Cheick Diallo Should Have Weighed Overseas Hoop Options

When you see situations like what is going on with Kansas Jayhawks’ top recruit Cheick Diallo, you have to wonder if he would have decided to go to college if he knew all the issues he was going to have before hand.

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Cheick Diallo seems to be having a hard time becoming academically eligible, and according to what Kansas head coach Bill Self said in Terrance Payne’s College Basketball talk article, “it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t know anything for at least another month” as it pertains to Diallo’s eligibility.

When you look at what is behind the academic eligibility issues you have to think to yourself that the people in charge really do not do these kids any justice.

It turns out that the high school Diallo attended, Old Savior New American in New York, is currently under NCAA review.

It seems that credits from the school are currently not being accepted by the NCAA Clearing House until the NCAA knows for sure that the exchange rate is going to be up to par for eligibility.

Alabama guard Kobie Eubanks had the same issue concerning his credits from Old Savior New American and was ruled ineligible.

So basically the high school’s counselors are failing these kids by not making sure that the classes they take are college prep, and the kids are the collateral damage in the mess.

These are the kinds of things that annoy you when you are on the outside looking in. Seeing a kid like Diallo have to go through these changes when in reality, his situation does not need to look so messy. Simply make sure he is getting the right classes to be eligible for college.

Cheick Diallo is one of the top players in the nation, and as such, he should have options that the average high school player does not have.

The five-star 6-foot-9 power forward is considered the No.5 recruit of the 2015 recruiting class by Rivals and is projected to be a Top 15 selection in the 2016 NBA Draft by both NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.

Players that have their draft status and projection this high already should have someone in their ear telling them that they have other options besides college such as playing overseas for a season.

This is especially true when the issues are scholastic, and all the grown-ups in the situation know that the chances for the player getting his eligibility are bleak.

What makes this situation so terrible is that the high school was responsible for what classes they were giving these players, and knew that these students were aspiring to be on a track that was going to lead them to college.

Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY

But since there is an issue, those same adults need to figure out how to find an alternative for a player of Diallo’s stature, and that would be to see if they can get him a roster spot overseas so he can get paid.

Of course once he does that, he will not be eligible to play college basketball, but what position would you rather be in?

Would you rather be ineligible because your schoolwork is not up to par for college eligibility, or would you rather be ineligible because you decided to go get paid as a professional overseas for a season, knowing that your draft status is pretty much a given?

The problem with the playing professionally overseas option is that it would actually take someone looking into whether that option is open to that particular player. Someone like an agent, head coach, parent. Someone who has the player’s long term interests in mind.

We have seen players like Brandon Jennings play in Italy and Emmanuel Mudiay ball in China before they were drafted high in the NBA.

This is something that top prospects, especially the prospects that people know could be having eligibility issues, should be taking a long look at doing.

This is nothing personal against the college game which in the end is the best way to get prepared for NBA basketball.

But honestly, the High Schools and the NCAA have enough information at their disposal so that these top players should be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to play the college eligibility game or take an alternative approach to being able to play hoop.

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College Basketball is not going to suffer because most of these kids will choose to play in college for the exposure.

These kids do however need to have all the information put before them to make an informed decision instead of trusting that all the maneuvering is going to be taken care of in time.

If Cheick Diallo had a solid alternative to playing college basketball while knowing that his credits in the end were not up to snuff, there is a pretty good chance he would have looked into other options instead of committing to Kansas.

It is time to make those options available and make them known, whether if it is the NBA’s D-League deciding to take on some of these kids or someplace overseas providing a platform.

The eligibility issue is something that really should not be an issue. Let these kids know about the issues ahead of time and quit acting surprised when the issues take place.

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College Basketball: Cheick Diallo Should Have Weighed Overseas Hoop Options

By James Fitzgerald | Aug 30, 2015

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