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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

This year’s draft last of its kind

David Aldridge Philadelphia Inquirer

NEW YORK – They are all grandfathers, though none has yet turned 21.

The last class of high schoolers and one-year college phenoms under 19 is here for tonight’s NBA draft, aware that after they go through, the door shuts for good behind them.

The new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union will prohibit players just out of high school from declaring for the draft, starting next year. A player will have to be out of high school for at least a year and be 19 in the calendar year of the draft to be eligible.

But because the new agreement has yet to take effect, these players will be grandfathered into the system and can be selected. There are 11 of them.

High school swingman Gerald Green, for example, just got in under the gun. The prodigy from Gulf Shores Academy in Houston was set to go to Oklahoma State next season, but the lure of NBA millions was too good to pass up. Even his mother, a teacher, understood – although she’s insisting that he get his degree while in the league.

Green said he would have complied with the new rules and gone to college if his class had fallen under the guidelines.

“If it would have happened, I would have gone to college one year,” Green said. “I would have gotten some college experience. Hopefully, I would have gotten better, especially with Eddie Sutton there, and hopefully I’d be in the same situation that I’m in now.”

North Carolina forward Marvin Williams considered entering the draft right out of Bremerton (Wash.) High last year. Under the new rules, he wouldn’t have been eligible. But Williams pulled out of the draft and attended North Carolina last season, helping the Tar Heels capture a national championship, even though he didn’t start.

Williams said he made the right choice.

“One year of college helped me,” Williams said. “It’s interesting, to me. Eighteen, 19 – I don’t really see a big difference in that. But one year of college will definitely help a lot of players if they decide to come out after that first year. It will make the league a lot better. Guys will be more experienced.”