Ben Simmons, the freshman forward for LSU who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, handled his lone year of college the only way a mature, reasonable person in his situation could: by ignoring his classes.

Good for you, Ben. May all top recruits follow in your path. The arrangement between the NCAA and NBA that forces you to spend one year in college is unethical and disgraceful. You were right to make a mockery of it.

Simmons won’t be up for The Wooden Award because he failed to maintain a 2.0 GPA. So, despite being eligible to continue playing NCAA basketball he’s no longer up for an award given to “The Player of the Year.” Because the Wooden Award, named for former UCLA coach John Wooden, is more than that, you see. Head to the website and you’ll be greeted by one of the many sanctimonious quotes that has been used to burnish Wooden’s image:

“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”

As a person, Wooden was, in addition to being the wise mentor everyone says he was, a cheater and a liar who allowed a booster to break rules so that UCLA could recruit and keep players (something that you could say about so many top college coaches through the years). As a basketball coach, he has few peers.

Simmons is 19-years-old, stands 6-foot-10 and has shocking athleticism. He has the chance to be an All-Star in the NBA — a league in which 77 players will make at least $10 million this year — for the next decade and a half. The only thing Ben Simmons needs to care about right now is playing basketball. If he does it well he’ll make enough money to keep his family secure for generations.

But because the NCAA needs its revenue-driving basketball tournament to include the top young talent in the world and because NBA owners are loathe to pay out big contracts to young players who may not work out or could take years to develop, Simmons was forced onto campus for a year. Here’s how he described his time to USA TODAY:

“I was just trying to be a college student, but it’s not easy for me just because who I am,” he said. “So I just tried to enjoy little things. Enjoyed it really, learning new things with people.” Simmons, who started with summer courses, said one of his favorites was a Communications course. “I loved my Communications class,” he said. “The toughest one I had was Oceanography only because I didn’t have too much interest in the oceans. But I love it here. I went to summer school. I definitely love walking around the campus. I love LSU.”

This is perfect. This is real. Walking around campus … pretty great. Little things … we should all stop to appreciate them. Pretending to care about Oceanography … waste of time. You’re right Ben. You’re so right.

I feel bad for any professors, tutors or advisors who were forced to participate in this charade. But let’s be clear: this is entirely held up by the NBA. Simmons is not at fault. He’s just navigating a system, and deftly so. The Wooden Award is meaningless; an ode to a bygone era and a system built to restrict the opportunities of the top basketball players at the behest of behemoth business interests.

Simmons did the right thing — as a person — by focusing on becoming a better player and teammate. Which is probably what Wooden the coach would have wanted anyway.