|
Sunday, June 10
Updated: June 11, 3:14 PM ET
Seniors, collegians on opposite ends
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
CHICAGO -- The 2001 high school senior class has had enough of being picked on for choosing a sure thing -- an NBA draft million-dollar lottery lock -- over a college education.
As many as four high school senior big men could be drafted in the top 10, possibly even the top seven, in the June 27 draft. That means they are guaranteed millions and essentially will get three seasons to hopefully develop into impact NBA players.
"A lot of people look for high school players to fail," said Glynn Academy (Ga.) forward Kwame Brown, who signed with Florida but declared for the draft. "There are a lot of analysts out there that want the high school players to fail so they can say they told you so. I don't get the age limit (a proposed 20-year old age limit by NBA commissioner David Stern). You can go fight in a war, but you can't go out and look for a job? This is work, right?"
|
“ |
If they think just because you go to college you're not a gamble, well then, they're crazy. If they think I'm a gamble because I'm out of high school then they're right. But if they think Shane Battier going to college for four years and winning a national championship ring isn't a gamble then they're wrong. He's a gamble also. ” |
|
|
— Kwame Brown |
Yes. And that's why NBA teams want to make sure they're making the right investment. The 6-11, 240-pound Brown, Thornwood (Ill.) High 6-11, 285-pound center Eddy Curry, Oak Hill Academy 7-foot, 315-pound center DeSagana (Sa-gan-ah) Diop (J-o-p) and Dominguez High 7-foot, 235-pound forward Tyson Chandler were brought to Chicago this week for physicals because the NBA knows they'll all go in the lottery, and two of them have a legit chance to be No. 1. The four are part of a record six high school players -- all big men -- who declared for the draft.
Yet, during a media session Saturday in Chicago, the high school seniors and college players who could also go in the lottery were clearly on two different sides of the issue. And the high school seniors were understandably testy when asked if they should have gone to school.
"A lot of people say go to school and it sounds good, but the truth of the matter is that school isn't really school, but a semi business," Brown said. "College isn't as good as everybody thinks for athletes. Some of them don't even use their degree when they're done with it. They get all these associate degrees to play basketball and then never use it. If you're going to go to college and be serious about it, then you need to use it, right?
"I don't get why they're down on the high school players and tell them they need to get an education when half the time those guys aren't getting a good education. It's a nice thought because if you're serious about school, you can always go back to college and that's something I plan on doing."
Brown actually agonized over choosing the NBA, instead of Florida, the school he signed with in November. He didn't decide until a few days before the May 13 early-entry deadline.
"I told (Florida coach) Billy Donovan that I was going to go to his school," Brown said. "That's hard for me. There's not a lot of truth in the world and I really had to weigh this decision. I told this man that I was going to his college. In good faith, I told him I would repay the scholarship but he told me that it wasn't necessary. He said someday he'd like to see me graduate from Florida."
Diop and Chandler never signed with a college. Curry signed with DePaul and said he really was planning on going to college in November. But his play improved during the season and he couldn't turn down the opportunity.
"It would have been awful if I had gone to college and they forgot about me," Curry said. "Coming out of high school I was pretty highly touted and a lot of people were talking about me. This was definitely the best decision for me.
"It's not fair, but everybody is going to question our decisions and wonder if we're ready. All we can do is show them that we're ready and play hard and fit in right away."
Most of college players said they wouldn't have gone out of high school if they were told they would be in the top 10. But most wouldn't have had that choice. Notre Dame junior Troy Murphy said college was too much fun to pass up, calling it a "country club." North Carolina sophomore Joseph Forte said he was too immature out of high school and wanted to have fun for a while. Duke senior Shane Battier said he wasn't ready, either.
"It's an individual decision," Battier said. "It's hard for me to sit here and say Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett should have gone to college. But those guys are rare exceptions. For the most part, college will help mature everyone."
|
“ |
You've got to take the opportunity. If they would say 'Brendan leave early you'll be a top five pick,' then you'd be a fool not to take the money. It's a financial move for you and your family. ” |
|
|
— Brendan Haywood |
But North Carolina senior Brendan Haywood was more realistic.
"You've got to take the opportunity," Haywood said. "If they would say 'Brendan leave early you'll be a top five pick,' then you'd be a fool not to take the money. It's a financial move for you and your family."
And that's why at least Brown, Curry, Diop and Chandler decided to declare for the draft. They were accurately told they would be in the lottery. Drafting a high school senior who hasn't had consistent competition against other big-time, taller players isn't a concern for the NBA. It's a gamble the league is willing to make. The high school players agree.
"It's not a gamble because I can run the floor, rebound, block shots and work hard," said the 19-year old Diop, who is a native of Senegal. "If I work hard then I'll do good in the league. Coming from Senegal was hard for me. I learned a lot in leaving my parents and friends. The league is another world and new people. I'm not saying I'm ready but I have learned a lot."
Curry said the high school seniors would mature even faster on the court than the college players because "we haven't been taught much. We haven't been molded yet so we'll be easier to mold."
And Brown resents the argument that a senior like Battier would be less of a gamble than a high school senior.
"Why am I a gamble? Everyone in this room is a gamble," Brown said of the other players being interviewed Saturday. "You can to college for four and a half years and still be a gamble. If they think just because you go to college you're not a gamble, well then, they're crazy.
"If they think I'm a gamble because I'm out of high school then they're right. But if they think Shane Battier going to college for four years and winning a national championship ring isn't a gamble then they're wrong. He's a gamble also."
The debate will continue to rage through draft day.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|
|
|
|
Katz: NBA Mock Draft, Part II
Katz: 'He shoots, he doesn't score'
Katz: Windy City underclass
Katz: Privacy, please!
|
 |
