By Bryan Hayre ’16

As March Madness begins, so does the opportunity for the best players to show that they can take their game to the next level. NBA prospects look to lead their team to a national title while performing on the grandest stage of them all; the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The NBA draft will yield a variety of different players; the one-and-dones, the sophomores and juniors, and even the rare seniors. Some players have the size, athleticism, and strength after one year of college hoops to jump straight to the pros, while others need time to develop their all-around game.

Fans, analysts, and writers often come out against standout freshman coming and going so quickly from the college game. However, each player must do what is best for him rather than what is best for his program. If players have the talent to make it to the NBA after one year of college basketball and make millions, they should go to the draft.

LSU freshman Ben Simmons and Oklahoma senior Buddy Hield are two of the most talked about players in college basketball today, and the two clearly show how it’s a mistake to make a blanket statement about when a player is ready for the NBA. Simmons has dominated the competition in a single season while Hield has developed into a college phenom. Both players, despite their class, are atop the best in the nation and are both projected to be picked high in the draft.

Simmons was a top recruit out of high school and entered the collegiate scene as the No. 1 player in the nation. Standing at 6’10″ with a 7’0.25″ wingspan, he tallied 19.5 point per game (ppg) 11.9 rebounds per game (rpg), and 5 assists per game (apg). He is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft and has been compared to superstars Lebron James and Kevin Durant.

Hield has competed game in and game out, contributing 25.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 2.1 apg. The 6’4″ shooting guard has consistently improved throughout his college career; dropping 7.8 ppg his freshman year, 16.5 ppg his sophomore year, and 17.4 ppg his junior year. He is one of the deadliest shooters in college basketball and is projected as the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Since 2006, the practice of drafting high school players has been prohibited by the new collective bargaining agreement, which requires that players who enter the draft be 19 years of age and at least one year removed from high school. Recently, there has been talk about creating a two-year requirement, similar to that of college football and the NFL. There is absolutely no reason why a college athlete’s talent should be delayed. If a basketball player is good enough to play in the NBA after a one-year pitstop in college, then so be it.

Talent should never be put on hold. College athletes are quicker, faster, and stronger nowadays, so let them shine and display their talent at the professional level, regardless of time spent in college.