The withdrawal deadline for college basketball players considering early entry into the NBA Draft could be pushed back if an upcoming proposal goes through, reports Nicole Auerbach of USA Today. Coaches and representatives from the NBA, NCAA and National Association of Basketball Coaches put together a plan that would give players more time to make a life-changing decision.
This proposal could give college players more time to make an NBA decision
College basketball players could soon have an extra few weeks before deciding their NBA Draft status each year.
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The proposal, which needs to be submitted by Sept. 1, would give players an extra five weeks to decide if they want to withdraw from the draft early entry pool. If it had been in effect this year, the deadline would have been pushed back from April 14 to May 21. The 2014 NCAA Tournament concluded on April 7 when Connecticut topped Kentucky in a game featuring several prominent NBA prospects.
The date for early application to the draft would stay the same -- 60 days before the big event -- but this would give players significantly more time to gather information about their prospects and pull out and maintain their NCAA eligibility if necessary. For players who are uncertain about their draft status, that extra time is extremely valuable in deciding whether to bypass another year of school.
Over the past three years, players have had to decide on their status for the NBA Draft by the first day of college basketball's spring signing period. After that day, players can no longer withdraw from the draft and are ineligible for the NCAA. As Auerbach notes, that's been difficult on players who play deep into the NCAA Tournament, leaving them with as a little as a week to weigh a huge decision.
Coaches and other people involved with college hoops and the NBA have grown concerned with the situation, says Auerbach, and together “they’ve been working for the last eight months on a recommendation to change the pre-NBA draft process” in order to give players more time to gather information.
“It’s an exciting concept because it helps student-athletes and their families help hopefully the best-informed decisions they can make about their future -- that should be what we’re all trying to accomplish,” NCAA vice president for basketball championships Dan Gavitt said.
The support for the proposal across the NBA, NCAA and NABC makes some kind of change likely, even if it doesn’t follow the specific details listed above. With these different groups opening public dialogue on the topic, it’s going to be hard to ignore until addressed.
“If you’re really worried about the kids and them making the right decision, it just seemed like a no-brainer, to be honest with you,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.
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