I recently looked at the ESPN’s projected top 10 picks for this year’s NBA Draft and was very surprised by what I found. The group did include a good mix of players, including two Kentucky freshman, Kansas junior center Cole Aldrich, and a power forward from the Czech Republic, but one thing really stuck out. Among the 10 players listed, none were seniors.

In the past few years, it has become rare for really good players to play four years in college before being drafted to play in the NBA. Since the NBA changed its age rule to prohibit players from entering the league straight out of high school, more and more players have been spending just a year or two in college basketball.

Kansas freshman Xavier Henry declared for the NBA Draft two weeks ago to become the first Jayhawk to ever make the jump to professional basketball after just one year in Lawrence. Henry had a good first year for Kansas, but he is one of several players who could have really benefitted from another year in school.

Since the new rule was established four years ago, players such as Henry have started playing college basketball while knowing that they will likely not be attending college for more than two years. In the case of Henry, he planned on playing for Kansas for one year to fine-tune his game before putting his name in the draft.

After a year at Kansas, it was probably a much harder decision for Henry than he ever thought it would be. He made great friends on the basketball team, played with his older brother, and got to enjoy the best atmosphere in college sports. Henry was ready to go to the NBA, but it was a tough decision to leave the Jayhawks.

In a lot of ways, the NBA’s age rule has hurt college basketball and players who end up going to the NBA before they are completely prepared for the pros. The experience of a four-year college basketball player such as Sherron Collins cannot be underestimated, and it really is a shame that more NBA-level players do not take advantage of their chance to play at a great basketball school for four years.

I think the rule has also decreased the number of teams who can really contend for the National Championship every season. With fewer great players sticking around to play three or four years of college basketball, fewer teams are able to have the best athletes.

The 2007-2008 school year provided a great example of how the NBA’s rule has changed NCAA basketball. The parity that was seen in the 2007 college football season, which featured big upset after big upset, was not seen in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. For the first time ever, all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four. The best players were really concentrated among just a few teams and the tournament lacked the upsets that have defined the event for so many years.

More and more, players are being drafted for their potential. This strategy has often worked out for the NBA, but it really is hurting college basketball. Gone are the days of a great class of players going through four years of college together and gone are the days of an NBA Draft filled with seniors who worked four years in college to get there.