Star-Crossed
By Brad Wolverton, Chronicle of Higher Education, July 29, 2005

Basketball coaches have mixed views on a new NBA rule that could send more top players to college, but probably for only one year. The new NBA rule requires athletes to wait a year after they graduate from high school, and until they turn 19, to enter the professional draft. That means talented high-school players must now decide whether to spend a year or more in college, at a college preparatory school, in the NBA's developmental league, or at a sports academy.

The new rule has received mixed reviews from college coaches. While coaches are eager to attract raw talent, some fear that the requirement could make it harder for them to comply with the National Collegiate Athletic Association's new academic accountability standards.

According to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rates, which go into effect in August, teams could lose scholarships if half of their players fail to graduate within six years. Nearly half of the Division I men's basketball programs already are in jeopardy of losing scholarships because of that requirement.

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