Bob Knight: everything that's wrong with college basketball since 1959.
After the retirement of the practically fossilized Texas Tech coach two months ago, one would have hoped that Knight's ability to disgrace the game was down the tubes. No more choking, no more chair-throwing, no nothing - nothing left to do but fade away.
Oh, how wrong one would be.
Knight proceeded to make headlines later in February when he spoke out against the NBA commissioner David Stern's "one-year rule" requiring high school stars to make a pit stop in the college ranks along the way to the NBA.
"It's the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching," he said. "Because now you can have a kid come to school for a year and play basketball and he doesn't even have to go to class ... That, I think, has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports."
It took over a month, but eventually Kevin Durant spoke out. Last Thursday Durant, the poster child for the one-year rule thanks to his $60 million Nike deal signed a year after his enrollment at the University of Texas, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer what he really thought of college.
"I miss Texas, the whole group of guys, the schools, and I didn't want to rush into anything," he said. "[Knight's comment] upset me coming from a coach. I thought he would understand more where the players are coming from in terms of getting an education."
Incredible. Kevin Durant is 19 years old. I'm 21, and I sure don't have the tact to respond with a comment like that. Put me in Durant's shoes, and I'd say something along the lines of "Hey Bobby, I left college with a 3.5 GPA. What was yours, a--hole?"
Instead of placing the blame on the players for their lack of regard for education, we all need to take a step back and realistically assess this situation. Kevin Durant is not to blame for the one-and-done phenomenon in college basketball. This is common sense. No one turns down $60 million to play basketball and wear shoes. It's the opportunity of a lifetime.
The players are going to continue to forgo college for the money and fame - until forced otherwise. And I would argue that they should be.
A year ago, I wrote a column decrying the state of college basketball. After watching inexperience-laden Kansas and North Carolina teams collapse in the Big Dance due to stupid turnovers, poor shot selection and missed free throws, I argued that the college game needed more junior and senior stars. I begged, to no avail of course, for Durant and Greg Oden to stay in school.
A year later, Oden has yet to play a second in the NBA, and Durant's rookie season has been plagued by careless shooting, passing ineptitude and virtual irrelevance on the defensive end on the floor. Have I earned the right yet to say that I was right?
As I continue to mull over the question of just how good these kids could be with a little more college education (the basketball kind), I turn my attention to this year's rookie class.
After watching Memphis point guard Derrick Rose end his first (and probably only) college season with a heroic effort against Kansas Monday night, playing all 45 minutes and piling up 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds, I can't help but worry. When will we ever again get to see a great college player - a Rose, a Michael Beasley or a Kevin Love - stick around for all four years? Will there ever be another college legend? Whatever happened to Pete Maravich?
Unfortunately, the system leaves no room for collegiate greatness - but through no fault of the players themselves. The college game needs fixing, and for Christ's sake, stop counting on Kevin Durant to do the job. You want real change, Bobby? You're picking the wrong fight.
All eyes on you, Mr. Stern.
Evans Clinchy is a junior majoring in English. He can be reached at Evans.Clinchy@tufts.edu.
