LOUISVILLE– Duke’s Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski has not changed his mind about players seeking early entry to the NBA draft. Like many influential Division I coaches, he is still adamant about the idea that if a player is good enough to declare for the draft coming out of high school, he would be able to make the quantum leap, much like LeBron James did in 2003.

But, if a player signs a college scholarship, the 69-year old, influential Krzyzewski feels he should have to stick around for at least two years.

No one is forcing elite prospects to enroll in college. They have the option of playing in the NBA Development League or going overseas like Emmanuel Mudiay did when he signed a one year $1 million contract right out of Prime Prep in Dallas to play for a season in China before being selected by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh pick in the 20105 NBA draft.

We tend to agree but the rule is unlikely to change.

But there is a bigger story in college basketball these days then the one-and-done, Krzyzewski said at a press conference prior to the NCAA West Region semi-finals.

It’s the controversial graduate transfer rule, which allows any player who has graduated and still has eligibility left to transfer anywhere and be able to play immediately.

We’re seen it pop up with teams like Connecticut and Louisville this year, where those elite programs raid mid-major schools for players who can provide instant help.

“The one-and-one with the fifth year graduate player has hurt a lot of our mid-major programs when these kids leave and go,” Krzyzewski said. “Many, many more. Very few one-and-done from high school, very few compared to that.”

Krzyzewski’s issue is with the graduate transfer rule that allows a player to play immediately.

Louisville took two this year– guards Damien Lee from Drexel and Trey Lewis from Cleveland State– to flesh out their guard line. Drexel finished 7-25 in the CAA and its popular coach Bruiser Flint was fired after 15 seasons. Cleveland State finished 9-23 in the Horizon League.

Cleveland State coach Gary Waters should be getting used to this by now. The Vikings have graduated 36 of 36 players under Waters, who had a reputation for developing them into better players, only to see the best leave when for bigger programs. He has lost three graduates– 6-9 All Horizon league forward Anton Grady, guard Bryn Forbes and Lewis– with eligibility remaining to other schools in the last two seasons.

Forbes transferred to Michigan State where he emerged as the best shooter on the Big Ten tournament champions. Lewis started at the point during an ill-fated season at Louisville. Grady became a much needed big man at Wichita State.

Michigan State and Wichita State both played in the NCAA tournament. Louisville would have been a likely high seed if the ACC school hadn’t self imposed a post-season ban in the wake of an NCAA investigation
The rich get richer and everyone else in college basketball scrambles.
What’s wrong with this picture?

Oregon, the top-seeded team in the NCAA West Region, which plays Duke Thursday night in the West Region semi-finals in Anaheim, has a fifth year on its roster– guard Dylan Ennis, who attended Rice and Villanova as an undergrad,.Ennis played in only two games this season before suffering a foot injury, but totally disagrees with Krzyzewski on this philosophy.

“They think fifth-year guys shouldn’t be able to leave and play right away,” Ennis said. “I feel like if you went to a school for four years and you realize in your last year you don’t like it, and you don’t like it, and you have a chance to play somewhere else, why not?’ Coaches get to chance schools without reprimand. If they leave a program, they can go anywhere and coach right away. They don’t have to sit out.

“I don’t see why guys who have graduated can’t do that.”
This isn’t a good stance for Krzyzewski, who has held the same opinion since 2013
There should be no exceptions,” he said. “Everybody should have to sit out, that includes a fifth-year player, just to make it equal. I think it’s a farce, really.”