NCAA: Coaches Propose Moving NBA Draft Deadline

Coaches Propose Moving Draft Deadline: The National Association of Basketball Coaches is proposing that the NBA move the underclassmen declaration deadline to one week after the national championship game, and then give the players only 72 hours to withdraw. The advantages would include better academics for student athletes (instead of workouts during school sessions) and providing coaches with leverage during the spring signing period. However, critics point out that several players would be “stuck” if a player was injured during tryouts, and often late-period camps (such as the NBA’s Chicago pre-draft camp three weeks prior to the draft) provide evaluations closer to final draft projections. Last month, several underclassmen returned to school after the Chicago event, and Illinois guard Dee Brown returned to school after suffering an ankle injury during workouts. [7/8/05]