there were no early entry into the NBA or other words they would have to stay 4 years and there were no overseas option. Hard to imagine right. For one thing I believe it would be a lot more teams that had a chance of winning the nc. Perhaps at least 25 or more instead of 10 or 15. The trickle down for the lack of better words would come into play. Many D1 players would end up in lower divisions of college basketball which would mean that many of today's players would never have the chance to play. So with that tought it's a good thing that the early entry became into effect just because of the opportunities it has for many more kids. OFC
What would college basketball be like if
- Thread starter skysdad
- Start date
I agree that it would mean more parity. Ultimately, there would be more parity in recruiting because kids will want to play.
However, something that cannot be quantified would be the change in culture. Perhaps knowing that you have to be someplace for 4 years could change the "play now" culture.
Either that or the European leagues would have a lot more young American players.
However, something that cannot be quantified would be the change in culture. Perhaps knowing that you have to be someplace for 4 years could change the "play now" culture.
Either that or the European leagues would have a lot more young American players.
Opps. Sorry, I missed that. Damn your rigid rules. 
I still agree with you. These guys will still want to showcase themselves which could mean greater diversity because of a lack of desire for competition at a position.
Also, it could make commitments easier. Many recruits now wait to see what players are leaving. This could lead to earlier commitments because we'd know when players were leaving.
I still agree with you. These guys will still want to showcase themselves which could mean greater diversity because of a lack of desire for competition at a position.
Also, it could make commitments easier. Many recruits now wait to see what players are leaving. This could lead to earlier commitments because we'd know when players were leaving.
College basketball would be the best it's ever been. The talent level and athleticism across the board would be significantly better. Games would be high scoring and fast paced. The parity would be interesting, on the one hand we probably would see a lot more championship level teams from the major conferences every year but on the other hand we would probably see less situations with mid-majors like Butler, VCU, and Wichita State being Final Four and 1 seed contenders. Much of the reason the mid-major programs are in contention nowadays is because they usually have a lot of experienced players with maybe one or two NBA caliber players, that wouldn't cut it in a college basketball world where every player stays for 4 years considering the big schools in the big conferences will almost always have a recruiting advantage over the small schools.
Another thing that would be improved would be rivalries. Not really the longstanding regional rivalries but the 2-3 year cycle rivalries that typically would center on elite level teams and players going head-to-head i.e. Duke vs. UNLV, Duke vs. Michigan (Fab Five), etc. Plus we would get to see the matchups of elite level individual talents like Laettner vs. Shaq. Imagine Parker and Wiggins going head to head several times as collegiate players, maybe even in a title game.
The country would really get a chance to know all of these players and teams thus providing far more rooting interest and overall excitement. IMO this is one of the reasons for the UK and Wisconsin intrigue this past season. Not only were those teams good but they were comprised largely of players that the general viewing public already knew from the previous season. This doesn't really happen with the smaller teams or less talented teams that still today have 4 year players, the general public is typically more fascinated by elite talents. Of course the UK/Wisconsin Final Four fits into my example from above considering those were elite teams with elite players going head-to-head in a Final Four two straight years.
Another thing that would be improved would be rivalries. Not really the longstanding regional rivalries but the 2-3 year cycle rivalries that typically would center on elite level teams and players going head-to-head i.e. Duke vs. UNLV, Duke vs. Michigan (Fab Five), etc. Plus we would get to see the matchups of elite level individual talents like Laettner vs. Shaq. Imagine Parker and Wiggins going head to head several times as collegiate players, maybe even in a title game.
The country would really get a chance to know all of these players and teams thus providing far more rooting interest and overall excitement. IMO this is one of the reasons for the UK and Wisconsin intrigue this past season. Not only were those teams good but they were comprised largely of players that the general viewing public already knew from the previous season. This doesn't really happen with the smaller teams or less talented teams that still today have 4 year players, the general public is typically more fascinated by elite talents. Of course the UK/Wisconsin Final Four fits into my example from above considering those were elite teams with elite players going head-to-head in a Final Four two straight years.
I don't think it would make much difference to the elites of the college basketball world. Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc. were winning the championships in the 80's & 90's, and still are. Kids are going to want to go to where they have the best chance of winning imo. But to the point of college ball being better...absolutely. More stability among the top programs, with development of players over 4 years. The teams would be better, the coaches would be happier, the fans more satisfied, and the NBA would have a better product after players going through 4 years of 'training'. I think the players themselves would be happier, and more mature for going through the process. The only negative (and it's a big one) is that players (and their family) would be denied an opportunity (right out of the gate) to make a living in their chosen profession.
OFC
OFC