Jalen Green, 2020's top rated high school stud, decided to forgo the college experience to become the first participant in the NBA's revamped G League development program. Like a teenage boy finding out their prom date has decided to skip the dance to go clubbing with a guy who drives a Porsche, college basketball Twitter has been left wondering what the hell just happened, suddenly envisioning a future wandering alone in a wasteland filled with empty basketball arenas.
Will this open the floodgates?
Hell yes. 5-star Michigan de-commit, Isaiah Todd, has already hired an agent and has said he's going pro. I wouldn't be shocked if a half-a-dozen more incoming freshman from the 2020 class joins them over having to take final exams in December.
COVID-19 isn't going to help either. The virus has already cost us a NCAA Tournament and (fill in the blank) from winning the championship, so how will it effect the upcoming season? Florida beaches are already back open in some areas, this pandemic is not going away. Will colleges have classes in the fall? Will athletes be able to enroll in summer classes like they usually do, to get a head start on the basketball court? If the college football season struggles to get rolling, we could see a ton of kids this year head for greener pastures.
Beyond this season, if this program proves to be successful, we can probably kiss ever seeing the top 20 recruits from future classes every showing up on a campus. Sure, they won't get the national exposure they would get playing on ESPN nearly every week, but they'll have 500,000 good reasons to get over that.
What happens to the college game?
Now I used the word "probably" in the title because I'll never underestimate the ability of the NCAA and Mark Emmett from shooting themselves in the foot with a rocket launcher. Yet, the college game will survive. Yes, they'll be a Zion-sized hole when it comes to star power, but the game thrived for a generation without stud freshmen rolling in and dominating.
Fans are loyal to schools for a variety of reasons. No one became a Blue Devils fan because Kyrie Irving put on the Duke uniform and stopped rooting for them once he departed. Fans want their teams to win championships and they don't care if they're won by one-and-done players or teams loaded with seniors. Coaches like John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski will adjust their recruiting strategies. Players like, Obi Toppin, who didn't even receive a scholarship offer after high school, will come to college, develop, grow and blossom into stars.
And lastly, no matter how many future NBA players the Los Angeles Thundercats throw out there in glorified AAU games, they won't be able to match the atmosphere of Allen Fieldhouse.
If I may quote Gloria Gaynor...
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