NBA Age Rule Impacts Ohio State
Three freshmen jumped to NBA after reaching 2007 Championship Game.
As Greg Oden, Michael Conley Jr., and Daequan Cook deal with vastly different rookie seasons, the Buckeye basketball program rebuilds in a new era of college basketball.
For Ohio State, the NBA age rule was both a blessing and a curse. After the NBA squashed the preps to pros trend in favor of a mandatory year of development, NBA hopefuls Greg Oden, Michael Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook chose to become Buckeyes for the 2006-07 season. The freshman trio helped the team reach the 2007 Championship Game, but ultimately decided to trade in their Buckeye uniforms for a shot at the NBA. As part of the first draft class affected by the NBA age rule, Oden, Cook, and Conley are currently making their way in the NBA as the Buckeye basketball program and the rest of college basketball begins to adjust to a new system.
David Egelhoff, President of Basketball Operations for Ohio State, believes that the age rule is a good first step, but thinks that in the future the rule should be adjusted to two or three years. “When an 18 year old kid enters the NBA, it is a culture shock,” he says, “They are not ready as people for what happens on and off the court…I don’t think people see enough value in allowing these kids to mature.”
Egelhoff says that the three freshman improved aspects of their game as well as matured off the court. He mentions the development of Oden’s footwork, Cook’s basketball IQ, and Conley’s confidence. He also cites their ability to master new and more sophisticated offensive and defensive schemes.
John Groce, Associate Head Coach, says that Ohio State models its program after the NBA. “We set a lot of ball screens, which is the most common action you will see in an NBA game,” he says.
Groce says that Head Coach Thad Matta allowed the players to make plays and be aggressive, even if it led to occasional mistakes. “Consequently, guys start playing better than they are… and they realize they can play at that certain level,” he says. He believes that this realization and gained confidence played a huge role on one player in particular. “No one had Mike Conley on his radar screen. NBA guys had opportunities to see him play in different tournaments leading into college. People were saying he needs more time, he needs more strength. All of a sudden, five months later, he’s a lottery pick.”
While the age rule had clear benefits for the players, its implications for college basketball programs are slightly greyer. Groce says that he and Head Coach Thad Matta reflect on the late 1960's and early '70’s when Coach John Wooden of UCLA had the opportunity to coach legendary players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton for three years because of the rule prohibiting college freshmen from playing on the varsity team. “Could you imagine having Oden and then saying, ‘yeah I got him for two more years?’” he asked. Groce continues, “It makes having dynasties, where you are at the crux of college basketball, difficult at our level.”
The specific implications for Ohio State are bittersweet. “There is no question that the one year rule benefited Ohio State and helped us reach the National Championship game, Egelhoff says before continuing, “We joke that it also hurt Ohio State because if the rule were two years, we think we could have won the whole thing.”
In the 2007 draft, all three freshmen were drafted in the first round. The Portland Trailblazers selected Oden first overall, the Memphis Grizzlies took Conley with the fourth pick, and the Philadelphia 76ers chose Cook with the twenty-first pick before trading him to the Miami Heat. Ironically, both Cook and Conley are off to a better start than Oden, who will miss his entire rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery. Both players are logging significant minutes, while Conley replaced veteran Damon Stoudamire as the starting point guard.
“I think that each of them made the right decision,” says Egelhoff. He talks about the opportunity for Conley to play and gain confidence, while Cook gets to learn from an elite coach in Pat Riley and a superstar in Dwyane Wade. This year, Oden must experience the NBA from the bench, yet Egelhoff assures that Oden “will take the league by storm next season.”
While Egelhoff knew the risk inherent in having top NBA prospects play for Ohio State, he says, “They are all Buckeyes for the rest of their lives – something they and we are very proud of.”
