Hey, Coach Knight, Isiah Thomas Was Kevin Durant
We at NCAA Basketball FanHouse have had a lot to say about Bob Knight's comments on players, such as Texas's Kevin Durant, who go to college for one year and then leave for the NBA. Knight said:
"It's the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching. Because now you can have a kid come to school for a year and play basketball and he doesn't even have to go to class. He certainly doesn't have to go to class the second semester. I'm not exactly positive about the first semester. But he would not have to attend a single class the second semester to play through the whole second semester of basketball.
"That, I think, has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports."
For the most part, I agree with him. But has he forgotten his own history? One of Knight's own players, Isiah Thomas, was among the earliest to make it crystal clear that for top players, college was mostly a stepping stone for the NBA. Thomas left Indiana after just two years playing for Knight, and although he did later earn a degree, getting drafted by the Pistons was a far higher priority for him than getting college credit.
And that's how it should be. Playing basketball is what Thomas was best at, and in college you ought to work toward realizing your full potential. That's what Kevin Durant is doing, and that's what Isiah Thomas did. I don't see a big difference between Kevin Durant's college career and Thomas's. I sense that Knight does.
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