John Wall is the Sunglasses that Expose the Truth

So... who else has been Googling John Wall in every spare moment today?

If you have, you may have seen this excellent piece on the SearchingforBillyEdelin.com. (Apparently SfBE.com is the 15th Syracuse fan blog on SBNation.com.) The writer argues that John Wall and other one-and-done kids are exposing the "the thin talent level" of college basketball. He also argues that one-and-done kids are taking away the national spotlight and praise for hard-working multi-year kids:

We're relying on 17- and 18-year-old players to generate the majority of excitement and hype for this great sport. You know there was another explosive point guard on the floor tonight? His name was Kemba Walker, a sophomore. Nobody seemed to care. After being ignored by his teammates for the first 25 minutes of the game, Patrick Patterson showed he's one of the country's best big men. But he's a junior, which is so "out" this season. Why aren't we looking to market the players we know are in this relationship for the long run?

Obviously this poor writer has never heard of Tyler Hansbrough.

I do agree with the writer that something should be done to fix the one-and-done talent drain from the NCAA. I don't think that a mandatory 2-year commitment for college basketball players is the right solution. Asking an 18-year-old kid -- the kind of kid who could be a top-15 NBA pick -- to put off making money and risking contract-threatening injury is a bad proposition. Some kids are just not college material.