From February 12, 2006: The problem with college hoops

On the John

The problem with college hoops

Originally completed on February 12, 2006

Greg Oden of Indianapolis' Lawrence North HS and Jon Scheyer of Illinois' Glenbrook North HS were two of the biggest attractions of high school hoops in 2006.

High school sports in America have always been a big deal for people with strong attachments to their respective communities, but with the influx of high school players entering the NBA over the past ten years, high level high school hoops have grown in popularity and notoriety.

High school basketball used to be a feeder into the college game, but now it is often a feeder into the pro game. In response to the growing number of players gambling their futures on their chances with the NBA, the league instituted an age limit this season. Still, there’s no slowing the natural progression of sports, a.k.a. business, and thus high school hoops are bigger than they’ve ever been. ESPN has been airing big time HS hoops games for the past four years, beginning back when LeBron James was still but a wee lad of a high school senior. This is wrong, the people shouted, but who could blame ESPN for wanting to televise a kid who, as a junior, had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated?