Providence G God Shammgod's decision to make himself
eligible for the NBA Draft and forego his final two years of
college is featured on the front page of this morning's WALL
STREET JOURNAL by John Helyar. Shammgod is "one of a record
40 'early entrants' in the draft -- mostly players forsaking
the groves of academe for the hardwoods of the NBA. As the
number of such players grows, so does the friction in the
basketball world." Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese:
"They [the NBA] have destroyed one of their greatest
marketing tools, the college game. This is not in our best
interests; it's not in the kids' best interests; it's not in
the NBA's best interests." Helyar: "The NBA concedes
problems ... but not culpability. ... By marketing its
athletes into demigods, the NBA has also made itself
irresistible to many young players who come up in the
hypercharged schoolboy scene" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/25).
USA TODAY's Sports cover story profiles 18-year-old Tracy
McGrady. USA TODAY's Erik Brady: "[I]t's not so amazing
anymore when a high school hoops player goes straight from
the prom to the pros. ... By now it is a commonplace" (USA
TODAY, 6/25). See tomorrow's DAILY for a complete list of
the NBA's first round draft picks' agent representation.
