Is the NBA's Age Limit Hurting College Hoops?

Four of the first five picks in the 2008 NBA Draft -- and fourteen overall -- were freshmen. Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings might skip a college career entirely and play in Europe for a year to prep for the 2009 NBA Draft.

The common thread? The NBA's age limit. And during this off season, the rhetoric is just going to get more heated.

A distinguished chorus of college basketball voices -- including Bob Knight, Dick Vitale and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl -- have already spoken out against the limit as a negative force in college hoops. It's unfair to the players. It makes a mockery of the academic year. It puts programs -- like Pearl's Tennessee Volunteers -- at risk of losing scholarships when early-exits impact academic and graduation-rate stats.

CBS and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas is proposing a revision to the limit -- and it seems his proposal has gotten the NBA's attention.

The Bilas plan is similar to the process used by Major League Baseball:

• High school seniors would be eligible for the draft.
• Once a player enters college, he'd be ineligible for the draft for a set period... say, two years.

In Major League Baseball, players who enter college are locked in for three years, or until they turn 21.

Of course, there are a number of details that need to be worked out.

• What happens to a player who enters the draft but isn't selected? Can he then enter college?
• What about players who are drafted? Do they instantly lose eligibility? Or can they maintain amateur status if they don't sign with agents?

The latter question is particularly relevant. For baseball players, college often becomes a bargaining chip... "give me a bigger signing bonus, or I'm going to play for University X." The NBA's rookie salary scale -- and the fact that NBA players are so well-compensated -- might mitigate that problem. But what if a super-prospect doesn't want to play for the team that drafted him? "Trade me to the Lakers, or I'm going to play at UCLA" might become a very significant threat.

Poll:What sort of limit -- if any -- should the NBA place on players entering the draft?

1. No limit. Anyone may apply.
2. Players must be 19 or have completed one year of college.
3. Players must be 20 or have completed two years of college.
4. Players must be 21 or have completed three years of college.
5. Players must be 22 or have completed four years of college.
6. MLB-style plan: anyone can apply out of high school, but players entering college become ineligible for three years.
7. View Results

Sound off

What's the best solution? Increase the age limit? Eliminate the age limit? Go with a hybrid approach, like MLB? Join the discussion on the college hoops forum and share your ideas.