What if sports college basketball

As a business move, it made sense. Anthony Davis. Kyrie Irving. Derrick Rose. John Wall. Many fans enjoy the opportunity to see potential All-Stars develop in the college game, led by legendary coaches, even if just for one year. Others question how their obvious basketball focus jibes with the education-centric model of college sports. If they are only using college as a pit stop on their route to a professional basketball career, are they taking their college coursework seriously?

What can they gain from just one year in school? They believe in giving year-olds the opportunity to choose whether they want to go to the NBA, and they believe in the importance of a college education. Kentucky coach John Calipari falls into this group. Since , nearly a quarter of all one-and-done players 25 have come through Kentucky, by far the most of any other coach. To Calipari, that stat is simply a byproduct of going after the best of the best, whether they stay for one or four years.

For some kids, that means one year; for others, that means two, three or four. The truth is, just under 48 percent in Division I and fewer than 1 in 5 overall will do it. Those individual goals, particularly among players eyeing a short stay, can at times be at odds with the overall team focus, says Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Kevin Garnett ignited the prep-to-pro trend in when he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nearly 80 percent earned their Academic Progress Rate eligibility point in their final term of enrollment.

I would put those two guys against anyone. As it turns out, one year can make a strong impression. Despite the value they see in even a short stint in college, Calipari and many of his peers have been outspoken about their belief that the NBA should reopen its doors to year-olds. Durant turned pro after his freshman season at Texas.

I n June, the NBA sent a memo to teams indicating that a change to the age minimum would not come earlier than the draft. The collaboration strengthens an existing developmental program by adding life skills and health and wellness components led by doctors, athletic trainers and other experts.

It also allows NBA officials and teams to evaluate young players against elite competition well before they enter the draft. The first class to complete the entire Junior National Team program will graduate high school in And if so, what might that mean for the one-and-done era?

Maybe fans would miss seeing the best of the best on the college stage, but would enjoy seeing talented players develop over the course of their college careers. Or maybe, even if the NBA bumps down its age limit, one-and-done will never be done. Whatever happens, perspective is important: While one-and-done players garner national attention, they make up a tiny sliver of college basketball.

If not, for as many as they can be a part of it. The reality is, the game has changed. If a prep-to-pro trend emerges in the future, Gavitt believes it will inevitably alter the narrative of the college game. Even the man who opened the door to early entry in the NBA holds an unexpected stance on the issue. The Hall of Famer believes his basketball career benefited from his time in college, that he would not have been ready for the challenges of the NBA after only his freshman year.

Loyola Chicago, Auburn vs. UConn, Syracuse vs. VCU, Baylor vs. Arizona State. Wooden Legacy Anaheim, Calif. Maui Invitational Las Vegas : Nov. Wisconsin, Butler vs. Houston, Oregon vs. Chaminade, St. Notre Dame. Miami, North Texas vs. Kansas, Alabama vs. Iona, Belmont vs. Bahamas Championship Nassau, Bahamas : Nov.

Richmond, Louisville vs. Mississippi State. Northern Iowa, Wyoming vs. Stanford, BYU vs. South Florida, Vanderbilt vs. Holmgren and Banchero are the headliners of this freshman class, but there are several other highly-touted first-year players worth watching. Here are some of them listed in alphabetical order by last name :. There are also plenty of familiar faces who will be back on the floor in ESPN2 No. Minnesota p.

Big Ten Network No. Nevada p. Southern Miss p. Pac Network No. SEC Network. Sunday, November 14 Bills at Jets, 1 p. ET Buccaneers at Washington, 1 p. Falcons at Cowboys, 1 p. Saints at Titans, 1 p. Jaguars at Colts 1 p. Lions at Steelers, 1 p. Browns at Patriots, p. Panthers at Cardinals, p. Eagles at Broncos, p. Seahawks at Packers, p. Chiefs at Raiders, p. Flash back for a moment to the tumultuous college football season, where game cancellations due to COVID were a regular part of the weekend schedule.

By that standard, the season can be viewed as nothing short of success. On Tuesday, the Pac became the first conference hit, announcing that the Cal-USC game scheduled for this Saturday will be postponed after an outbreak in the Cal football program. For USC, whose overall record is , the game offers a chance to reach potential bowl eligibility At in the conference, they are out of the running for the championship game.

We have had multiple COVID positives within our program, and we are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread and protect the greater community. Cal played its game last week at Arizona, losing to the previously winless Arizona team.

Cal played without starting quarterback Chase Garbers and six other starters because of positive tests that took 24 players and assistant coaches out of play. The school had not been regularly testing asymptomatic players throughout the season but began testing close contacts and eventually the entire team, which led to the two dozen positive tests. Garbers was critical of how Cal has handled the process of testing saying in a Twitter post on Monday night that the school had not been transparent about whether COVID tests were recommended or mandated, suggesting that those that have not developed symptoms should not be forced to be tested.

As the professional sports leagues in North America continue their seasons, leagues continue to remind their athletes that the threats of COVID remain. That is the case in the NBA, where the league and the National Basketball Players Association have advised players, coaches and referees that they should receive booster shots when they are eligible, according to a report from the Associate Press , or soon face game-day testing.

The sides also encouraged players who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines more than six months ago to get a booster shot.

Depending on when they received their last vaccination dose, some players will begin being subject to game-day testing until they receive a booster, according to the report. An estimated 97 percent of NBA players were believed to be vaccinated when the season began.

Even before the recent messaging, some teams were staring to plan for players to receive booster shots when available. Those moves come as several players — including those that were previously vaccinated — are being put into league protocols for testing positive or being exposed to those who had. Embiid is the fourth member of the team in the health and safety protocols, joining forward Tobias Harris and guards Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe. One of the hardest hit segments of the sports-events industry during the pandemic was mass participation races.

But big city marathons are back, and in New York and Los Angeles on Sunday, runners took back to the street in big numbers, weeks after similar large-scale races were staged in Chicago and Boston. New York, which was unable to race in , saw an estimated 33, runners, down from a high of more than 50,, for what was the 50th running of the race that covers all five city boroughs.

In Los Angeles, an estimated 13, runners hit the streets, down from a field of 27, The fact that both races were staged on the same day was a function of the pandemic. The Los Angeles race was held just weeks before society started to shut down in March The race was pushed back on the calendar, although the race is expected to return to its traditional March dates. The Los Angeles race saw its smallest field since its start in , but organizers reported that they were happy with the turnout, whose field was limited on purpose to avoid further crowding.

In New York, fans lined the streets for what has become a tradition over 50 years in early November. The version, however, had notable differences from any past race. The field was limited to about 40 percent of capacity and runners had to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test within 48 hours of the race.

Los Angeles had the same requiment of racers. Spectators were encouraged to maintain social distancing, and some ancillary events were scaled back to abide by the rules. A fifth starting wave was also added in an effort to further distance participants.

One of the biggest names in the National Football League has turned into one of the biggest stories in sports this week after testing positive for COVID — and subsequently being reported as unvaccinated. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after testing positive, becoming the biggest name in the NFL to have a positive test this season and miss a game.

If Rodgers had been vaccinated, he would have been able to return once he produced two negative tests with 24 hours in between. Rodgers will be away from the Packers until at least November 13, the day before Green Bay is scheduled to face the Seattle Seahawks. Missouri, Noon No. Tulsa, p. LSU, 7 p. Navy, p. Indiana, p. Liberty, Noon No. Idaho St.

Tennessee, 7 p. Boise St. Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p. Denver at Dallas, 1 p. Houston at Miami, 1 p. Atlanta at New Orleans, 1 p. Las Vegas at N.

Giants, 1 p. New England at Carolina, 1 p.