I have a hard time believing even guys like norton and blanchfield who are young yet have contract security and decent playing time wouldn't both have been better off going to college. At least basketball wise. And then look at guys who are out of the league now in mick and chris cedar. If both did the college thing and did it properly it would be different story.

but at the same time you cant begrudge a guy for going pro if its best for his family.

No matter where you go, if the coach isn't on your side, for whatever reason, then you get crap minutes with no opportunity to develop.

Could happen anywhere, but the chance to get a free education and live the college life is a once off, you don't go you will miss that chance, gone forever!

I talked about this with Liam Flynn a while back and he said it's a mixture of things.

For most of the young guys he deals with it's about the individual university, not the concept of going to university. Because only the really cut-throat institutions actually groom players, others can be negative for development. Naturally Aussie young guys aren't the cream of the crop, so they don't get the good offers.

He said homesickness plays a bit of a part as well as some kids simply not wanting to pursue further study. If not for the study aspect, Blanchfield would've gone, if I can recall.

I was lucky enough to play D1 college ball at a mid-level program after growing up in Western Australia as a kid years and years ago (plus some tours of California during HS where I was recruited). I was not an AIS player or any of the sort (which still tend to be the privileged players and politically motivated selections or the 6'6" athletes and above only club or the sons of NBL players or AFL players and the like) and I wasn't getting access to the special level of coaching that these sorts of kids got.

College ball was awesome. Loved every second of it. Spent the first year in the weight room because we don't do near enough of this in Oz (see Motum, Brock who should have been what he was in his senior season as a sophomore - oh and Baynes, Aron as well who took until his senior year to get in proper shape and Luke S who rumor has it could barely left the bar when he got to Georgia Tech).

The only people who don't want the kids going to college to play are the ones with the skin in the game to keep them home. I.e. they want them to stay home so they can win here. They'll say "You will get better development and chances here" but for almost every one it is not the case. I heard it - the "State League will lead to NBL opportunities and then maybe Boomer if you are good enough". "Or the NBL bench is the way to get experience". They don't have the best interests of the kid at heart. For an Australian citizen those opportunities will still be there no matter what happens in college.

Our best players leave our shores early. Simple as that. Mills is likley not in the NBA with out St Mary's. Dellavedova will get a better shot for the same reason. Baynes is well known in the USA before his Europe stint. Ingles and Barlow should have at least got a look in and a few games by this stage of their career but haven't and may never get the chance. Hell, if you go back years, I believe Andrew Gaze had the chance to be a 10 year NBA player but he only went for the one year at Seton Hall instead of being there 4 and even though they made the national championships that year(and I could be wrong but I believe he was trying to get another year of eligibility which was denied rather than enter the draft).

Greenwood and co - well they are still developing and this may be all they were ever going to be - or not. Maybe he gets more NBL time - you just don't know. I will say that if I was picking a absolute-no-injuries full strength Boomers squad only Ingles and Andersen absolutely make it as players who didn't play college ball plus maybe Gibson because we lack guard depth behind Mills and Dellavedova (not because I think he is a international level starter). Note I am picking Exum and Simmons (I now live in Florida so I saw a few of his HS games)

I will tell you this - being a basketball player on a USA college campus is an experience you would never regret - and you only ever get one chance at it. As an individual player and person you are an idiot to pass it up (unless you are Dante Exum and expected to be a lottery pick - then you go to the NBA and get the money AND the experience).

If you know someone considering it or capable of it you should be pushing them to do it or at least give it every chance to happen.

Sometimes getting to college is the only route to a career in basketball if you are not recognised at the the state level early. You haven't had the exposure to great coaching and you fly by on raw talent that the state and national entities can't claim as being one of theirs - politics is alive and well in junior basketball. If you are in this class, and there are many out there, do everything you can to go to college - they are only interested in how you play and whether you can help them WIN. If you show talent, they will use it and you will get your chances.