Brandon Jennings, the highest ranked 2008 point guard and from some services the #1 ranked 2008 recruit, has decided not to attend the University of Arizona. Instead he will play professionally in Europe for one year, then enter the NBA draft. It appears Jennings had some academic issues, specifically with the SAT/ACT that might have precluded him from gaining admission anyway.
This will be an interesting situation to observe as it unfolds over the next year. Jennings will probably earn some nice cash as oppossed to earning bad grades in classes such as gym, car maintenance and music.
With the "one year and done" rule with the NBA and the fact 14 (?) freshman were taken in the draft, are some highly ranked recruits going to forgo their one year and follow Jennings path in the next few years? If Jennings obtains a significant salary/bonus for Europe play, why would such high school stars such as Durant,Oden, Beasley, Love, Rose, Mayo, etc. even consider attending college. For the one year college experience? I don't think so.
The NBA will soon have to re-evaluate and address the draft eligibility rules. With Jennings playing this "loophole", this could effect college basketball down the line.
Jennings sounds pretty smart to me.
I'm amazed it took this long for this to happen. He can take sponsorships, grab a nice paycheck and come into the NBA with an international following. You wouldn't see me on a college court if I could secure my financial future in one year overseas. I'm thinking many will follow in the future.
What is smart about this is that even if Jennings doesn't live up to what people expect, he is still earning a living doing what he loves.
I guess the not so smart thing is what does he do after his playing days. Say he gets hurt or is not as good as he thinks. Now go to college out of his own pocket? Guess that is the only risk.
Quote from: NCMUFan on July 09, 2008, 08:33:25 AM
I guess the not so smart thing is what does he do after his playing days. Say he gets hurt or is not as good as he thinks. Now go to college out of his own pocket? Guess that is the only risk.
He wasn't planning on getting a diploma from Arizona. He'd have been no better off going to college and getting hurt.
Dominic James is going to skip his senior year and go pro in Euro...he can do this b/c he will graduate in May of '08. You see he has big time family financial problems and his family needs him to go pro, but again don't worry, he'll get his degree in May of '08.
(sound any less disgusting when it's not your head coach spewing that garbage)
Remember that Euro contracts are rarely guaranteed. College players that sign with Euro teams have a more refined game and better "team" mentality then a kid who thinks he's one year away from the #1 selection in the NBA draft.
Will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will an 18 yr old urban kid adjust to living in the middle of Switzerland(example) for an Euro league season, not knowing a lick of German, French or Italian and while possibly not playing more then 10mins a game?
My money's on it "not working out" and Jennings playing rec ball for the rest of the year.
Great article by Doug Gottlieb (http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/columns/story?columnist=gottlieb_doug&id=3470995)
To me this is kind of sad. Sure, I'm biased towards getting your education but the fact that many of these kids are merely looking to college as a stepping stone to their "future" millions is really disappointing. What happens if they get injured? What do they do if they don't make it or get caught up with the wrong "crew"? I guess I'll never understand it, nor will I ever feel sorry for those guys who fall to the wayside.
Why do Euro teams want to deal with one and dones? Esp when that one and done is a 18 year old?
Quote from: muarmy81 on July 09, 2008, 09:21:11 AM
What do they do if they don't make it or get caught up with the wrong "crew"?
My guess is he already has established the wrong "crew", and they will probably have a harder time getting him into trouble if he is in Europe.
This is a disturbing move, but not unexpected, and I doubt it is the last time we will see it.
Quote from: DamonKeysContactLens on July 09, 2008, 09:22:50 AM
Why do Euro teams want to deal with one and dones? Esp when that one and done is a 18 year old?
Exactly, Jennings will get a one year non-guaranteed contract or possibly a multi-year guaranteed contract as his best offer. But the multi-year contract will have HUGE financial penalties if he bolts after just one season.
I think the long term impact will be decided by how much money he earns for one season and if he is able to showcase his game like a Mayo or Beasley while he is in Europe. Ultimately those guys earned huge sponsorship dollars by making themselves superstars and household names even before they reached the NBA. Jennings will be way behind the 8 ball on that front when he returns to the US.
Quote from: TheManInGold on July 09, 2008, 11:34:30 AM
I think the long term impact will be decided by how much money he earns for one season and if he is able to showcase his game like a Mayo or Beasley while he is in Europe. Ultimately those guys earned huge sponsorship dollars by making themselves superstars and household names even before they reached the NBA. Jennings will be way behind the 8 ball on that front when he returns to the US.
Good point. This is why those who academically qualify will continue to use the NCAA as a forum for showcasing their skills. However, those who are a truly gifted basketball talent but will not be able to qualify, Europe will become the preferred route I predict. The NBA scouts will find them, just as they do find the European talent now.
I don't understand this move at all. He would make more money playing for USC.
Quote from: avid1010 on July 09, 2008, 08:00:42 AM
I'm amazed it took this long for this to happen. He can take sponsorships, grab a nice paycheck and come into the NBA with an international following. You wouldn't see me on a college court if I could secure my financial future in one year overseas. I'm thinking many will follow in the future.
The kid will probably hire an agent, sign a shoe deal and make millions while he either rides the pine and learns the european style game or he may even contribute. Every draft there seems to be an Euro prospect that gains a lot of hype and tremendous upside because he's young, he contributes off the bench and theres little exposure of his weaknesses. It will be interesting to see the opposite a kid coming from Oak Hill (one of the most overexposed high school teams in the country) to a little european team. Time will tell
Quote from: NCMUFan on July 09, 2008, 08:33:25 AM
I guess the not so smart thing is what does he do after his playing days. Say he gets hurt or is not as good as he thinks. Now go to college out of his own pocket? Guess that is the only risk.
He'll sign one small shoe deal his first year and easily make enough to pay for a community college and if he ends up needing more than one year in europe to develop oh well. I think this is a great idea for him and on a select, case by case basis it may be for a few others as well. If i was at home and an agent called me and said 'You go to europe and you will sighn a 3 year 300,000 shoe deal?" hmm...
I see lots of poor talented kids taking that. I'm not sure if it will be more or less.
Quote from: RawdogDX on July 09, 2008, 01:19:32 PM
He'll sign one small shoe deal his first year and easily make enough to pay for a community college and if he ends up needing more than one year in europe to develop oh well. I think this is a great idea for him and on a select, case by case basis it may be for a few others as well. If i was at home and an agent called me and said 'You go to europe and you will sighn a 3 year 300,000 shoe deal?" hmm...
I see lots of poor talented kids taking that. I'm not sure if it will be more or less.
Because major corporations own/sponsor each Euro team, aren't the opportunities for shoe deals limited? From what I remember, Euro teams are like D1 college teams. The team negotiates shoe and uniform deals for the entire club - and the players have to wear what they're issued by the team (this keeps the teams out of the red instead of just the players).
Or maybe I'm missing something and shoe companies give anybody with potential NBA talent a shoe deal.....
Quote from: lurch91 on July 09, 2008, 01:58:08 PM
Because major corporations own/sponsor each Euro team, aren't the opportunities for shoe deals limited? From what I remember, Euro teams are like D1 college teams. The team negotiates shoe and uniform deals for the entire club - and the players have to wear what they're issued by the team (this keeps the teams out of the red instead of just the players).
Or maybe I'm missing something and shoe companies give anybody with potential NBA talent a shoe deal.....
Yeah, you are probably right, on court he'd have to wear team shoe but i'm assuming that there are sponsorship opportunities availble for someone who is a virtual lock for the nba. Someone will take a chance to get a shot at signing him to a multi year deal.
I think just the publicity from making this decision will garner enough buzz to ink him some sort of sponsorship deal. He's a rare talent thats going to make some money anywhere. This isn't a decision that every high schooler will have the chance to make.
Sure, it may be lucrative to go to Europe but when the poor preps sign with a team which later has their sponsor pull out and they can't meet the bills, playing time in Europe will no longer be a "bling" affair.
On the bright side, at least they get some culture!
This is a smart move in my mind. Why not do what you love and get paid in euro.
If it works out, NBA / NCAA will need to rethink things. Best of luck.
Am I missing something here? The way I see it he can sign a shoe deal tomorrow and be financially secure for life? I know we're not talking Labron James or the NBA, but a good agent will pull something off. Not to mention he'll surely make enough money next year to pay for 4 years of college if he were to get hurt. He'll have to get accepted first, of course ?-(
i 1st wondered about this when "king james" played in h.s....shoe execs admitted to offering contracts when he was in h.s...over $100 mil..then the OHSAA tried to get him kicked out for accepting gifts..eventually did..but from the start he said he just wanted to play b-ball..if he wanted to play he could have went to europe (prolly italy) and made ok money and signed $180 mil in sponsor deals..i think it would have been a great move for l.james..but things arent bad for him now so...
jennings didnt come up with this on his own, he admits to hearing a shoe exec on radio talking about it and got his attention..also from what ive been reading and hearing he is still working on his grades and tests to b qualified for college..little late in the game for that imo..so the only way this kid is smart is if count the fact he prolly was going to sit out a yr if he didnt go overseas
The only reason this makes sense is because he couldn't get into an NCAA school because of academic problems. Yes he might ink a small shoe contract due to him being one of the best and most recognizable names in the '08 recruiting class but to say that future prospects should choose this route over college is ridiculous. Playing in Europe isn't exactly the most glamorous thing and being away from home for 18 year old kids going to college in the US is tough enough even with all the support they have behind them with the coaching staff and school. Imagine going to a foreign country where he'll know no one, have to adapt to a completely new culture, and play in an environment where there could be a lot of hostility, jealousy, and prejudice towards him as a player. Not to say it can't be done, I just don't see how people can say going to Europe is a better decision than going to college.
College isn't for everybody. Some people just don't have what it takes and that's okay. Some people are better off going to truck driver school or becoming a welder, plumber, or a hair stylist. There is nothing wrong with that.
Fortunately for this kid, he can earn six figures out of high school playing basketball and he gets to spend a year in Europe, pretty sweet deal if you ask me.
Jennings signed a three year contract yesterday. He gets $600,000 a year, not including endorsements and a clause that he can leave after one year for the NBA draft. Not a bad deal. This will spark the interest of many recruits next year.
The NBA needs to make the NBDL a more realistic option for the "one and dones" and for players to continue to be developed while under contract with an NBA team. There is no reason for the US not to have a highly competitive junior league.
Quote from: nyg on July 17, 2008, 11:29:24 AM
Jennings signed a three year contract yesterday. He gets $600,000 a year, not including endorsements and a clause that he can leave after one year for the NBA draft. Not a bad deal. This will spark the interest of many recruits next year.
There won't be many guys that get this deal. Remeber Jennings would be a high lottery pick if he were in the draft. And the best he could do is a middling contract with a mid-level Italian team. I don't see this as a big deal. the NBA will probably change anyway to avoid these situations. foreign teams just are not going to pay out top money for one and dones.
Here is the main problem I see for Jennings doing this, and will hurt him.
He knows he is 1 and done, and the team he signed with (Rome) don't deal with players like this. If Jennings doesn't go into this with an open mind/team mentality, he is going to struggle. He is setting himself up for disaster. Honestly, not knocking a player, but how hard is it to pass the exam to get into college, that's where he made his first mistake.
Quote from: Mayor McCheese on July 17, 2008, 03:41:18 PM
Here is the main problem I see for Jennings doing this, and will hurt him.
He knows he is 1 and done, and the team he signed with (Rome) don't deal with players like this. If Jennings doesn't go into this with an open mind/team mentality, he is going to struggle. He is setting himself up for disaster. Honestly, not knocking a player, but how hard is it to pass the exam to get into college, that's where he made his first mistake.
I think for a lot of kids who see themselves one year away from the NBA - and therefore have no serious academic intent -- $600,000 tax free, a chance to spend a year in Rome (with your family along for the ride) and an opportunity to travel Europe on someone else's dime would be pretty enticing.
Especially when the alternative is a year in Tucson with a doddering old Lute Olson, working your tail off for free.
Frankly, I don't see how this will hurt the kid. If anything, a year of playing against men in a professional league may help him prepare for life in the NBA more than a year in college.
What I don't get about this whole thing is wasn't the NBDL designed for guys just like Brandon Jennings. Guys who were talented but couldn't' get into College. What would be wrong with having him spend a year in Boise learning his craft. Why does the NBA ban 18 year olds from its DEVELOPMENTAL league. Wasn't that the point? The point shouldn't be having Scott Merritt average 8 and 7 a game while good players leave to play overseas. Ridiculous.
Quote from: Toughmover1016 on July 18, 2008, 12:56:39 PM
Scott Merritt average 8 and 7 a game while good players leave to play overseas. Ridiculous.
Agreed Scott should be over there. His chance at the NBA never really came, and if they redesigned the NBDL to accept these players, it'd be better off. However, I don't think the NDBL has the cash to pay these players.