“Each case is individual,” Cleveland Cavaliers veteran James Jones said. “I think that at the end of the day a lot of those guys who are on those college campuses for four or five months are really there just to play basketball and if that’s the case I think they’d be better served having the opportunity to pursue their professional careers knowing that what they do from that point going forward will have a very important impact on the rest of their life.”
Cleveland Cavaliers veteran James Jones played four years at the University of Miami prior to being a second round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Jones wasn’t a high profile draft prospect coming into the draft. He was taken 48 spots after the ultimate prospect of the century and a current
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“In my instance I think four years of college where I had to balance life and develop maturity helped me coming into the league and carve a path as a second round pick and a guy that had to work his way up.” “It definitely gave me more emotional and mental stability knowing that i had four years of just lie on campus to develop.” Professional sports aren’t nearly as structured as a college sport is. In college your entire day is planned from the time spent in class; to practice times, study tables and all other elements that come with being in college. At the professional level this is strictly an occupation; a well-paid occupation, but still an occupation. Because of that things aren’t quite as structured and an athlete isn’t being told what doing it their free time. Making the right choices requires maturity, which according to Jones many kids who have become what is known as the “one-and-done” era lack. This group of players consists of highly touted high school basketball prospects that are forced to make an unwanted pit stop at a university prior to entering into the NBA. Others, such as Brandon Jennings and most recently, Emmanuel Mudiay, found a loophole in the rule by going overseas instead, but for those who do go the college route there is a substantial amount of class time missed during the NCAA Tournament in the spring