Lorenzo Romar knew the deal three years ago, when he coaxed a 7-foot center named Spencer Hawes to join his Washington basketball program.

Romar knew he was probably recruiting a one-year rental. That Hawes’ plan was to use Washington as a tune-up before skipping town for an NBA city to-be-named. ‘If we had him for two, we would have been ecstatic,’ Romar said. ‘But we thought there was a good chance that he’d only be here for one.’

Then again, recruiting one-and-done players has become the norm for some major college programs. It’s been three years since the NBA implemented its one-year rule – specifying that any potential draftee must be 19 years old and at least one year removed from high school to be eligible.

The edict has had a double-edged effect on the college game. On one hand, it’s funneled teenage talents like Hawes into the college ranks by ending the trickle of high schoolers leaping straight to the NBA Draft.

At the same time, it’s exposed college coaches to a new type of recruit – one that sees his college career as a one-year buffer separating them from millions of professional dollars.

Most college coaches, including Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, still like legislation to keep players in college for two to three years.

Most also seem to understand a shift in the status quo doesn’t appear likely. The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2011, meaning any change in the age limit won’t take effect until after then. The NCAA has no control over the rule.

‘I don’t think it will be changed,’ Boeheim said. ‘It would be nice if it would be, but I don’t think it will be changed.

‘But a one-year rule is better than no rule.’

It’s easy to understand Boeheim’s statement. Five years ago, players like former Memphis guard Derrick Rose or former Kansas State forward Michael Beasley would have foregone college. The duo went No. 1 and 2, respectively, in this year’s NBA Draft.

At the same time, it’s easy to fathom why college coaches would want players taking extended stays in the college game. Some of those are understandably selfish. ‘You don’t totally get to grow as a team when you have a guy for one year,’ Romar said.

Regardless, the rule seems to be forcing more players to go the one-and-done route. A record 10 freshmen were taken in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft, including the first three players selected (Southern California’s O.J. Mayo was third overall). There were eight one-and-done freshmen taken in the first round of the 2007 Draft, and two in the 2006 version (the first under the new rules).

Two of those freshmen in 2007 – Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton – spent the previous year playing for Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech. Young and Crittenton were the Yellow Jackets two leading scorers, keeping them afloat before they eventually earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

Still, Hewitt downplayed the importance of the rule to the college game.

‘I’d say the NBA’s the No. 1 beneficiary of it,’ Hewitt said. ‘I would say second is the players themselves, and third is the college game. That said, I don’t think it has a major effect on the health of our game.’

Hawes was also part of that 2007 class, taken No. 10 by the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game his lone season with the Huskies. ‘He came in, had a successful year and moved on to the pros,’ Romar said.

Romar understood Hawes’ decision. He said a problem occurs when players go into their freshman season with the mentality that they are ‘renting out’ the program for a year.

Such concerns came to the forefront in light of the O.J. Mayo scandal this past spring. In May, ESPN reported that Mayo received about $30,000 in cash and gifts while at USC from BDA Sports Management.

Reggie Minton, the deputy executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, thinks forcing players to college that aren’t ready or have no desire to be there isn’t a smart idea.

‘I suspect that the year or two, or more, of college would be good for most people,’ said Minton, the former head coach of Air Force. ‘But you got to have the desire and the inclination to go to college. If you have none, I don’t think that’s something we want this rule to create.’

Minton favored allowing players who want to jump straight to the NBA to do so. ‘How many high school players are the NBA going to get? Not many,’ Minton said.’

But perhaps there’s a middle ground in all this? Boeheim is among those that favor a set-up similar to baseball’s farm system. A player can choose to jump straight to the pros out of high school. But if he chooses to play in college, he would have to stay there two or three years. NCAA president Myles Brand publicly declared his desire for a two-year rule.

As it is now, Boeheim has little choice but to recruit players regardless of whether he thinks they might go one-and-done or not.

‘You have to recruit good players,’ Boeheim said. ‘If they’re good enough to go (pro), they’re going to go.’

Of course, the decision isn’t always a simple one. Some one-and-done players may not be totally prepared for the rigors of the NBA. After an erratic freshman campaign at Syracuse, Donte Greene has struggled early in his rookie season, playing in three of Sacramento’s eight games so far and scoring a total of four points.

‘You gotta really know you want it,’ Greene said. ‘It’s a lot of hard work. I’ve never worked this hard in my life, from the moment I decided to go to the NBA until now. It’s been extremely hard. But you have to love it.’

Regardless, in the short term it doesn’t appear major change is on the way anytime soon. In late October, the Atlantic Coast conference announced its support of a rule that would curtail the amount of time underclassmen have after the season to decide whether to declare for the NBA Draft.

This would keep freshmen like Greene (who declared himself eligible after the season but didn’t decide on an agent until early May) from testing the NBA waters and coaxing themselves into going pro.

But even this would be a tertiary change. The one-and-done trend looks like it will continue. And coaches like Romar will have to deal with it.

‘I do think the game has changed,’ Romar said. ‘We stress education, but at the same time with the money these guys are making … you’d like to see them stay four (years) but that’s a thing of the past.’

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on November 12, 2008 at 12:00 pm