in college basketball.  Even though there is a long way to go in putting together a collective bargaining agreement for the NBA, one of the provisions is widely rumored to be that a player must be two years out of high school or a college sophomore before they can enter their name in the NBA Draft.

Now imagine for a moment that the following words came out of the mouths of Marquis Teague, Kyle Wiltjer, Anthony Davis, or Michael Gilchrist when asked about the change which could force them into staying in college two years:

“I don’t think it’s fair to a lot of guys who are ready to go.  We’re going to have guys in our class that are going to be ready to play after one year. There are certain people that are able to make that jump and you’re trying to tell them they can’t make that jump and they have to wait another year, risk another injury or something like that? At the end of the day it should be up to the player. It’s his life. It’s his choice.”

Which of John Calipari’s “mercanaries” said that.  The average American would be grateful to get a free ride at school, but this kid does not sound like he wants to spend even one year at school.  When is someone going to do something about that Coach Calipari and his cheating ways and his “hired brats” that he brings aboard.

Ummmm wait a second, Joe Six Pack American.  That quote did not come from a Kentucky recruit.  It came from Mike Krzyzewski’s golden recruit  Austin Rivers.  Rivers literally stamped his feet and whined to reporters about the possible rule change which would force him to stay possible a second year at Duke.  And it’s not like Rivers has to go to the NBA to provide for his family like a lot of players do that leave early.  His Dad is the multi-millionaire coach of the Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers. 

And the national media has been pretty quite on this story and River’s comments.  If it had been one of the 2011 recruits saying that, the usual suspects (Thamel, Forde, Wolken) would be up in arms over how John Calipari is ruining college basketball and how his program is nothing but a “World Wide Wes funneling players to the NBA” program.  But when Coach K has the one and dones?

Silence.

Let’s keep in mind that Rivers comments come straight on the heels of Kyrie Irving using the Duke program and playing just 11 games before bidding “adios” to Coach K and his program of integrity.   To be fair, Coach K has not had as many “one and done” players as John Calipari or Roy Smith and he has been lauded for that.  But now it’s obvious that Coach K is being brought screaming into the “one and done” reality.

Coach K has long been a foe of the “one and done” rule.  Here is one of his more famous quotes on the subject::

“College basketball should be more than an extended-stay motel.”

And even the Duke fans bristle at the horror of having a player stay at their esteemed learning institution for just a year:

"This is a university basketball team that is supposed to have student athletes. Recruiting someone who is known to be one and done debases the concept. Duke is an elite academic instituion and shouldn’t go there"

Granted, for Coach K and his Blue Devils, the number of one and dones are a low number compared to other schools, but this brings another question to mind.  Is Coach K looking out for the good of his players or the good of his program?

John Calipari has never been one to hold his players from testing the NBA waters if they have proven they are ready.  He obviously does not step in the way of his players leaving as was evidenced by the case of Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton.  Calipari has been known as a coach that gets his players to the NBA, while he fans see that trait as going after the best available player.

On the other hand, Coach K’s detractors have said that his lack of previous players leaving early were not due to the players love of the program, but due to Coach K’s putting his program ahead of the good of the individual players.  You have the rumors of how Coach K told William Avery’s mother that Avery was “screwing up his program” by going pro early.

Regardless of their motives for a player going or not going pro, both coaches are firmly embroiled in the “one and done”.  And it would be nice for the national media to notice this before writing another story on how Calipari is ruining college basketball.

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