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 Nineteen-Year-Old Professionals

                                                                   Mike DiPatri      03/30/04

Surely everyone has noticed how the appearance of high school players moving to the NBA has become a regular thing.  Nobody even pays attention to it any more.  This is especially so now when we see a player who goes from dominating his high school to dominating the NBA.  Is it just a matter of basketball players being able to develop their talents earlier or easier than other athletes?  Or are there other reasons?

We do not see baseball players or football players moving directly from high school to the professional ranks.  There are factors that weigh on the difference of these players' abilities to make such moves.

Basketball is basically the same game from the playground to the NBA.  It is a game where the taller and faster player will dominate.  Young men play on the playground court the same way they see the players on the NBA teams play.  Today, the only skill necessary to develop in basketball is a field goal type shot.  The more practice the better one gets.  Additionally, every municipal park in every city has a basketball court.  The only additional equipment necessary is a ball. There are always pick up games that are played the same way the game is played in the NBA.  Today, there is a lot more jumping and dunking than field goal shots.  As soon as a young man is able to jump high enough, he achieves that skill.  After that, he only has to spend a little time on an outside shot and he's got the game down.  Therefore a young man is able to begin developing his game at a very early age and practice playing a game that will remain the same all the way to the NBA.  There is no need for him to learn or develop new skills in order to make it.

It is a very different story if a young man wants to play football.  First of all, the game changes dramatically at each step.  The player first learns the basics when he plays Pop Warner football.  There is no degree of sophistication at that level.  When he moves to the high school level, he starts to learn different facets of the game that build on the basics he learned in Pop Warner.  The game becomes more complicated when he learns different plays and procedures.  There is an early level of sophistication at this level.  That increases even more at the college level.   The game becomes very complicated by now.  There are aspects the player has never even heard of.  In the NFL, the game is even more involved and more intense than at any other level.  It is radically different from the game at the Pop Warner level.  The player also develops physically at each level.  Football is not a game where a player can develop himself physically early enough to play in the NFL while he is still in high school.  Additionally, it is more difficult for young players to develop their abilities outside of organized programs.  It requires more people, equipment and a larger area to use as a field.

Just as in football, those who want to play baseball are unable to develop their abilities outside organized programs.  Play on sandlots does little to further their skills.  A baseball game requires more people and more equipment.  Little League teaches players the basics of the game, but players don't learn anything else.  In high school, they learn things like different pitches and how to hit them.  They learn more about the mechanics.  They also learn strategy and planning.  It is true that a lot of players do not play through college the way football players do, but they very rarely go directly from high school to the Major League.  Most will play at another level first, like junior college.  Those who are good enough to be drafted out of high school will spend time in the team's minor league system.  There is a lot of development necessary before a man can play Major League Baseball.  Just as in football, he must develop physically as well.  He has to develop his eye to hit the ball.  The game of baseball is a very sophisticated game and changes completely between little league and major league.

The instance of basketball players moving directly from high school to the NBA is increasing.  It is unlikely that we will see the same in baseball or football.  These sports require too much additional development.  If, however, these players can compete, they should play.  The only real concern is whether or not these fresh high school graduates are ready to become overnight millionaires.