NCAA Basketball: 3 recent examples where “one and done” has worked

2012 Kentucky Wildcats

The most famous and successful one-and-done player in the modern era has to be Anthony Davis and the 2012 season he had with Kentucky. Davis had a season for the ages that year averaging 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and an astounding 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 62% from the field for a team that went 38-2 and an unblemished 16-0 in the SEC. The only two black marks on the Wildcats’ season came at Indiana in December by a point and in the SEC tournament final when Vanderbilt beat them.

In the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky saw barely a challenge with their closest games came in the Final Four where they defeated Louisville and Kansas by eight points to take home the title. But Kentucky wasn’t just Davis that year, fellow first-year forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and guard Marquis Teague also had successful seasons. Kidd-Gilchrist averaged nearly 12 points per game and snatched over seven rebounds and, Teague dished out nearly five assists per game while adding 10 points per game.

The three young players left for the NBA and Davis has become one of the best players in the league after being drafted first overall by New Orleans. Kidd-Gilchrist was the next name to be called, he was taken by Charlotte and has averaged 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds over his seven-year career. After struggling to find much footing in the NBA, Teague has spent some years in Israel and most recently signed in the Korean League.

While it is a constant growing strategy, the one-and-done idea doesn’t necessarily equate to the success that the teams that have been employing it would expect.