All of those guys are doing the right thing with the exception of one. And it's hard for me to classify it as the "right thing" given the circumstances. I'm not going to air a young man's dirty laundry on a message board but the individual in question is trying to please his father. Things have been very "difficult" for the player in question and his family the past year and it's taken a toll on them. I wish things could be different but what's been going on with that family has little to do with basketball. It is a very sad situation and if you knew the details I think many would have a bit more understanding of it all and even some sympathy.
It's easy to look at a jersey and define an individual based upon your feelings on the name across the chest. Some of the kids deal with issues and situations many of us could never imagine or hope to understand. Yeah, you can say you'd want all the fame and accolades but what about the downside? What about the pressures that a normal college kid wouldn't face? What if you were the only hope for your family to escape a bitter cycle of poverty and violence because of your skill on the basketball court? What if you were thrust into a spotlight as an 18 year old kid, with tremendous amounts of pressure to perform for millions of people, while trying to come to terms with a crushing personal loss?
The man I am today is not the boy I was 10-12 year ago. That's not to say we all have it in us to be people of high character and we'll all succeed in life on a personal and societal level. Many kids won't. Some will rise above their backgrounds and others will fail theirs. What it does say is that the book on our lives isn't written in the 18th or 19th year but people seem to always be in a rush to close it based upon the most petty or transitory of reasons.
It's easy to look at a jersey and define an individual based upon your feelings on the name across the chest. Some of the kids deal with issues and situations many of us could never imagine or hope to understand. Yeah, you can say you'd want all the fame and accolades but what about the downside? What about the pressures that a normal college kid wouldn't face? What if you were the only hope for your family to escape a bitter cycle of poverty and violence because of your skill on the basketball court? What if you were thrust into a spotlight as an 18 year old kid, with tremendous amounts of pressure to perform for millions of people, while trying to come to terms with a crushing personal loss?
The man I am today is not the boy I was 10-12 year ago. That's not to say we all have it in us to be people of high character and we'll all succeed in life on a personal and societal level. Many kids won't. Some will rise above their backgrounds and others will fail theirs. What it does say is that the book on our lives isn't written in the 18th or 19th year but people seem to always be in a rush to close it based upon the most petty or transitory of reasons.
if I knew I was leaving school for the NBA draft as a top 5 pick. However, it's up to the coach, school, and administrators to make sure they complete their school work and maintain some level of integrity to the process. If you want some teeth to the policy, you can make it that way. Vince Carter has said one of his biggest regrets was letting himself slide and take incompletes or failing grades after he knew he wasn't coming back. He ended up completing his degree later on but it took a much bigger effort.