College basketball becoming less relevant at NBA Draft but is exploitive as ever

OPINION: Going to school is still a great option, especially on someone else’s dime. But whether they’re serious about their studies or just there to hoop, college players deserve to cash in, especially since most won’t make it to the NBA.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

Attending college doesn’t mean what it used to mean when ancestors were denied the opportunity but considered higher education the ultimate goal for future generations. 

Get off the farm, don’t ply the trade, quit working with your hands. Turn in those dusty clothes for a white-collar shirt after crossing the stage with your bachelor’s degree. That’s the path to expand your mind and achieve upward mobility, economically and socially.

Now, the entire world is a click away for anyone inclined to expand their horizons. If desired, you can become enlightened while skipping college and avoiding student loans, instead opting for skilled labor or other jobs that pay OK but don’t require a bachelor’s.

But the romance of college remains strong as ever around sports programs, especially the big-banking, money-making duo of basketball and football. 

Alums love to root for their alma maters in primetime battles on national TV. But overall, degrees don’t hit for recent teens like they used to hit for us. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the decline in college attendance since 2018 is the steepest on record, with help from the pandemic.

Even before then, if we’re being honest, flocks of youngsters could find more joy and satisfaction — and suitability — in employment pursuits that don’t involve the papers and classwork associated with formal education. It doesn’t mean they lack intelligence or whatnot. Then COVID-19 made everyone pause and reconsider everything. Picking up a trade instead of a textbook never seemed more inviting.

Take, for instance, elite-level basketball.

Instead of following the traditional route and spending a year or two on campus before reaching the NBA Draft, top prospects can spend that time with the NBA G League or Overtime Elite, which essentially offer paid apprenticeships for potential pros. Four domestic players were selected after French teen Victor Wembanyama went No. 1 in the NBA Draft last week. Three of them – Scoot Henderson and twins Amen and Ausar Thompson — bypassed college altogether, while the other (Brandon Miller) played just one season for Alabama. 

I’m not here to suggest that one decision is better than the other. No. 2 pick Miller enjoyed life within a lavish intercollegiate sports enterprise, with access to top-flight travel, facilities and accommodations. No. 3 pick Henderson did well in the NBA’s minor league, earning $1 million over the last two seasons and while facing stiffer competition than his peers see in college.

To each his own, a happy path in either direction.

But it’s past time for side-eye looks when five-star recruits like the Thompson twins bypass their senior year of high school and run with Overtime Elite, where salaries begin at $100K per year. They just became the highest-drafted brothers in NBA history, giving big-time college basketball a second existential threat. The G League Ignite has produced six draftees over the past two years and watched its initial alum (Jalen Green) go second overall in 2021.

Projected 2024 first-rounder Izan Almansa, who spent last season with Overtime Elite, has joined the Ignite to play with two top draft prospects next season. These roads-less-traveled will continue to grow in popularity among the target audience, superlative ballers with second thoughts about college hoops.

I might have second thoughts too if the NBA awaited me one year after high school graduation. However, that isn’t an issue for about 99% of college players, who are good enough to earn scholarships but not paychecks. 

Though more and more potential superstars are never setting foot on campus, college teams still take the floor. They even produce stars whose talent doesn’t easily project to the next level. Regardless, the NCAA rakes about a billion dollars each year from March Madness and the sport isn’t going away. 

In addition to educational benefits for players, colleges recently allowed the possibility of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. That’s a great development for those who can capitalize, especially those with no future as a pro. Take advantage to earn a degree and whatever NIL money possible. 

But they’re still exploited as unpaid cogs in a billion-dollar industry. Everyone except them gets a check for their labor. 

Therein lies the love-hate dynamics of big-time college sports. I’m torn because way too many youngsters mistakenly believe they’ll be pros and thereby forsake genuine academic learning that’s available. At the same time, athletic ability can pave the way to higher education that otherwise might be unattainable. 

Going to school is still a great option, especially on someone else’s dime. But whether they’re serious about their studies or just there to hoop, players deserve a taste of the subsequent windfall.

At least pro-level prospects like Henderson and the Thompson twins no longer have to take a campus detour before hearing their names on draft night. 

Reaching that pinnacle should’ve never been the only reason to play in college. The vast majority of players who take that route will never cross the stage to shake Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand. 

That’s perfectly fine. Let them leave with a degree, connections and expanded horizons. 

And pay them in the meantime.

Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.

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