There was a time in which I thought that a little college was better than no college. There was also a time when I thought Arizona was a marvelously talented team that would go far in the NCAA Tournament. Thanks to the second, I have changed my mind about the first. (I hate saying “former” and “latter” because figuring out which one is which hurts my brain.)

I’m not saying all of the “One-And-Done” players in college don’t care about being on campus, but it is time to end the charade. And I think I have my men DeAndre Ayton and Allonzo Trier to thank for it. After getting soundly hammered in the first round of the tournament, the Arizona players had already declared they were off to the NBA by the time they got to the locker room. They didn’t even give the standard “I’ll make a decision with my family when I get back to campus” line to try to make it look good.

It was obvious that they cared as much about the NCAA Tournament — or playing for good ol’ U. of Arizona — as they did a pickup game. So let’s end the charade.

The NBA stopped allowing players to jump from high school to the pros because for every Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, there were also a Robert Swift or a James Lang, who were drafted out of high school and you never heard from again.

Lots of people want to try the “Baseball Draft System,” which means that if you want to try to go pro, go ahead. But if you go to college, you have to stay for three years (or turn 21). Some would add the provision for the NBA that if you don’t get drafted by the NBA, you can still go to college, but to me, that brings in another set of problems.

The biggest beneficiary of all of this would be college basketball, where there seems to be no continuity from year to year. Patrick Ewing stayed four years. Tim Duncan stayed four years. Michael Jordan stayed three.

If you are good enough, go to the NBA. If not, grab a backpack and get directions to the Student Union. You;’re going to be here awhile.