Bobby Knight Says New Rule Hurts Integrity Of College Basketball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Texas Tech coach Bob Knight doesn't like the new rule that says players must be at least one year removed from high school before entering the NBA. <br/><br/>Knight Monday called

Tuesday, February 20th 2007, 7:41 am

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Texas Tech coach Bob Knight doesn't like the new rule that says players must be at least one year removed from high school before entering the NBA.

Knight Monday called it, quote, ``the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching.''

Knight is the winningest college coach of all time.

In the Big 12, it might be called the Kevin Durant Rule -- after the Longhorn freshman who's electrified fans and leads the conference in both scoring and rebounding.

The rule, instituted last year by the NBA, means super-talented players must wait at least one year rather than jumping into the pros right out of high school.

Many coaches have hailed this new approach as a blessing for the college game, because it lets NCAA schools showcase their abilities at least for one season.

Knight said during the Big 12 conference call that you'd end up with a kid going to school for one year and playing basketball -- and he doesn't even have to go to class.

Knight says that has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports.