By KELLY VEST
SANTA CLARA, CA

Quick.  Name the top three NBA players who combine pure athleticism with mad game?  My response would be Kobe, KG and T-Mac.  What else does this trifecta have in common?  The fact that they played nary a minute of college ball.  Oh yeah, and were roundly criticized for it.

Don't get me wrong.  There are very few players who are prepared mentally and physically to go from their Prom to The Show.  However, college graduates aren't usually ready to hit the ground running in any profession much less one where expectations are immense, scrutiny intense, and the level of responsibility is significant Day One.  Tim Duncan is just as rare a commodity as Darius Miles and in all likelihood more so in the years to come.  Even if the NCAA finally gets a wake up call and initiates some form of stipend for Division 1 players it's doubtful the premier scholastic players will waste several prime income earning years matriculating to a major university.  And why should they?  Anyone who feels otherwise is either a "player hater" or makes their living from college basketball.

OK, before non-believers start rattling off the likes of Bill Willoughby (who truth be told was a wonderfully talented player) and Leon Smith there are prerequisites to turning pro before one can enter a bar legally.  In addition to incredible talent the player should have a good heaping of patience and maturity.  A mentor doesn't hurt either.  For every KG who Kevin McHale made sure received minutes and shots there are several cases of mishandling, like that of Jermaine O'Neal.  While he still has a ways to go Jermaine deserved more playing time in Portland.  Does Paul Allen ever question personnel decisions within his organization?  Dale Davis and Shawn Kemp combined are averaging fewer minutes, points, rebounds and blocks than O'Neal is in Indiana.  Not to mention helicopter left handed flushes.  Speaking of the Pacers, don't sleep on this squad.  With the aforementioned O'Neal, Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender they have three supremely talented players who entered the draft after high school.  

The argument for attending college held some weight when players weren't signing multi-million dollar contracts.  And even then it was a stretch.  Someone has to be pretty removed from reality to believe impoverished kids from the hood with dreams of making it in the NBA are going to focus on academics and life after basketball while attending college.  I was a middle class, decent shot, no-quicks point guard at an NAIA school and life after basketball wasn't on my radar screen.  So if DuJaun Wagner or Kelvin Torbid comes out next spring one might be wise to take a wait and see approach.

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