The rule of three

In case you were glued to the TV for coverage about the Queen on Monday, you missed a fair amount of college hoops news, including potential changes to the NBA Draft age, three notable commitments, and an arrest in Michigan.

But don’t worry. That’s why you read The Field of 68 Daily. Well, that and our relentless promotion of The Almanac (still time to save with promo code HOOPS). And when you’re not reading The Daily, you can follow me on Twitter @mikemillerf68.

Let’s get to the news.

STARTING FIVE

1. One-and-done to none-and-done

The 2023 NBA Draft could be the end of the one-and-done era. Or at least signal a significant change for high school basketball players who want to skip college.

From The Athletic:

Devastating news for the college game? No. But it’s certainly a bummer for a sport that struggles to attract casual fans before March. It’s certainly a benefit to the players — they shouldn’t be forced to delay their professional careers, especially when injuries and bad luck can happen at anytime.

Still, part of me will lament that some will never play college hoops.

Between the 1995 (Kevin Garnett) and 2005 NBA Drafts, 39 players were drafted straight out of high school — nearly half of which came in those final two drafts. Players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tracey McGradym straight to the pros.

That remains a pain point for the college game, even though the sport saw great teams during that era and will likely continue to do so. The rule change will certainly impact the likes of Duke or Kentucky, which have focused on one-and-done approaches, but most programs will continue to adjust their roster needs with recruiting and the transfer portal. There’s a lot to discuss on this topic, so we won’t try to cover it all in one section.

Also, it may not happen as soon as 2024, as Woj tweeted several hours after the initial Athletic story.

Expect more on this topic from the Field of 68.

2. Emoni Bates arrested, suspended

Former 5-star prospect Emoni Bates only played 18 of 33 games for Memphis last season. He transferred to Eastern Michigan this summer — but may not play a full season there, either.

Bates was arrested Sunday night in Superior Township, Michigan, after sherrif’s deputies found a firearm in a vehicle he was driving. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and “alerting ID marks” on a firearm. He was arraigned Monday, entered a plea of not guilty and was released on a nonmonetary personal recognizance bond. His next court date is Oct. 6.

His attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN to “reserve judgment on this. There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone's car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car.”

Bates, a 6-9 wing, averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds for Memphis and should be one of the top mid-major players in the nation for Eastern Michigan. But that depends on his availability. Per the school’s student-athlete handbook, any athlete who is convicted or pleads no-contest to a felony charge shall be dismissed.

The school issued this statement: “We are aware of a situation involving men's basketball student-athlete Emoni Bates. Eastern Michigan University takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. Per department policy, he has been suspended automatically from practice and playing privileges until the legal process is resolved. Because this is an on-going legal matter, the University will have no further comment at this time.”

3. Three schools, three key pieces added

After a quiet weekend, three programs got commits from 2023 prospects. A quick rundown.

Louisville picked up Curtis Williams, a 6-6 wing out of Michigan who’d also been considering Providence, Florida State, Alabama and Xavier. It’s not the 2023 commit Louisville fans have been hoping for, but Williams is important to what new coach Kenny Payne is building.

He’s the second 4-star commit for Payne (joining wing Kaleb Glenn), who’s focused on adding long, athletic players at the wing for versatility on offense and defense. Plus, Williams sounds more than a little ready to play, as he told On3.com: “You’re getting a great player that’s ready to work! I can’t wait to play in the KFC YUM! Center!”

Providence added Drew Fielder. The 6-9 forward is the second 2023 commit for the Friars (along with PG Garwey Dual) and chose them over Syracuse, USC, Iowa, Miami and BC.

The Southern California Academy player is a top 150 recruit and is a good shooter with, as 247 describes, a “blue-collar mentality” Sounds perfect for Providence, which made a living last season with tough multi-positional players.

UCLA secured Brandon Williams, a 4-star wing out of NYC who’s the Bruins’ second Williams in the class of 2023 (4-star wing Devin Williams). Another versatile player with a long, athletic frame, Williams is the youngest of Monday’s commits — or just about any 2023 commit.

He won’t turn 17 until November, making him a year younger than most of his class. An optimist would be giddy about his potential upside. The pessimist would be worried about how much he’d contribute right away against older, physical players.

It’s probably somewhere in the middle. Right now, Williams is a capable offensive player with a dependable mid-range shot who could fit as a piece in Mick Cronin’s scheme but would certainly need a few years before he’s a main cog.

4. Not just faces in a crowd

Akin to the impending NBA Draft age change is this topic from the DTF podcast last week (prompted by Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander): Is North Carolina the most famous college basketball team since the repeat Florida champs from 2006-07?

John Fanta, God bless him, has a brilliant answer (Rob Dauster’s face is priceless when he realizes Fanta’s argument has him beat before he even starts), though I’d throw three other teams into the mix:

2009 North Carolina — One could argue this team was even better known than Florida. Fresh off a Final Four with the reigning POY in Tyler Hansbrough, future pros Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington? All in a UNC jersey? This would be my choice.

2011 Butler — No Gordon Hayward, but Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard and Ronald Nored (not to mention Brad Stevens on the sideline) got loads of attention during their run to the 2010 title game, then repeated the feat in 2011. Certainly the most recognizable mid-major squad.

2014 Louisville — The defending champs have a decent case. Russ Smith was kind of a big deal. The POY dominated headlines, plus he was flanked by a shooter in Luke Hancock (coming off a monster Final Four), one-time prized recruit Chane Behanan and this team did have Kevin Ware, even if he didn’t play much in 2014. Not sure many players got more attention in the last decade than Ware (painfully so).

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5. Oklahoma State denied a floor-stretcher

Russell Harrison, a Louisiana-Monroe transfer, was denied a waiver to play at Oklahoma State this season. It’s the rare occurrence when the NCAA says no (most requests have been granted in the last two years).

Harrison began his college career during the 2016-17 season at an NAIA school, missed two seasons due to personal reasons (the second year formed the basis of his appeal), then played a year at a JUCO before two years at UL-Monroe.

A 38 percent shooter from beyond the arc last season, he would’ve provided the Cowboys a sorely needed option to space the floor. They’ll still be among the nation’s best defensive teams, but Harrison’s absence will hurt.

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THE FAST BREAK

Links as you tally family members who set alarms at 4:30 am to watch coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

• Could Villanova have Justin Moore back by December?

• New Mexico added Jadyn Toppin, a 3-star prospect in the class of 2023.

• Top 50 recruit Taison Chapman will announce his college of choice today.

• Oklahoma State and Southern Illinois will begin a three-game series starting this season at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Nov. 10.

• Illinois athletes signing autographs and getting paid for it. NIL at work.

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