I don't know of a single person who thinks this one-and-done thing is good for college basketball. But, like it or not, this is the era we're living in, and John Calipari has become the master of it. Kentucky has basically an entirely new team every year, and they've been to three Final Fours and won a national title in the past four seasons. The Wildcats almost did it again this year, riding five freshmen all the way to the title game. Although, it turns out there was something that could stop them. Make that someone. UConn senior point guard Shabazz Napier.
If there's a guy who deserved a National Championship as much as Shabazz Napier, I don't know who that is. UConn won the national title when he was a freshmen. Then they found out they were ineligible for the 2013 Tournament because of a poor academic record. Then Jim Calhoun retired. Then the Big East blew up and UConn was left without a home. He had so many opportunities to leave. Yet he stayed. And he was rewarded with a National Championship in his final collegiate game.
As incredible as some of these players that use college as simply a way to kill time before they're allowed to enter the NBA are, their teams aren't usually the ones playing on Monday night. There are a few exceptions. Anthony Davis and Kentucky won the title two years ago, and, of course, there was Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse a decade ago, before the One-and-Done Era began. But more often than not, it's the teams that actually have senior leaders that end up hoisting the trophy.
Take the last five National Champions. In 2009, North Carolina was led by senior Tyler Hansbrough. Duke won the title in 2010. Their best player? Arguably it might've been freshman Andre Dawkins. But who were their leaders? Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Brian Zoubek, upperclassmen all. That 2011 UConn team when Shabazz was a freshman? That's the year Kemba Walker was a senior, as well as the year he decided he was going to win the National Championship. Kentucky's freshmen won in 2012, but last season it was Louisville, with senior point guard Peyton Siva and junior Russ Smith leading the way.
Nobody would've blamed Russ Smith if he had declared for the NBA Draft. He had nothing left to prove at Louisville. But he came back, won American Player of the Year, and was a consensus First Team All-American. The consensus National Player of the Year was another senior. Doug McDermott. McDermott easily would've been a high NBA draft pick last year. But he wanted to play in the Big East. Well, he didn't just play in the Big East. He led Creighton to the Big East title game and a No. 3 seed.
Creighton never would've been a No. 3 seed without Doug McDermott. Wisconsin made it to the Final Four. Their leading scorers were Frank Kaminsky (junior) and Ben Brust (senior). Florida was No. 1 most of the season. With seniors Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather, Will Yeguette and Patric Young. Are you beginning to sense a theme here?
The other trend that we've seen during the One-and-Done Era is one that I don't think is going to go away anytime soon. The Cinderella Final Four runs by the likes of Butler and VCU and Wichita State, and, to a lesser extent, runs like the one Dayton made this year are generally made by senior-laden, experienced teams. Same thing with your Mercers and your Florida Gulf Coasts. There's a reason for that. They're still upsets, but they aren't necessarily surprises. And until the big guys stop relying so much on freshmen, you're going to continue seeing high seeds lose in the first round in March.
Everyone knows that Duke is a better team than Mercer. But there's no denying the value of veteran leadership. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker and Tyler Ennis are all dynamic players who were fun to watch during their college cameos. But what do their (presumably) only NCAA Tournament appearances have in common? They all ended early. And their teams all lost to teams that have been together longer.
Until there's a rules change that puts an end to the One-and-Done Era, we can expect more of the same. The big-name programs are still going to get the highly-touted recruits who are only going to college because they can't go to the NBA yet. Those stars will be as amazing as advertised, plenty of people will want to watch them, and they'll win plenty of games on talent alone. But when they get to March, they won't be sticking around long.
When it comes to winning a National Championship, experience matters. Just ask Shabazz Napier.
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