Many basketball players across the nation dream of playing at the collegiate level, and some are blessed enough to have a chance to be drafted in the NBA. Most of these players are freshmen who believe that the best decision is to leave their university early and try for the NBA Draft. The problem is, several of these players and up not fulfilling their potential in the NBA simple because they left too early and weren’t prepared to take the next step. I believe that college players should be required to stay at least three years in school, if not the full four years.

Chances are the average college basketball player is no Kobe or Lebron, two players who skipped college entirely and were drafted straight from high school into the NBA. High school ballers are no longer allowed to be drafted straight into the NBA, but that doesn’t stop some of them from only going to college from one year, then trying for the NBA draft. Since 2006, there have been over 50 one and done players that were drafted into the NBA. Sadly, only a few of those players went on to become great players, including Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and John Wall, and most of the players drafted ended up being bench warmers or disappeared from the league entirely. My problem with this is that a lot of these players, with a lot of work and training put in, could’ve been great players or at least better than they are now. A good example of this is Michael Beasley, a one and done out of Kansas State. He averaged 26 points in college and was expected to be a star even after only one year, but now he finds himself already played for three teams, traded twice, and even cut once. Most people, including myself, believe that if he stayed a couple more years at Kansas State, he would’ve blossomed into an NBA superstar.

Another reason why I think college players should stay in their schools longer is because it’s just good for both the player and the school. If the players stay longer, that school might become more successful as a basketball organization. The players also will get the main reason why people go to college for, which is their degree. A career ending injury can happen at any point in the game, and what if that player has nothing to fall back on? One wrong move, wrong jump, wrong step and their entire career could be over. If the players finish college, they would’ve helped their school become a better basketball program, they would’ve improved themselves, and they can say that they got their degree. If they believe that they are good enough to play professionally, that option is still there, and will always be there, if they are willing to put in work.

Some college players have other reasons on why they would want to leave college early to play professionally. They’re not in a rush to become a pro because they want to be the “greatest of all time”. One of the major perks of playing professionally is the money, and a lot of players need the finances to support themselves and their family, and the only way they can get the money is by playing basketball, so they take it. Caron Butler is an NBA basketball player who had a rough childhood growing up. He lived in poverty, and at the young age of 11 even had to get into drug dealing because it was only means of getting money. He was able to get a basketball scholarship to The University of Connecticut and left as a sophomore to go to the NBA and that fixed his financial problems. Some players use basketball as an escape for a better life, and that’s why they leave college early.

The potential of some college players are so high, but a lot of them aren’t reaching the fullest of their abilities because the rush things and head to the NBA unprepared. If they stayed and played college basketball, they could use the experience there and improve on it to become the best player they can be. I think college players should stay in their schools at least 3 years in order to be more prepared for the pros. The NBA would be filled with superstars instead of players who reached only half of their peak.