And after his senior season, if a player needs to assess his options and hit the tryout circuit, how does it help anybody to taint his and his school's reputations for that decision? Would anybody in any other sport, or any other profession, period, get maligned for doing the same thing?
That brings us back to a fundamental question: Why does the NBA need this age limit in the first place? And this one: In 2008, can't the NBA build a real minor league, something more extensive than its Developmental League, and stop co-opting the colleges for training and promotional purposes?
And one more: Is the NCAA ever going to get around to serving the player even a fraction as much as it serves itself?
It would be beneficial to everybody if the NCAA got over itself and treated basketball (and football) players the same way it treats athletes that it doesn't cash in on by the billions every year.
Now, in fairness, it would also be beneficial for a school such as Maryland to step its game up. The stars who make it to the pros still make up a tiny percentage of all the players in college ball. The overwhelming majority show up on campus with no notion of going pro, and leave the same way. They are highly motivated to finish up on time, graduate and get on with their lives.
A school with the resources Maryland has can, and should, do better by all the players it brings in. If they want their degrees, make sure they get them. If they want to get them and can't, figure out why and fix the problem.
If they only want to use campus as a springboard to pro ball, then the problem goes to Gary Williams' door, And Debbie Yow's. And everybody else involved in the program.
It just doesn't stop there, though. One of these days, the NCAA is going to have to explain why it keeps waving through youngsters who don't want a college education, puts up roadblocks to their getting one, then inflicts punishment when they leave without one.
david.steele@baltsun.com
Listen to David Steele Wednesdays at 9 a.m. on WNST (1570 AM).
