Europe over college

[nyg]

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.

[NCMUFan]

Jennings sounds pretty smart to me.

[avid1010]

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.

[jce]

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.

[NCMUFan]

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.

[TJ]

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.

[The Lens]

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)

[lurch91]

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

[muarmy81]

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.

[The Lens]

Why do Euro teams want to deal with one and dones? Esp when that one and done is a 18 year old? 

[MU B2002]

 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.

[lurch91]

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.

[The Man in Gold]

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.

[downtown85]

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. 

[Wareagle]

I don't understand this move at all.  He would make more money playing for USC.

[MUONTOP]

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

[RawdogDX]

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.

[lurch91]

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.....

[RawdogDX]

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. 

[MUONTOP]

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.

[77ncaachamps]

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!

[ppp098]

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.

[avid1010]

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

[DAtruth]

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

[leftcoast warrior]

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.