Mayer: College Athletes Must Play Smart and Bolt for the Pros

Courtesy midwestsportsfan.com

I've had many should "college player A" and "college player B" declare for a professional league debates. The subject comes up as Victor Oladipo is about to announce his decision to forgo his senior season at Indiana to declare for the NBA Draft. Cody Zeller will follow with his own press conference tomorrow. His fate is not as sure, but I fully expect Zeller to make the jump as well. (UPDATE: Oladipo declared for the NBA Draft and multiple reports have Zeller going as well)

There are many IU fans that believe the duo, or at least Zeller, should stay at Indiana to improve their bodies and skill set. To that I would respond, take a walk in their shoes. These two young men have worked their entire lives for the chance to play the game they love professionally. Oladipo's draft stock has absolutely sky rocketed and will never be higher. He is a lottery pick. Over the last month or so Cody Zeller's stock has dropped a bit with pundits pointing out his struggles against larger more powerful opponents. He should still go.

Courtesy espn.com

This is a big deal and fans often forget to realize that an NBA contract gives the player a chance to be set for life if they manage their money properly. Zeller, the Washington native, was once thought of as a top five pick and will still be a first round pick. So what, he'll make a ton of money, develop his skills, and improve his body practicing against NBA players. No team will look at Zeller, or for that matter Oladipo, as a savior. They are young and will have time to develop into even better players.

Oladipo will have his college degree and has been a part of the transformation at Indiana. Zeller will be able to graduate with summer and online classes. He was the first domino to fall allowing the Hoosiers to once again become a dominant recruiting force. They have put their time in and left their legacies. It may have come up short of a championship (or even an Elite 8), but they deserve to move on.

I believe this is the smart path for any college athlete that knows they can make enough money to provide for themselves and their families. If Jake Odum was projected as a first round pick this year, then I would say go pro. There are only so opportunities to play sports professionally and a single play could result in a career ending injury.

Obviously not every college athlete should try and go pro at first chance (Christian Watford made the smart move to not enter the draft last year). It is only a good decision after doing research and understanding the possibility of being drafted and predicted position within the draft.

Courtesy NBA

Personally, I can't stand that basketball players are not allowed to enter the NBA from high school. If a player has the skill set out of high school to play sports professionally and that is his dream, let him go. Fans root for these players as if they were family, so there should be no ill will at the end. When it's time for the bird to leave its nest, don't fault it for flying away.