NBA, NCAA Literature Review

Professional basketball relies on the collegiate basketball programs for players. Generally, players who excel at the collegiate level are drafted by professional teams, and college basketball programs often provide scholarships to those players with outstanding potential. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of players who move to the professional level without finishing their undergraduate degrees. This movement can have long-term effects on college basketball programs as well as on the lives of those players who do not succeed at the professional level. This research examines the literature currently available regarding this trend and the research methods used within the literature.

Of prime significance to this topic is the effect that a rule passed in 1994 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has on underclassmen considering leaving school to enter the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. Under the rule, underclassmen can retain their college eligibility so long as they have not signed with an agent or participated in tryouts with a professional team. The eligibility can be retained for 30 days after the NBA draft. The rule applies only to basketball, not to the other sports that the NCAA oversees, and is designed to provide a safety net to those players who are not drafted or who decide not to accept a spot with a professional team.

According to Blum (1994, p. A36), 74 underclassmen have entered the NBA draft between 1990 an

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chool altogether rather than return for a degree. While Zinser does not offer empirical findings supporting this position, the premise is that those players who are not drafted during their early eligibility are not likely to be drafted in the future; with basketball no longer their primary career goal, they must find other goals. The NCAA rule was recently invoked by Vashon Lenard, a shooting guard from Minnesota (Richardson, 1994, p. 42). Lenard entered the NBA draft and received an offer from the Milwaukee Bucks, but chose instead to return to Minnesota, presumably where he will complete his degree. Lenard's decision is an example of a student who did not receive an offer which he felt comfortable accepting. Richardson uses an interview with Lenard and his college coach as the basis for his article, but focuses on a single player and a single instance of the NCAA rule which limits the conclusions which can be drawn for players as a whole. A specific athlete considering leaving school early to enter the NBA draft is also the focus of Steve Gordon's article (1993, p. 79). Chris Webber was a member of the Michigan Wolverines basketball team who considered turning professional after his sophomore year. This took place befor

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