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Karl-Anthony Towns plans to earn Kentucky degree online while in NBA

Karl-Anthony Towns plans to earn Kentucky degree online while in NBA

So much for the idea that one-and-done players aren't interested in a college education.

Former Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns returned to his New Jersey high school over the weekend to sign autographs. He also spoke with reporters and revealed that while he is no longer enrolled in spring semester classes at Kentucky, he is determined to eventually earn his degree from the school.

Towns said he has already enrolled in online classes for next fall and he intends to continue taking classes online even while playing in the NBA. Former Duke star Jabari Parker, a top pick last year, also vowed to earn his college degree while playing professional basketball.

"I’ll be taking them with any NBA organization I will be with, I will be taking them online," Towns told NJ.com. "Let it be one class, two classes maybe three. Still gets me steps closer to having that degree in my hand.”

Towns is considered the likely No. 1 overall selection in next month's NBA draft after playing one year for coach John Calipari at Kentucky.

Each year critics howl about a small handful of players who come out of high school to play only one year of college basketball before moving on to the NBA. Players do so because of an NBA rule that prevents them from joining the league straight out of high school. The critics complain that the one-and-done player makes a mockery of the idea of college basketball being both about the sport and education.

The Pac-12 and Big Ten Conferences have proposed making freshmen ineligible in some sports, in part, to combat the one-and-done phenomenon. That short-sighted approach is unlikely to take hold.

 

 

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!