NCAA's Mark Emmert declines to address LaVar Ball but again criticizes one-and-done

NCAA President Mark Emmert repeated a consistent message to those who play college sports to bide time before turning pro: "Don't be a part of this. Don't muck around in the system."

The comments made at the Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Wednesday in New York came in response to a question about LaVar Ball, who basically yanked his middle son, LiAngelo, out of UCLA this week. Emmert declined to address that situation directly, although he again criticized the "one-and-done" culture among top college men's basketball programs that has persisted since NBA mandated a player must be 19 to be drafted more than a decade ago. 

"Oh, I'm not going to comment on Mr. Ball and his kids," Emmert said. "But you know I think there's, it is one of the those places you have in stark relief, what is this about? Is this about someone being part of a university and playing basketball or any other sport with that school's jersey on, representing that institution or is (it) about preparing me for my career, my professional career as a ball player. If it's the latter you can do that inside a university and that might be a really good way to go.

"But if you don't want to and you don't think you should and you don't think that's right for your family then don't come. Don't be a part of this. Don't muck around in the system. Just go. Have a good life. But let's not confuse those two things."

While the Ball situation, along with the federal investigation into a handful of NCAA programs, are new wrinkles, Emmert has been consistent on his point about the one-and-done rule: If you want to be a student and play basketball, then school is a great place to be. If you don't want to be a student, then don't bother going to school.

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