Bowing to Seniority
With the dearth of good centers in college basketball, one would expect that Xavier University would want David West, their All-American center who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior, to return for his senior season. But West did not feel so welcome.
“Honestly, it felt like they wanted me to leave,” West said. “Not Coach [Thad] Matta specifically, but most people seemed to be pushing me out the door [to the NBA].”
Eventually, West decided to return for his senior season, and then became part of a dying breed: college seniors who get drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. In the last two NBA drafts, high school players and college underclassmen outnumbered the college senior first round picks 19-13, with only four college seniors going in the first round in the June 2004 draft. In 1999, 13 seniors went in the first round.
The number of lottery picks (teams who do not make the playoffs, the first 14 picks of the draft) shows the disparity more clearly with more underclassmen being drafted in the lottery by an 11 to 5 margin.
Before the New Orleans Hornets took West with the 18th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, he had a successful senior season at Xavier, where he was an All-American and the Associated Press Collegiate Player of the Year.
As little as eight years ago, West probably would have been a top five pick; as prospects were still valued more for their ability to contribute right away rather than their “potential.” But because of what Mississippi State University Coach Rick Stansbury calls a “disturbing trend,” that of underclassmen entering the draft with greater and greater frequency, West fell completely out of the lottery.
Some argue that the slide through the draft of seniors like West has to compete with not only the increase of college underclassmen entering the draft, but also international prospects who have the “upside” to be superstars, even though many teams have seen very little of them actually play. However, West does not think that the international players have affected the draft that much.
"If you can play, you can play," said West. "I'm not worried about what (European) guys can do. American guys have shown what they can do. In the end, if you can play, they're not going to let you go."
Over the past 10 years, the mindset of the NBA prospect has changed.
getting drafted then they will have a great chance then the ones who don’t. If athletes are
In spring of 1991, the University of Michigan signed what was arguably the best recruiting class in the history of college basketball. Coach Steve Fisher signed five of the nation's top prospects - Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Webber and Rose were childhood friends from Detroit who turned into McDonald's All Americans. The 6'9" power forward, Webber, was regarded as the number one player in the nation. Rose was a tall guard standing 6'7", who played like a young Magic Johnson. Howard, another McDonald's All American, was a multi-talented forward from Chicago. Texas natives King and Jackson capped off the Fab Five Freshman. While Jackson was an incredible defensive player, King was a super athletic guard [Wieberg].
Coaches are always looking for a better understanding of what makes up a winning team. This knowledge would help them in recruiting athletes that could improve the team’s statistics in the areas we observed. We took the entire statistical breakdown from the 1999-2000 season and were hoping to find any key statistical areas that could be directly related to winning percentage.
Since the beginning of the National Basketball Association’s history, the number of foreign players has increased exponentially. As a matter of fact, a record ninety-two foreign players from 39 different countries and territories were active on NBA rosters at the beginning of the current season (NBA Tips Off 2013-14 Season with Record International Player Presence”). In today’s game, foreign and international players have become a common site and are fundamental parts of many NBA teams. Ever since Italian-born, Canada raised Henry Biasatti stepped foot on a National Basketball Association court, international talent has become an important part of a, now global, NBA. International players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki have contributed to the league with All-Star selections, Most Valuable Player awards, and even Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals. There’s no doubt, international talent has turned the NBA into a diverse, ultra-competitive professional sports league.
Robinson, Mark D. Ph. D. “Every Black Kid Should Strive to Be a Professional Athlete”.
In an article, College basketball's so-called one-and-done rule needs revisiting, Dylan Hernandez quotes Kobe Bryant, "It didn't make any sense. " Kobe doesn't say anything more about this because I think it kind of speaks for itself. Kobe Bryant, did not go to college, he went to the NBA right out of high school and now look where he is at now. I'm not saying that all one and done players are going to be NBA stars, but at least we can give them a chance.
...r_stats.html). Ray Allen was drafted out of Connecticut by the Seattle Supersonics in the 96-97 season. He started81 games and played 82 games, and in that season he averaged 13.4 points per game ("NBA.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ray_allen/carrer_stats.html). Kevin Durrant was drafted out of Texas by the Seattle Supersonics in the 07-08 season. He started 82 games and played 82 games, and in his rookie season he averaged 20.3 points per game. ("NBA.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_durrant/carrer_stats.html). Michael Jordan was drafted out of North Carolina by the Chicago Bulls in the 84-85 season. He started 82 games and played in 82 games, during his rookie year he averaged 28.2 points per game ("Basketball-Refrence.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.basketball-refrence.com/players/j/jordanmi01.html).
Most players that enter the NBA draft early are 19 or 20 years-old. They are going to end up playing against 25-year-olds that are stronger, faster, and that have had more experience than they have. Along with more experience, they will not be as physically fit because one or two years of college will not do it, and high school will not do it. For example, Lebron James. He is considered one of the best to have played the game, and he went straight out of high school. Imagine if he had gone to college, he would be so much better. So if they leave after the freshman or sophomore year, they will be about five or six years behind and that will make it harder to get a spot on the bench. If they do not make it to the bench, then they will be in the D league for 2 or 3 years to help develop their skills. “The D-League uses a tiered compensation system that's based on experience. Players with ample NBA
It is becoming more and more a trend for high school and underclassmen basketball players to forgo their college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Most professional sports have restrictions to limit mentally and physically immature players from throwing away their college education to be unsuccessful in the professional ranks. In the National Football League, NCAA football players are not allowed to declare for the pro draft unless they have been in the school’s program for at least three years. In professional baseball and hockey, although they do draft players straight from high school, they have a minor league system set up. These minor leagues allow players the time to develop and still play against an excellent level of competition. This helps their growth process so that when they get into the real big leagues, they are somewhat ready to play and be a factor.
Central idea: Lupus is a disease of unpredictability and the mystery that it carries is the vast number of characteristics of the disease. My job today is to inform you on this “cruel mystery” and how it affects people.
Lupus is mainly caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. According to Magro et al., genes, environment, and genetic factors cause lupus (2013). The most affected by this condition are women compared to men. In addition, lupus affects people aged between 20- 40, although, children are said to rarely get lupus. Initially, a person diagnosed with lupus was said to die because there was no treatment. However, with the advancement in treatment and prevention methods, people with lupus can live normal lives. With proper treatment of lupus, the condition can be managed and the affected organs protected from severe damages.
“But you don't look sick.”. “If you just exercised more you would feel better.” , “It's all in your head.” , “You are just being lazy.”. These phrases are just a hand full of unkind things that people have said to me, simply because they do not understand my disease. Who could blame them? Doctors do not understand it. Researchers do not understand it. My parents do not understand it. My boyfriend does not understand it. Even I cannot understand it. I have Lupus. It is an unresolved disease that millions of people suffer with. Though there are numerous people diagnosed with lupus, there are very few people who know what it is, and how it impacts us from the time we wake up, to when we finally escape our pain with sleep. In this essay, I will explain what we know about lupus, what the symptoms are, and what kind of treatments are accessible for lupus.
College athletes have a goal that they pursue. The jump to the professional sports leagues is an accomplishment that most college athletes wanted to achieve. But most college athletes go to college and forego completing their senior year and don’t get a degree. In basketball most athletes are one and done. This means they go to college for only one year then enter the NBA draft. For the NFL players have to be out of high school for three years and necessarily don’t have to go to college.
The NBA is a desirable basketball hotspot. Domestic players train to be drafted, and International players want to enter the NBA.
Parent involvement affects all aspects of a child’s education. Parents must be involved as teachers, learners, supporters, and advocates of their child’s learning (Hopkings). Studies show that kids who know that their parents are involved and interested tend to take more responsibility for their own learning and behavior. Schoolwork and grades improve. Work habits improve. Less work is handed in late. Fewer referrals for behavior problems are made. Attendance increases, and fewer kids show up late for class (Hopkings). With all this information documented it shows the true importance of parent involvement in education. The more involved the parents are, the better off each child will be. So when you become a parent, get involved in your child’s education!