NBA vs. College Rules

Shamefully it's been a long time since I last posted to this blog, but as I watch tonight's Final Four showdown between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tarheels, I was just thinking about why NCAA basketball rules are so different from NBA rules. To wit, here are some differences:

-NCAA plays 20 minute halves, vs. 12-minute quarters in NBA
-1 and 1 foul situations in NCAA, but not in NBA
-possession arrow in NCAA vs. jump ball in the pros
-shorter 3-point arc in NCAA

I'd like to know what the reasoning is behind having these disparate rules. Seems to me like the NCAA should mesh with the NBA rules since they're essentially training their players on how to play in the pros. In addition, it takes out the confusion for novice fans if the rules are more universal.

All in all, what's the benefit of having different regulations between the two?

College Recruiting and the Head Coach Issue... Total Insanity

I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today about a press conference that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno held yesterday. In the article, Paterno talked about how people always ask him how long he'll be coaching Penn State. I assume this is meant to reflect some sort of future stability at Penn State, or lack thereof, when a recruit decides what school to attend. To that I say... this question is totally insane.

In principle, this question is actually not totally insane. Sure, if I'm a budding star football player, I'd most certainly like to know which coach I'm going to be playing for. It would give me a sense of what to expect, and allow me to find the coach that best suits my preference.

But in reality, this question is totally insane. Coaches switch jobs, get fired, retire, or become lame ducks left and right. Just think about these names in recent years and consider how stable the college coaching profession really is (click on the links to see coaching changes from the past year in each respective sport):

College Basketball Coaches
-Billy Donovan
-Fran Dunphy
-Roy Williams
-Bobby Knight
-Kelvin Sampson

College Football Coaches
-Rich Rodriguez
-June Jones
-Dennis Franchione
-Bobby Petrino
-Chan Gailey

Those are some big names that have changed places, in both sports. So what it comes down to is the overall program. Coaching changes occur on practically a weekly basis, across the country. That's the reality of college sports now. What recruits really should be looking at is the overall program. Is it strong? Is it up and coming? Is it going downhill? Worrying about what coach is going to be there next year, or next week for that matter, is pretty futile. Kind of like timing the stock market-- will it be up this month? Down this month? Or over the next four years will it be pretty good overall? Long term is always the best way to go.

So yes, Coach Paterno is nearing the end of his career, unless he finds the fountain of youth (maybe he already has?), but I think every athlete in America knows what he's getting with Penn State football. As the saying goes, "It is what it is." In fact, in today's game, college sports are more about the overall brand than they are about the coach. But some people haven't caught on to this fact of life.

While some people are busy trying to follow the dizzying coaching carousel, I think athletes are much better off trying to figure out how they'll fit in the whole program-- how they mesh with the entire coaching staff, the entire team, and the entire university. That's the most sane way to look at it all...

An Editorial on Basketball: College vs. NBA

Pardon me while I express my opinion for a moment.

I've been glued to the NCAA tournament this weekend. It's always been one of my favorite sporting events, and probably my current favorite event, and not just because it's fun to fill out brackets. It's because I'm simply amazed at the level of play in the vast majority of games... unlike what goes on in the NBA on most nights.

I'm admittedly disenchanted with the NBA game. Sure, it's the cream of the basketball crop, but I feel like the game has no energy compared to the college game. NBA players slack off on defense, the crowd isn't into it in the same way as college (so to make up for it, NBA teams try to pump in loud music to make it seem like it's exciting), and I just get the feeling that NBA players don't really care if they lose because they've got it made otherwise. In the college game, players zoom up and down the floor, cover their men on defense with only inches to spare, and are genuinely distraught when they lose. It's like two different worlds.

To put it in perspective, while I'm happy that the Sixers are doing well and in line for a playoff bid, I just can't get as excited as I would for, say, Villanova, a team (one of many in the tourney) that fights and scraps and energizes the fans.

Plus you can go to a college game and not have to get a second mortgage on your house unlike an NBA game.

That's my opinion. Thank you.