Players Opting For Nba Draft Now Take Risks

The NCAA voted Tuesday to make basketball players think twice before going early into the NBA draft, just one day after giving athletes more liberty and more say than ever before.

In another significant action on the last day of the final full convention of the NCAA, delegates voted to give financial protection to all men’s and women’s championships in Olympic sports. Many, especially men’s volleyball and gymnastics, were in danger of losing their funding.

“This takes these sports off the endangered list,” Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger said. “This is a very happy development.”

The measure to protect Olympic sports championships was approved after lengthy debate, but delegates voted almost without argument to partially rescind the right for undergraduates to go into the NBA draft.

Three years ago, the NCAA decided to permit undergraduates to enter the draft and retain their eligibility so long as they did not hire an agent or sign a contract.

Since then, an increasing number of underclassmen have left college. The NBA also adopted a policy that lets teams retain rights to players they draft even if the draftees return to college.

The new NCAA rule specifies that athletes who enter the draft but aren’t selected will retain their eligibility. But if a team does draft them, their college careers are over. Thus, the athletes will bear ultimate responsibility for this important decision.