Syracuse basketball fans received a jolt last week when standout freshman Donte Greene declared for the NBA Draft. Greene had a solid season - not at all outstanding - but his talent should earn him first-round status and a guaranteed rookie contract.

Although this is the NCAA's official blog, and we always love kids continuing their educations, I don't know how anybody can criticize someone for taking a seven-figure deal at the age of 19. We're not going to criticize Donte, but simply use his as a case study for the state of college basketball.

As a diehard Orange fan, I have seen almost every game the team has played since I was in diapers. Only a couple of players have left Syracuse after their freshman season - notably Carmelo Anthony, who made a fairly significant impact during his only year with the program.

Anthony and Greene each spent one year with Syracuse, yet Anthony will always be indelibly linked with the program because of the national championship and the $3 million gift he gave to build a practice facility about a year ago. Greene, who isn't nearly as physically or mentally mature as Carmelo was, led Syracuse to the NIT this season, and will leave college without ever experiencing the NCAA tournament. How will his impact on the program be felt?

Rest assured, what the fans think is wholly unimportant, but this case study does raise some important questions. Did Donte Greene do more to harm or help Syracuse in his few months on campus? With him, Syracuse could have been great next season. Without him, the Orange will have to invest another year getting someone ready to help them win.

But the real importance of this conversation, and something that has changed since Carmelo left Syracuse in 2003, is whether or not Greene will leave Syracuse in solid academic standing. If Greene drops out of school this semester, he will hurt Syracuse's APR, and could cost the program a scholarship. If he doesn't leave in good standing, he won't have done much on the court or the classroom. Would Coach Boeheim recruit him all over again?

The answer is probably yes. Greene was highly touted coming out of high school, and if Carmelo taught us anything, you have to gamble on the blue-chippers because it could mean a national championship. Academic reform, however, has added more legitimacy, and one thing we're seeing is more kids (Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, etc.) returning to school after leaving early.

As a Syracuse fan, I can only hope that Greene finishes this semester and leaves the program better off than he found it, not worse.