March 2007 Basketball Wiretap

Bobby Knight Blasts NBA Minimum Age Rule

Feb 19, 2007 8:43 PM

The new rule that says players must be at least one year removed from high school before entering the NBA is "the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching," says Texas Tech coach Bob Knight.

In the Big 12, it might be called the Kevin Durant Rule after the Longhorn freshman who has electrified the entire country and leads the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Instituted last year by the NBA, it means that super-talented players must wait at least a year rather than jumping into the pros right out of high school.

"Because now you can have a kid come to school for a year and play basketball and he doesn't even have to go to class," Knight said Monday during the Big 12 coaches call. "He certainly doesn't have to go to class the second semester. I'm not exactly positive about the first semester. But he would not have to attend a single class the second semester to play through the whole second semester of basketball.

"That, I think, has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports."

Knight said he would never have recruited Durant, although he doesn't blame Texas coach Rick Barnes for doing so. "I don't fault those that have, because it's within the rules," Knight said. "But the rules are just ridiculous, the way the thing is set up."

"It's just a tremendous disservice, the way that it's structured, to the integrity of college sports."

ESPN

Tags: NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft

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Mayo Suspended Three Games

Feb 9, 2007 7:29 PM

O.J. Mayo will miss three games as punishment for being ejected and making contact with a referee in a Jan. 26 game.

The two-week suspension, retroactive to Feb. 3, was agreed to by Mayo's attorney, the Secondary School Activities Commission and Huntington High School.

Mayo said that the suspension fair.

"I guess we have to serve whatever penalty we got, accept the consequences and move on," Mayo told reporters after a hearing.

Los Angeles Times

Tags: NBA, NBA NBA Draft

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