The right call

Anthony, James have everything to gain by turning pro

Not long ago, I received an e-mail message from a very good friend suggesting I write a column on a subject about which he was extremely passionate: "Take a look at why these hotshot freshmen in the Final Four should, in fact, stay, in school, i.e., Carmelo Anthony."

I replied: "But what if I don't think they should?"

"Then say so with reasons us laymen can understand," he implored. "Will they make it as pros? Whatever happened to Omar Cook?"

Good enough: This past week Anthony, the gifted Syracuse 6-foot-8 forward who led the Orangemen to the NCAA title, and schoolboy wonder LeBron James surprised absolutely no one by declaring themselves eligible for the NBA draft.

Interestingly, their announcements were not accompanied by the typical whining from the get-your-education bunch that surfaces whenever a young athlete decides to drop the books for bucks. Maybe these cynics have conceded that the parade of kids forgoing college for the chance to earn millions -- the parade that began when Spencer Haywood won the right to go "hardship" in 1969 -- is an irrevocable reality of today's sports culture.

Or maybe they've realized that leaving college early (or passing it up altogether, for that matter) does not have to be a zero-sum decision. Any athlete who is committed to earning a diploma can do so, and many have, including NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Vince Carter, among many others.

In truth, most major-college athletes who participate in basketball or football will not earn a diploma anyway, whether they attend college for five years or five minutes. Last fall the NCAA's most recent figures revealed that less than half (43 percent) of all Division I men's basketball players who entered college in 1995 graduated, while slightly more than half of Division I-A football players (52 percent) got degrees. These numbers are more troubling than whether a handful of super-gifted athletes decide to go pro in any given year. They reflect a systemic problem, a world where education is simply not as valued as highly as winning. Coaches are not paid to graduate their players; they're paid to win. A coach who graduates 100 percent of his players but loses 75 percent of his games is, well, a janitor-in-training.

Even as the kid who delivered Jim Boeheim his first national title trembled next to him while announcing his departure, the coach was unequivocal in his view that the decision was sound. "College is to prepare you for what you're going to do in your life," Boeheim said. "If it takes one year, then so be it."

No doubt, Anthony and James made the right calls. They'll probably sign NBA contracts worth as much as $15 million, and endorsement deals that could be, in James' case, four times that.

Someone who believed emphatically that "these kids" should stay in school once asked me: "What would you do if it was your son?"

Please. On the day he's to sign his pro contract, I'd slip another "contract" in front him to sign first: one that makes him promise to return to school and earn his degree within 10 years. Then I'd call my real estate agent in Hilton Head.

To answer my aforementioned friend's questions:

Will James and Anthony make it as pros? Barring injury, both likely will be All-Stars within three years. These ain't no Kwame Browns we're talking about. And if for some unforeseen reason they don't cut it in the NBA, they both appear to be intelligent young men who, with their riches, will figure out some way to be solid contributors to society. If nothing else, they'll be solid tax-paying citizens.

As for Omar Cook, he's the poster child for the other side of the coin, the side indelibly stained with misfortune. Basketball fans outside of the New York area probably never have heard of Cook. But in the fall of 2000, he was the chosen one in the city. A powerful freshman guard at St. John's and a McDonald's High School All-American, Cook led a group of three rookies who, after a particularly dazzling early-season performance, inspired head coach Mike Jarvis to say he "wouldn't trade my three freshmen for any three in the country." Later that season Cook scored 18 points and had five assists in a dramatic victory over No. 12 Kentucky.

Cook was feelin' himself, and New York was feelin' him. It was an intoxicating mixture that clouded Cook's senses. After the season, the young man declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, despite public statements by NBA scouts, and even Jarvis, stating Cook was not ready.

Not even close. Cook wasn't drafted until the second round, the 32d pick overall, by Orlando. Before training camp the Magic traded him to the Nuggets, who cut him before the season began.

This season, Cook averaged 10.2 points and 5.4 assists for the Fayetteville Patriots of the National Basketball Development League. The Patriots reached the league finals last month, but lost the best-of-three series to the Mobile Revelers. In the decisive third game, a 75-72 Revs triumph, Cook scored 11 points but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Roy S. Johnson is an assistant managing editor for Sports Illustrated. His "Pass the Word" column appears on SI.com every Friday. Catch Johnson on CNN Headline news every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET.

 

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