Top prospects continue to flock to the G League as an alternative to a one-and-done season on a college team. Earlier today, it was reported that Daishen Nix will become the third prospect to join the G League’s new Select Team, which will be based in Southern California, following in the footsteps of Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari isn’t happy about the movement, though his concerns go beyond the fact that it takes away talent from his program.
“My issue with the G League trying to entice players by giving them more money, is not the kids that you’re getting,” Calipari said this week, as Jon Hale of USA Today relays. “It’s the thousands of ninth and 10th graders that think that’s how they’re going to make it, when you and I know it’s going to be 2%. We’re not talking 50. It will be thousands and thousands and thousands.”
Calipari believes that if young high schoolers see this as a feasible route, they will give up on their studies years before hitting college age. If most high-school prospects continue to play in the NCAA, players will have to remain focused on getting high enough grades to attend those colleges.
The Kentucky coach, who has been an advocate for allowing high school players to enter the draft, doesn’t think that most kids realize how finite the chances are of making a living in basketball is.
The biggest myth that has ever penetrated pro sports is the belief that high schoolers a ready to play in the nba. It should be 2 years removed before being draft eligible.
Why ? For the last couple years the rookies than come in have made a huge impact and been leaders. Look at Ja Morant he has led Memphis into a playoff spot as a rookie and your saying he’s not ready for the NBA and should have to wait another year.
Basketball as a career you can earn a lot of money in but your career if your elite is only about 10/15 years long if your lucky. By taking away their ability to play at a young age your taking away someone’s money.
For example look at Brandon Jennings, OJ Mayo and all these guys they peaked in high school and college they didn’t have long careers but if they could’ve entered the league earlier they could’ve earned more. You make them 2 years removed the high school freaks like these guys might not ever make the league.
Ja Was a sophomore
Thats such a load of nonsense. Kyrie, AD, KAT, DLo, Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray, Tatum, Fox, Doncic (went pro but was 1 year after he graduated), Ayton, Young, Jeren Jackson, Shai, Zion are just a few players off the top of my head recently that came to the NBA after 1 year of college. All of these players could have gone straight to the NBA and were more than ready after being 1 and done. Anyone who thinks they knows what is best for an 18 year old adult ready to make their own decisions is lame.
Calipari and Dangler was talking about the many thousands, not the few BB standouts. It’s just dreaming to only consider the stars.
Also this new GL level is completely subsidized and does not reflect market value… so far. We’ll see about sustainability, or value for training.
Anybody that thinks an 18 year old is ready to make their own decisions and fully understand the lifelong consequences is “lame”. Studies have shown the brain doesn’t fully mature until late 20s. That’s why so many kids change majors in college or bartend or serve until they are 30. 18 is too young to understand what your whole life had ahead and what choices you make at 18 might lead you to even just 10 years down the road.
That has absolutely nothing to do with the post. At age 18 you are an adult, so if you want to go the NBA immediately you should be allowed. NHL and MLB drafts players straight out of high school. The NFL doesn’t because its a saftey concern. Basketball it clearly wouldn’t be. These kids aren’t clueless. They know if they are ready or not despite how dumb you and John want to make them out to be.
Awh….Cap is gonna lose his 5 5-star players every season before they go to the nba. Now he’ll have to manage on kids who might actually stay more than 1 year.
Yes John what you say may be true. How many kids go to college on a scholarship aren’t thinking of it as a chance to go to the NBA? How many kids in your program graduate? Isn’t it far more ethical to allow the kids to get paid something, even with slim chances of making it to the NBA. Finally, could it really be because you and the big college programs would lose all that money as a result? Maybe you can continue to coach a bunch of young kids who are truly interested in a college education. After all you live to coach.
You take the cake for the worst attempt at trying to bash John Calipari. This isn’t about 1 (amazing)program. It’s about kids and the lifelong decisions they are making at an extremely young age.
G League gives you $500K(at the highest level of recruitment). Cal wants kids to be able to go to the NBA Draft out of HS. That’s 100% different than the G League paying a kid $100K to see if he can make it and toss him to the side when he doesn’t. You are competing against 1-4 year college players, and Foreign Pro Players at a chance to get drafted in the 1st or 2nd round. Someone is not going to risk their draft eligibility unless they are a Kobe/Lebron talent. But if the G League poaches these boarder line all stars in the making, and they don’t make it. There’s nothing to fall back on. If you go to college, not only do you get to spend a year being treated like royalty on campus, showcased in front of the world, but you get a college education that you can fall back on. Every single scholarship player that attends UK(and id imagine most schools do this) can come back and finish their education with the scholarship they previously earned.
In no way would the University of Kentucky lose money by missing out on a top recruit(that every single other program is missing out on). Rupp would still sell out even if they hired Billy G back tomorrow.
“Theres nothing to fall back on”…. except 100k and possibly even more. You’re so brainwashed into thinking the “college experience” is worth more than that. Even if they fail, they can easily afford to go to college with the G leauge money.
IF you haven’t pissed the money away on vehicles, your posse, etc…, enjoying the “good life”.
AFK thinks $100K is a lot of money. Enough to live off of. He’s prly quit his job thinking he was rich if he won $100K scratcher. Hand majority of 18 year olds $100K(before taxes) and see what happens to it.
KYR… spot on.
College education is just a piece of paper
Wrong.
Well if the highschoolers’ parents are dumb enough to let it happen, way worse thing can happen than giving up studying early for ball
If your a 5 star recruit, I’m pretty sure I’d rather collect 300k and play against tougher, smarter competition in the G League than waste a year in college. If your in college you have to study and spend time at school whereas if they turn pro and hit the g league they will be in the gyms more and in the weights room more getting NBA ready.
If your a 5 star recruit there’s a really really high chance your getting drafted and going to have a NBA career in which you’ll earn millions. I say collect that bag while you can and learn later.
If you play ball your for a career you can only really do it well between 18-34 and after that your career is done. You can always study later but you only very few can maintain your peak in your late thirties.
Well, I’m talking about the case where the kid has illusion of being a top player so he give up studying early.
If your a top ranked kid go for it if your not if your a 3/4 star recruit then obviously don’t throw all your eggs in one basket. Go to college or the g league a prove yourself
Good. School is a waste of time anyways. Kids need to be prepared for real life not be learning about chemistry or calculus.
Spoken like someone who wasted their time in college or never went to college.
My guess is…never went
I’m all for kids entering the league when they feel they are ready. Be it after high school or after 2 years in college.
Basketball as a career only last between the ages of about 18-34 only very few after that can keep up professionally. They can always go back to school and study later or do whatever they want after ball but if you take away years out of their playing careers then ballers will have shorter careers.
I’m not saying everyone declare for NBA cause those 3/4 star players they should go to the g league and college to either get paid and train in a development league or to study while playing ball as a fall back incase you don’t make it. But if your someone like Zion, or LeBron and your 18 and know you can play in the NBA after high school why shouldn’t they be aloud.
Options are good, and college isn’t for everyone. However, unless you are a certain lotto pick (less than 1% of all college scholarship athletes) then it is a good idea to at least get some education. Like it or not, a college degree is a gate that is used for employment in the way a high school degree used to be. Having some college is better than having none. Pursuing a dream is a great thing when you are young, but having options (including options to do something other than your first dream) is good.
Exactly if your a 5 star recruit or even a 4 star and you feel ready then obviously make your decision. But most kids knows they aren’t Zion aren’t need to get NBA ready and prove themselves first
John is mad there is now a potential out and less players he can exploit. Sorry John if an 18 year old gets offered 300 grand, thats worth way more than Kentucky’s great education. Those who realistically don’t have a shot at the NBA have a choice to make and if they want to do the G-league thats their right.
about right
Kyredsox17
You must either be a recruiter for honest John or totally ignorant of big time college basketball. Don’t you think it would be better for a kid to spend all of his time learning and competing against the best while legally getting paid. After his time, if it doesn’t lead to the next level, he can then go to Kentucky and get his education. O I forgot John would no longer need him so he probably wouldn’t have the grades to get in.
Lol. What? Glad you were smart enough to reply to my comment directly…
Many NBA coaches praise Cal for his ability to prep kids for the next level. There is an amazing level of competition in college basketball.
If the player went to the G League..then went to college..he’d be paying for it. If he goes to a University(not necessarily UK) he can play a year. Go to the draft. Try his luck in G League or whenever. And then when he’s done with that he can go back to the University and get an education from the scholarship he previously earned. For FREE. F-R-E-E. You go to the G League first and you no longer have that safety net.
Coach Cal is always recruiting, that’s why he’s the usually the best at it. He’s smart. But what he said about this in now way is about Kentucky only. It applies to everyone. Other schools recruit 5 Star players too.
And your last sentence…what are you trying to even say there? Is that a shot at Cal for not offering former failed NBA players full rides to not play for his school? I think that one’s out of his control.
Coach Cal is just upset that the G League is willing to pay players more than he is able to.
Also about right
Calipari is probably sincere and will get asked about this many times. I would call it answering, not complaining.
Any system is going to get dinged no matter how it is structured. The NCAA probably doesn’t mind if the NBA wants to take over the job of being the dinged-on. I just wonder why Silver wants the role of king babysitter. Fans will watch dunks on their screens and Nike will sell shoes, but income?– maybe for GL teams, if they even get a game.
How many kids wash out of KY, or in the alternative never go to class at all. They basically spend six months in college. John makes $6mm plus per year. John’s worried about losing his sales pitch.
Majority of students have “Tutors” that go to class for them and have the notes for the year already printed off. Welcome to being a celebrity in college. You wrote this as if only UK will miss these players..there’s a few more schools out there.
About the only thing I agree with Cal about is the academic piece. “Delusional” kids may now look at the GLeague as a goal and not be as diligent in their academics as they should. I wish the GLeague could somehow have an academic incentive for the high schoolers that gives an extra dollar amount for however much higher one’s gpa is over a college-qualifying gpa.
Ex. A 5-star hs player with a 3.2 gpa gets a higher GLeague salary than another 5-star player who has a 2.2 gpa.
If a kid has a 1.2 gpa? He’s probably not gonna last long at a professional level anyway. Unmotivated, late to the bus, bad work habits, can’t follow game-plans….
I don’t know. I just don’t wanna give the kids a reason to take academics even less seriously.
Just my 2 cents… don’t kill me
Being a slave to GPA is a terrible idea. Most meaningless number in school life. (and no, I was a solid student with mostly A’s and B’s so don’t even try the “yOu PrOBaBLy hAD a LoW gPA”)
Afk… Slaves had no choice to be a slave or not.
Trying for a (certain) gpa IS a choice… whether you can achieve it or not, or even attempt to, is another matter.
And, again, my comment was just a thought, not a solution.
You flexible enough to understand that?
GPA is not a level playing field with how the system is. There are so many factors that kids can’t control that make the number no where near a reflection of who they are as a student. I know you’re brainwashed into thinking GPA means all, but don’t spread that nonsense to the world.
Okay, keyboard warrior. Such an eloquent burn!
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