Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters he thinks the NCAA should allow non-senior basketball players to return to school if they go undrafted the year they declare for the NBA Draft.
Steve Kerr says the NCAA should allow players to return to college if they go undrafted
Kerr: “We all know what’s going on. Let’s do what’s best for the kid and give them some options.”
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
“Don’t keep this ruse going,” Kerr told reporters ahead of the Warriors matchup against the Nets on Monday. “We all know what’s going on. Let’s do what’s best for the kid and give them some options, and work together between the NBA and NCAA to find the right system. I think it’s entirely doable if you people just open their eyes.”
Under current rules, a college player can declare for the NBA Draft and rescind their name from the draft pool if they don’t sign with an agent. If the player doesn’t get drafted, NCAA rules prohibit him from returning to school, limiting his options to only the NBA G-League or playing professionally overseas.
Kerr told reporters there shouldn’t be an issue with a college player signing with an agent. If a player goes undrafted, the Warriors’ coach believes he should still be allowed to return to school.
“One of the things the NCAA needs to look at is, if a kid signs with an agent and he doesn’t get drafted, welcome him back,” Kerr said. “Why not? What’s the harm? We talk about amateurism and all this stuff, but if you’re truly trying to do what’s right for the kid, and the kid declares for the draft and doesn’t get drafted, you know what? Welcome him back. Do something good for the kids.”
Kerr’s comments come on the heels of an ESPN story that dove into the NBA’s pending plan to bridge the gap between the league and high school basketball players. They intend on targeting teenage players as they maneuver through their high school career and during the time between high school graduation and the moment a player feels they are ready to play in the NBA, both physically and emotionally
The NBA has laid out a plan of attack that could potentially include rescinding the 19-year-old age limit former commissioner David Stern implemented in 2005. What’s clear, though, is that this is an issue the league office is in front of and will have an answer for in the coming seasons.
The NCAA however, does not have plans to change rules regarding undrafted players returning, even if a lot of people feel the same way Kerr does.
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