With the end of the University of Texas’ season comes the question: is Kevin Durant going to turn pro or stick around for a few more years?
Durant, a 6-foot-10 swingman, is every coach’s dream. He can shoot from behind the arc and post up on the big men inside. His 7-foot-4-inch wingspan makes him impossible to shoot over, and his desire to have the ball in his hands during crucial moments makes him anything but a typical freshman.
In his first season as a Longhorn, Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and broke records every time he stepped onto the court.
He’s beginning to establish himself as a legend by being first in the race for the coveted Naismith Award, which would make him the first freshman in history to receive it.
In his first season as a Longhorn, Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
He’s already done all this, so what else does he have left to do as a Longhorn?
Get an education and win a national championship.
With the NBA’s rule, which was implemented in 2005, before any athlete can enter the draft, he must be at least 19 years old and one year out of high school, meaning the Kobe Bryants and Lebron Jameses have to take a stab at college for at least one year. Durant, who only turned 18 last September, was forced to choose between colleges-not NBA teams-upon his high school graduation.
This rule forces players to receive at least a year of education, and perhaps many will finish their degrees before heading off to the league. Most devoted and skilled basketball players don’t like to give up. on anything. They’re competitive and work hard to become better at what they do. So why not apply that to other parts of their lives and not give up on college?
Three years from now, Durant could leave Texas bound for the NBA with a degree in his back pocket and possibly a national championship banner hanging in the Erwin center.
Yes, he could leave now and earn millions of dollars before he’s even legal to drink, but what about the feeling of accomplishment and pride in an area other than basketball?
Durant needs to stick around and show the world what college basketball is all about. Light up the scoreboards, and lead your team to the ultimate goal: a national championship. Continue developing as a player and a person, and then go make the millions. Stay devoted to the coach who recruited you and the teammates who rely on you.
He needs to continue playing for the name on the front of his jersey, the school and team who has helped make him the star that he is, not the name on the back that will someday, preferably three years from now, earn him the big bucks.
