Jahlil Okafor, Should of Stayed in College?

 This blog is not to argue weather he is ready to play in the NBA, but is Jahlil Okafor ready for the spot light and demands of being a NBA player off the court.

          Do the recent off court issues for 3rd overall pick in this last draft class show another reason why one and done college athletes are not prepared for the NBA spotlight? I think grouping all young NBA players into the same category is not fair, but in Okafor's case if he stays in college two or three more years and plays under the great Coach K. wouldn’t you think he would learn and mature from making these mistakes.
One thing he has been accused of doing is trying to use a fake ID to enter a bar in Philadelphia in late October as mentioned in a Bleacher Report Article . In college your going to have some teammates that are 21 but your also going to be able to find teammates that are not of the legal age of drinking which allows you to find a group and hang out and can even drink with them without feeling left out for not being able to go out with the rest of your teammates to the bar. Also by staying in college by the time he would reach the NBA he would be 21 and this whole incident would of been avoided.

  Next Incident Okafor has been in trouble for recently is the two citations he received from the Delaware River port Authority Police on Oct. 19. The Citations are according the The Philly Inquirer are reckless driving and driving at an excessive rate of speed, and according to the statement he was clocked at reaching speeds of 108 m.p.h. on the Ben Franklin Bridge which has a reported speed limit of 45 m.p.h. The worst part is not only is the young man putting his very own life in danger and also his only career because that is all he has at this point since he left college early and received no degree.

Lastly it had been reported that he had been in some altercations with people which allegedly lead to a gun being pulled on him in early Oct. and most recently last Wednesday which would of been the day before Thanksgiving there is video of him fighting outside a club in Boston, MA. There was reports of two fights happening on this night and TMZ has video of both of the fights that can be found by clicking here. Most spectators that were interviewed in articles say most of the fights have started just from hecklers. I think this just goes back to maturity issues, and not being ready to be put into such a large spotlight.

I do think think some players are gifted and ready to play in the NBA, but are they ready to deal with all that comes with being a professional athlete? As you play in college you can slowly adopt into the spot light and in the case of Jahlil he had one of the greatest coaches and mentors to learn and become the best basketball player he possible can be on and ready for the off court. Coaches can have some of the greatest influence on athletes at all levels and being able to play under some of these great college coaches and having them help you become the best you can be as a person and not just an athlete is something one and done college players should at least consider before taking the giant leap to the NBA.

Jahlil Okafor also received a 2 game suspension form the Philadelphia 76ers because of these incidents referred to in this blog.

Michael Standley
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