[BlackcatAlum]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/23997...basketball

Interesting read...

The real problem with Calipari is that he represents how college basketball is changing for the worse. Simply put, college basketball has lost its innocence....

The other problem, and this is where Calipari comes in, is that coaches are taking advantage of the situation. Knowing that academics don't matter (the players aren't there to get their degrees), one-and-done athletes are willing to pull strings that even college football programs prospects don't (at least USC football players take their own tests).

Calipari and other coaches may not have direct knowledge of these incidents, but they need to understand and address these issues while they are recruiting these kids. They may not be giving the thumbs up, but they aren't giving the thumbs down either.

The argument for recruiting a lot of one-and-done players (which is what Calipari does almost exclusively now) is that without recruiting them you are at a competitive disadvantage. This is a false notion.

North Carolina won the national title this year without a single one-and-done player. Last year, Kansas didn't have a one-and-done player either. Florida didn't have a one-and-done player on either of their title teams. You have to go all the way back to North Carolina in 2005 (Marvin Williams) to find the ONLY one-and-done player (since the rule was instituted) to be a part of a national championship team.

UNC, Syracuse and I'm sure there are more teams who have won national championships with one-and-done players. I don't see a problem with it at all. Memphis only had 1, one-and-done player on their team during their 2008 runner-up team (Derrick Rose). Kentucky would have two at the most this season if they won the national championship. I also don't see how this is hurting college basketball. If you don't want one-and-done players then the NCAA should eliminate their rule forcing high school basketball players to play a season of college basketball before playing in the NBA. If they have the talent on the floor and don't have the brains in the classroom then what's the point in having a kid even go to college if it may hold him back some from their future.

Take it back to the old days where the LeBron James, Kobe Bryant's and Kevin Garnett's can skip college and head straight to the NBA if it's going to cost a college or player to break the NCAA rules just to be eligible to play the game they love and enjoy the only thing they know how to do.