Bob Knight Wonders: Are Greg Oden, Kevin Durant in Class?

On ESPN's Outside the Lines this morning, Texas Tech coach Bob Knight reiterated his previous statements that the current situation of elite basketball players spending one year in college before leaving to the NBA is bad for the game.

"As that rule stands it has a tremendous negative effect, I believe, on college athletics," Knight said.

Two particular players, Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas's Kevin Durant, are the reason we're talking about this. Oden and Durant, both freshmen, are expected to be the first two players chosen in this year's NBA draft. Knight didn't mention either player by name, but he made it clear that he questions whether such players bother going to class at all.

Knight pointed out that a basketball player needs to earn only six credit hours in his first semester to be eligible to play in his second semester, and that he doesn't need to go to class at all during the second semester to stay eligible through the end of the season. Given that, are Oden and Durant going to class? If I were them, I probably wouldn't.

"I personally would not recruit a kid who's only going to be here for one year," Knight said. "With that said, I have no problem with those coaches or those schools that have taken a kid who they know is only going to stay for one year because it's within the rules to do so."

Knight called on the NBA to change its rules on draft eligibility, but I don't see that happening. The NBA cares about its own product, not the integrity of college sports. It's for the NCAA to make sure its basketball players really are "student athletes." It should start by making a simple request to Ohio State and Texas: Tell us whether Oden and Durant are going to class every day. A player who leaves for the NBA after earning six credit hours is an athlete, but he isn't a student.

Previously at FanHouse:
Bob Knight Thinks Kevin Durant Is Bad For College Basketball
A Counterpoint on Bob Knight's One-and-Done Comments
Hey, Coach Knight, Isiah Thomas Was Kevin Durant