Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Thursday 4 april 2019

one-and-done

Continued from Page 17 ascending ABA was con-
sidered revolutionary at the
Only one player drafted time. A year later, when he
by the NBA that year was signed with the NBA’s Se-
a freshman, Shawn Kemp. attle SuperSonics, he won
(The future six-time NBA All a Supreme Court case
Star never played college against the league, which
basketball after eligibility had sued for violating the
issues at Kentucky and a rule that players couldn’t
transfer to a junior college.) enter the league until they
The rules could be chang- were four years removed
ing again soon. from high school.
The NBA is considering do- Haywood’s victory set
ing away with the rule pro- precedent, even if it didn’t
hibiting players under 19 exactly open the flood-
from being drafted, and gates.
the league is trying to come Through the 1970s, a hand-
up with a new system. But ful, sometimes up to a doz-
it doesn’t want to return en, underclassmen entered
to the days of the 1990s each year into a league
and early 2000s, when un- where a decent salary was
prepared high schoolers only starting to reach into
were drafted early, many six figures. Some early en-
of them never developing tries from that era: Moses
into stars or even role play- Malone, Bernard King, Reg-
ers. Whatever the change, gie Theus. In this Oct. 7, 1972, file photo, Spencer Haywood (24) of the Seattle SuperSonics goes around
it figures to have a con- Magic Johnson came out Sidney Wicks of the Portland Trail Blazers as he drives toward the basket during their NBA exhibition
siderable impact on the after his sophomore year, in game at the Forum in Los Angeles, Calif.
college game, though no- 1979, and along with Larry associated Press
body is sure exactly what Bird helped take the NBA to Five and Michigan helped But for every Kevin Garnett enter the NBA. Most chose
the impact will be. new heights. introduce baggy shorts and — the player who triggered to use that year playing
“I think kids should go right By the time Jordan left hip-hop into basketball. But the teens-to-NBA onslaught college ball, and Calipari
to the NBA,” says Kentucky North Carolina after the in a wide-ranging recruit- in 1995 — or LeBron James, wasn’t the only coach will-
coach John Calipari, who 1984 season — one of nine ing scandal that resulted in there were even more like ing to cater to them.
has become the leading underclassmen, along with most of their victories being Kwame Brown, a top pick These days, “one-and-
advocate of one-and- Charles Barkley and Ha- wiped off the official books, who turned into a bust or, done” is often used as
done, and the security it keem Olajuwon, to declare Chris Webber, booster Ed even worse, Taj McDavid, catch-all for everything
has brought to many col- that year — the NBA was Martin and the rest afford- who thought he could go wrong with college basket-
lege players and their fami- introducing a salary cap, ed college hoops a pre- from high school to the ball.
lies. “But there’s probably at $3.6 million a team, and view of the havoc that the NBA, but never got a sniff. With the FBI getting in-
(only) five or six or seven the NCAA was expanding growing influence of cash That brought about the volved in sorting out the
that are ready to do that, the field in its tournament — with boosters, shoe com- one-and-done rule. connection between mon-
and even half of those to 64 teams. panies and club coaches Established in 2006, the ey, shoes and hoops — a
will probably spend time Today, the cap stands at all playing a role in its dis- year before Durant en- job many think the NCAA
in the (developmental) G nearly $102 million and the tribution — could wreak on tered the draft and helped should be doing instead
League.” number of players who the sport. push the issue to the front- of law enforcement — the
It wasn’t always like this. came out early ballooned With no restrictions and and-center of the basket- NBA is rethinking one-and-
Haywood’s decision to to 236 last year. Only 42 got plenty of opportunities, ball conversation, the rule done, trying to come up
leave the University of De- drafted. high schoolers started tak- forced players to wait a with a system that will bet-
troit in 1969 for the then- In the early 1990s, the Fab ing the dip more regularly. year after high school to ter serve the game.q

Earnhardt joins NBC Sports coverage of Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NBC Indianapolis Motor Speed- for NBC Sports’ coverage
Sports will use retired NAS- way during race week, was of IndyCar as the network
CAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. used extensively by the net- plans to treat the Indy 500
in its inaugural broadcast work in his first year after re- as one of its showcase
of the Indianapolis 500 next tirement with reporting trips events. ABC had broadcast
month. The second-year to last year’s Winter Olym- the “Greatest Spectacle in
analyst will be part of a pics in South Korea and the Racing” exclusively since
team that features 14 com- Super Bowl. NBC Sports mo- 1965 in the second-longest-
mentators and host Mike torsports host Krista Voda running partnership of its
Tirico and analyst Danica will also join Earnhardt at In- kind until NBC purchased
Patrick. Earnhardt will be a dianapolis. The broadcast the rights to air the entire
roving reporter for his first booth will be NBC Sports’ 2019 IndyCar schedule.
Indianapolis 500 on May 26, full-time IndyCar crew of Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast,
contributing to pre-race, play-by-play announcer Kevin Lee and Jon Beekhuis
in-race and post-race cov- Leigh Diffey and analysts will be the pit reporters for
With a banner of former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt at upper erage alongside Rutledge Paul Tracy and Townsend the Indy 500, along with re-
right, workers perform maintenance on the illuminated signage Wood. Earnhardt Jr., who Bell. The 14 total commen- porters Robin Miller and Dil-
on the Tower E elevator, Monday, April 1, 2019, in Bristol, Tenn.
associated Press will also be featured from tators will be the most ever lon Welch.q