Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images file

Greg Oden is widely considered to be the best high school prospect in the country next season. With the new NBA labor agreement, he must attend at least one year of college before entering the draft due to age requirements.

Anyone that thinks this makes students focus on school is nuts. For most kids, it only delays the eventually paydays, while agents still hang around the high school summer camps to scout the best talent. It’s more like a reluctant acceptance of the business model which some players view college — get some experience, win some games and go to the league after a season or two.

Which makes me think that a 20-year age minimum wouldn’t have been much different. Two years would be better than one, but it would still leave some kids focused on leaving ASAP.

So college basketball fans are forced to accept what a supremely talented player wants to do, just like before. It’s a tough compromise, but one that’s easier to stomach. I wish every player would be in school for at least three years or even all four to earn a  degree, yet that ignores the financial situation and the fact that some just don’t want to attend college.

Some may not even go to college. They could play in Europe, attend a prep school or a junior college.

And the minimum-age will likely strengthen the college-hoops powers.

The top recruits usually sign on with the country’s top teams. The 2005 entrants signed with UConn (Andrew Bynum), Mississippi State (Monta Ellis), Oklahoma State (Gerald Green), Louisville (Amir Johnson), Texas (C.J. Miles), Washington (Martell Webster) and Arizona (Louis Williams). All of those were NCAA Tournament teams and, with the exception of Texas, were ranked among the top 25 all season.

The top schools could be viewed as a revolving door for the top players, if some aren’t seen that way already. But, when a title is on the line, it’s a price many coaches would be willing to pay. And so would fans.

The compromise isn’t perfect, but it should benefit the college game. And those small victories are worth celebrating.

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