James Wiseman is latest example that NBA teams need youth academies

The latest NCAA controversy revolving around James Wiseman is another example of why the NBA needs to establish youth academies

James Wiseman, who plays for the Memphis Tigers, will be forced to sit out 11 games and pay a fine of $11,500 dollars (to a charity of his choice) for his mother taking an $11,500 payment from Penny Hardaway while James was in high school.

Hardaway is Memphis’s head coach but at the time was just an Alumni of Memphis and Wiseman’s coach in high school.

The NCAA rivals only FIFA in how morally and financially corrupt it is. The NCAA has been caught in the past selling jerseys with numbers of famous players. It hasn’t even been six years since Shabazz Napier, the Tourney Champ and MVP, admitted there were times when he would go to sleep hungry during his time at Uconn.

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There are countless amounts of times the NCAA has put profit ahead of the players. Including the countless amounts of advertising during each NCAAF and NCAAMB game featured on television.

The old adage of collegiate sports is you get an education as payment for your athletic play. In College Basketball, most elite recruits only play one, maybe two years. That is not enough time to earn a degree. So the system is already flawed from the start.

Each time a college player steps on a court, he puts his professional career in jeopardy, which could cost them millions of dollars down the line. Just like Robbie Hummel who tore his ACL in a game and then a year later tore it again in a practice, which limited his NBA career to just two seasons.

Now, the NCAA has stooped to a new low. They are now saying a college freshman must pay a fine of $11,500 for lying about a “bribe.” In what world does a college freshman have that type of money? Most college kids are asking their parents to Venmo them $50 so they can go out on the weekend.

This can be changed if the NBA adopts a Youth Academy. Then, players could bypass AAU and the NCAA. They could sign with NBA teams or G-League teams and play on a separate roster of players age 15-19. Similar to how soccer teams in Europe have Youth Squads.

Liverpool, under Jürgen Klopp, prospects can make up to 40,000 pounds ($51,772 USD) playing in the youth academy. Imagine if the NBA adopted his system. We could have better, more well-rounded basketball players who understand the game better because they are in a professional setting. On top of the on-the-court bonuses, players would have better access to trainers and medical staff.

The NBA could have backup plans for players who may never get selected to an NBA roster. With scholarship funds for them to go back to college in the future. Teams can afford it, The Nets paid Dwight Howard $18 million for him not to play for them.

An NBA Youth Academy is a win-win. Star high school talents will have the opportunity to earn money before their bodies are ready for the NBA. The NCAA will have players who are more likely to complete four years of school. It gives both Leagues a chance to have their fans build more of a relationship with a player over that time frame.

We need to stop with this lie: The United States is the only place you can live your dreams for Basketball. When Ricky Rubio was being paid to play professionally at 14. Luka Doncic signed a five-year deal with Real Madrid at 15. Doncic in only his second year in the NBA at 20 is putting up numbers better than LeBron did at 20.

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It just seems ridiculous in 2019 with all of the money available for media rights. The NBA has not figured out a way to make a viable league for players younger than 20. The NCAA claims they care about fairness in sports. It seems with this current punishment they want to guarantee they continue to get more than their fair share of the profits.

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