Great article today from Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal. It basically talks about how wise a decision it was by T-Will and Earl Clark to stay in school for another year. Crawford also points out how much money both made for themselves by staying with Slick Rick for one more season. He also touches on Jodie Meeks’ decision to not come back.

Terrence Williams and Earl Clark “posterized” their share of opponents while playing at the University of Louisville. But on Thursday, they became poster children for something else:

Coming back to school.

Patience does not always pay like this. Every year, you hear coaches and journalists extol the virtues of not jumping to the NBA before a player is ready. Yet the record shows that as many bad things as good can happen for the player who waits.

Not for these two. In Thursday’s NBA draft, Williams was taken with the 11th pick by New Jersey and Clark with the 14th by Phoenix. It was proof that patience can pay.

Here are two guys who made more by playing a season of college basketball than they could have by turning pro a year earlier. It was the difference between late pick and lottery pick.

Nobody was in more of a hurry to get to the NBA than Clark. He bolted from UofL after his sophomore season, as much because of bad advice as personal conviction that he could make it. I remember talking to Clark about sitting in a hotel room in Houston and realizing he had made a mistake.

“Hardest phone call I ever had to make,” he said of calling UofL coach Rick Pitino and asking to come back to play in the 2008-09 season.

He had ignored Pitino’s advice. Now Pitino has a new bit of ammunition in such discussions. Look at Clark and Williams.

Was anyone talking about Williams in the draft lottery after his junior season? He came back for his senior season, improved his perimeter shooting, sharpened his ballhandling and became one of the best all-around players in college basketball.

You can puzzle over how the Cards didn’t make the Final Four with two lottery picks — and their final college game wasn’t the finest hour for either player. But they also showed that coming back can pay.

It would be easy, then, to look at the decision of University of Kentucky star Jodie Meeks to turn pro and judge it to be a mistake. In fact, Williams had urged him to stay in school just a month ago.

Meeks’ situation and Williams’ would seem to have many parallels. But it also shows just how tough a decision this is for these players and their families.

The things John Calipari stresses in his dribble-drive motion offense are the very things Meeks needs to work on — ballhandling, passing, becoming a more complete offensive player. That Meeks slipped to the second round — he went to the Milwaukee Bucks with the No.41 pick — shows that scouts are interested in far more than scoring.

Meeks would’ve scored fewer points next season — but he would’ve been more prepared for the NBA. But there are players who figure they can hone those skills while drawing a paycheck, and Meeks would seem to be one of those who are close enough that the approach might work.

Whether he could have made more money by waiting a year and playing at UK is tough to say. Draft dynamics change from year to year.

Regardless, all three of these players should stick in the NBA for a while. Clark probably has the most room for improvement. Meeks has a chance to do what Wildcat Keith Bogans did and parlay a second-round selection into a solid pro career.

And Williams? He has a chance to be an All-Star. He has an NBA body. He’s durable and dedicated to defense. He can drive, rebound and pass. His shot will keep improving.

And all three of these guys have a shot to be NBA factors for a while.