Early entries weaken NCAA, NBA

With one simple statement, so much was lost.

"I've decided to take my talent to the NBA draft this year," said former Georgia signee Louis Williams of South Gwinnett High.

Sure, Williams stands to earn millions of dollars instead of credit hours toward a degree. And yes, Williams could still back out at the last minute and head to Athens, Ga., if he doesn't think his services will be first-round worthy.

But this decision - and so many others like it made by talented teenagers - is really a lose-lose-lose-lose situation for everyone.

Georgia coach Dennis Felton and his program lose a guy who had the potential to take them from worst to first in a short trip.

College basketball and its fans lose as another potentially defining player bypasses the most compelling system altogether.

The NBA loses as it inherits another underdeveloped player lacking in the maturity to handle the lifestyle and the fundamentals to enhance a diminishing standard of play.

And Williams himself loses the once-in-a-lifetime collegiate experience and the foundational support that being forever linked to one institution brings with it.

Basketball - both the college and NBA varieties - are broken. You can't deny that when the reigning national champion at North Carolina, on the brink of dynasty status, will basically start from scratch after four underclassmen cut down the nets and said "See ya!" to coach Roy Williams.

Even for those of us who absolutely can't stand the Tar Heels, we all lost something there.

This isn't about whether Williams is ready for a higher stage than he

would have found in Stegeman Coliseum. He's a smart kid and supremely gifted. Maybe he can join Allen Iverson as the smallest shooting guard in the NBA. But if you're among the millions of Americans who find the NBA as unappealing and irrelevant as Champions Tour golf, Williams' gifts will be lost in a vacuum unless he gets involved in a brawl or put on trial.

There are those who do care greatly for the NBA, so I asked one of them what he thought about Williams and the others like him who are in such a hurry to get there.

Michael Curry, the outgoing president of the NBA Players Association, is familiar with Williams' work. The Glenn Hills and Georgia Southern product, who spent 15 years in the professional ranks, currently lives in the same county as the South Gwinnett star guard.

"I've seen him play some," Curry said of Williams. "Very talented."

Curry, who readily admits that even four years of college weren't enough to make him ready for the NBA, doesn't begrudge or condemn Williams' choice.

"If a kid is going to be drafted in the first round, at any time that's a tremendous honor," Curry said. "I hope he has the right support group behind him. There will be obstacles in the way, not just on but off the court, and you need to right support."

Curry understands the motivation to reach for the riches instead of the educational opportunities.

"When I look at guys, if they can be drafted in the first round and get guaranteed contracts, it's hard to tell a kid no," he said. "If a kid is drafted in the first round, he will be given opportunities to succeed. They've invested in him. But I'd like to see kids who will not be first rounders go to college."

Part of the urgency for borderline first-round picks such as Williams to test the pro market now is that NBA Commissioner David Stern is proposing an age limit for league rookies.

This summer, Stern will try to set the foundation at 20 years old.

"I don't think a number works," said Curry, who points out that maybe the best player in the NBA now (LeBron James) is a 20-year-old MVP candidate. "Some high school kids are 18, some 19. I wouldn't want them to go to a prep school for a year to wait 'til they're old enough."

Curry wants to see prep stars with the undeniable first-round potential of James or Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady or Kevin Garnett to still have the opportunity to get drafted right out of high school.

But for those not picked in the first-round, Curry wants the NCAA to restore their eligibility in exchange for a three-year commitment to a college.

Everybody yields something, Curry believes. And everybody wins.

"It's a good trade-off being able to play for three years," Curry said. "It would stop the influx of guys every year focusing on trying to come out."

Curry speaks with first-hand knowledge of what's going on in these players' minds. He trains with prospects every summer and talks to them about what they want and what they're willing to do.

"That's their dream to be first-round and lottery picks," he said. "But they all tell me that if they're not (going to be first-rounders) they would love to go to school."

Williams and others would find out that giving it the old college try would be best in the end for everyone.

It's a shame we'll never get to really know - or know him.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.