During the June 30 NBA draft, many ISU students’ thoughts were with Marcus Fizer and just how high the Cyclone star would go in the lottery for professional basketball. As any halfway decent ‘Clone fan knows, Marcus didn’t get the No. 3 spot to head West to the disastrous Clippers; he’ll be reunited with former ISU head coach Tim Floyd in the Windy City.

But after the initial hype about Marcus’ selection wore off, I started thinking about other draft-related news. Mainly, about the man who took what many experts had guessed would be Marcus’ place.

I had barely heard a thing about No. 3 pick Darius Miles up until a few days before the draft. Although I enjoy watching the NBA for the entertainment value of slam dunks and passes as well as the aesthetic value of Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, I’m pretty much a novice to the ins and outs of the sport. My concern with Darius Miles’ selection isn’t that he won’t be able to pull the Clippers’ out of their slump. I have no idea, really.

My concern is that Darius Miles has just graduated from high school. Not to be ageist or imply that Miles cannot stand up to the professional and physical pressures of the NBA. I’m also not trying to sound overly maternal about a man I only have three years on.

The fact is, Darius Miles is just another in a growing line of athletes who bypass college to get to the NBA. Some of the more prominent ones, such as L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett, have been happy success stories. They’ve proven that some very exceptional athletes don’t need time in the college ranks to make a successful transition to the NBA.

More power to them I suppose, but I do believe there are some negatives about this trend that get conveniently swept under the rug because Kobe has a magnificent jump shot.

First, the debate was that too many college athletes were saying “no” to their degrees and “yes” to very lucrative lives in the world of professional athletics. Marcus Fizer is one of those athletes — he chose the NBA over his sociology degree.

Now the debate has intensified as more athletes are thinking about making their hoop dreams a reality before they even touch their high school diplomas. What’s next, agents checking out Michael Jordans in the making while they’re playing during recess? It’s probably already happening.

Some argue there’s nothing wrong with kids-just-turned-adults ascending into the world of professional sports and skipping college. Miles, Bryant and all the players who skipped out on their college degrees to declare their eligibility in the draft are extremely talented, and sports is what they want to do with their lives.

No one’s going to argue they can’t make a comfy living at doing what they love. You could also say that forgoing their degrees isn’t a big deal; they can always take college classes in the future (Garnett reportedly does).

But the point is this: As America moves into the next millennium (remember, it hasn’t officially happened yet), the emphasis we put on athletics, and not just athletics, but any sort of entertainment, whether it be movies, the Internet, etc., is overshadowing the emphasis we should be putting on education.

I’m not suggesting a college education is for everyone; it isn’t. But athletes are role models because that’s what children see them as.

Unfortunately, models, actors and singers are seen as role models, too. Maybe things shouldn’t be this way, but that’s the case.

While it’s true these athletes gain a lot more through superstardom than the average person can possibly fathom, they’re giving up their education, something that I think is more important than the glitz.

The unfortunate thing is the lesson these entertainers are exhibiting is that being in the spotlight, getting the money, the publicity, that entire package is the way to personal nirvana.

Take tennis’ Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, for example. I’m a big fan of the sisters, but much has been made in the media, especially since their appearance at Wimbledon, about how their father picked up a racket for the first time when he was nearing middle age and decided he and his wife would have two more children and they were to become tennis stars.

Pretty creepy, huh? Of course, much has been made of the fact that the Williams’ father has placed a high emphasis on education for his daughters, but that still doesn’t excuse the “stage-parent” mentality.

I realize years of work and practice go into making today’s athletes tomorrow’s superstars.

If one wants to make sports or another branch of entertainment his or her life, more power to them. But the message shouldn’t be that education should be passed over for a multimillion-dollar contract and endorsements.

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Kate Kompas is a junior in journalism and mass communication. She is editor in chief of the Daily. Here’s a shameless plug for news editor Justin Kendall’s play, which he wrote all by himself. “The One that Got Away” is Thursday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Friday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. All shows are at Ankeny, DMACC, Building 6, and all that goodness can be yours for $1.