The One and Done Argument Continues

Three of the four Kentucky freshmen that will be entering the NBA Draft.

The Sports Illustrated Fannation blog posed an interesting question today: Can a one and done team win it all in the NCAA tournament? This is a pertinent topic if you are a Kentucky fan, because it seems that one and done teams are going to be the norm with John Calipari at the helm.

There has not been a collection of one and done players win the title since the inception of the rule in 2004. The latest and biggest collection of one and done stars was this year's University of Kentucky basketball team. They had four players on the team play one year and then jump ship to the NBA. The team was arguably the most talented on the court bu failed to deliver the goods, only making it to the Elite Eight.

What is a coach to do? Should a coach try to focus on finding diamonds in the rough, players that may not be instant impacts but could be developed for the future, or should coaches go for the best players in the country? John Calipari has taken the latter approach and continues to recruit the best high school players in the country and consistently has the top recruiting classes every year.

Now, before all of you Cal haters start painting him as the devil, who out there had Daniel Orton or Eric Bledsoe being one and done? Nobody did. DeMarcus Cousins was supposed to implode, get arrested, get into a fight or be banned from the NCAA for life. He didn't. The only for sure one and done guy he had was John Wall. It is true that Calipari has had his share of one and done players but this year's team was an aberration. It might be a long time before we see something like that again.

Let's look at some other teams and guys that they are recruiting this year:

• Kansas- Josh Selby is considered to be one and done
• North Carloina- Harrison Barnes is a possible one and done along with Reggie Bullock
• Duke- Kyrie Irving is projected as one and done
• Ohio State- Jared Sullinger is projected to be one and done
• Tennessee- Tobias Harris is considered to be one and done

Of course not all of these players will be one and done but it is safe to say that any player projected in the top 15 could very well only attend college for one year. This is not the fault of the kids, the coaches or the programs. This falls squarely on the shoulders of the NBA and to a lesser extent the NCAA. These two sports Goliaths need to rethink what is good for each of their institutions and figure out what is best for all parties involved. One and done ain't' getting it done. It cheapens academia and turns schools into the NBA D-League.

I'm tired of people attacking the coaches like it is their fault that the rule in place stinks. If it were up to John Calipari or any other college coach, the players would be able to go from high school to the pros or they would have to stay at least two years. Of course they are going to want to get the best players available for as long as they can on their team. Talent helps win championships but it is not the only way to do it. Experience goes a long way.