Brandon Jennings to sign in Europe.

[seanbig]

I could see a trend kinda like the junior hockey in canada.

Don't u think lebron james would have gone to europe to make his millions at 16 instead of pretending to not get money from his agent in high school...while driving a hummer....

[BROWN]

LOl to the NCAA
Great job for Brandon, gets to play with men, and be the "star" of the league.

[aristippus]

For how much euros ??

300.000 € for 1 year. Plus school for his brother, that will play in a young team of Rome.

[Rasho Brezec]

For how much euros ??

300.000 € for 1 year. Plus school for his brother, that will play in a young team of Rome.

Which is approximately 476.000$. Great deal for both sides, relatively cheap signing for Lottomatica, he gets the money he wanted and a lot of experience both in Italian league and Euroleague. Not to mention he took care for his brother, too.

[big L]

Good for him, and the fact that he is looking after his brother sheds some light onto the situation--maybe he's smarter than his grades would have you think. Big money college ball can find someone else to soak for cash.

I just hope he's humble enough to get the most he can out of the European game. There's a great article on this at draftexpress.com, by the way.

[Optimus_Steel]

Glad to see Jennings not buy into the exploitative nature of big-time college sports in America. And no, the cost of tuition, room and board at Arizona is not equal to the market value of one year of Jennings' basketball talents. Heck, it's probably not even equal to the amount Arizona makes just on sales of his jersey, let alone of tickets bought by people who just want to see him, or the revenue of video games produced using his likeness - all of which Jennings would have received 0% of the revenues from.

Good to see someone stand up to the system.

[Malinhion]

He's not a very bright guy. Sorry, but dim bulbs like him rarely make it in the NBA.

Don't confused intelligence with BBIQ. I've seen guys that could memorize an entire playbook, but when you put them on the hardwood they can't see it develop, even though they know exactly where and how to rotate.

I actually think a year in Europe will help Jennings mature much quicker than he would in the NBA. Just ask anyone whose friends in college have gone abroad for a semester. At that age, handling life on your own in a strange environment makes you grow up fast.

[Rasho Brezec]

He's not a very bright guy. Sorry, but dim bulbs like him rarely make it in the NBA.

Don't confused intelligence with BBIQ. I've seen guys that could memorize an entire playbook, but when you put them on the hardwood they can't see it develop, even though they know exactly where and how to rotate.

I actually think a year in Europe will help Jennings mature much quicker than he would in the NBA. Just ask anyone whose friends in college have gone abroad for a semester. At that age, handling life on your own in a strange environment makes you grow up fast.

Exactly. If nothing else, he will learn discipline.

[MF23]

Put it down right now. Within the next 4 yrs someone will leave the U.S. for Europe before their senior year. European scouts will start being seen at highschool games and summer camps next year. They will sign 10th graders to 3 or 4 yr deals offering millions to kids who wont have that. Put that opportunity in front of these handlers and family members and the market will open for this.

[MF23]

Put it down right now. Within the next 4 yrs someone will leave the U.S. for Europe before their senior year. European scouts will start being seen at highschool games and summer camps next year. They will sign 10th graders to 3 or 4 yr deals offering millions to kids who wont have that. Put that opportunity in front of these handlers and family members and the market will open for this.

[BubbaTee]

He's not a very bright guy. Sorry, but dim bulbs like him rarely make it in the NBA.

Don't confused intelligence with BBIQ. I've seen guys that could memorize an entire playbook, but when you put them on the hardwood they can't see it develop, even though they know exactly where and how to rotate.

Yup, everyone's smart at different things. Tom Thibodeaux doesn't know quantum physics, just like Stephen Hawking has no idea how to contain Kobe Bryant. Other than throwing him into a black hole, I suppose.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Glad to see Jennings not buy into the exploitative nature of big-time college sports in America. And no, the cost of tuition, room and board at Arizona is not equal to the market value of one year of Jennings' basketball talents. Heck, it's probably not even equal to the amount Arizona makes just on sales of his jersey, let alone of tickets bought by people who just want to see him, or the revenue of video games produced using his likeness - all of which Jennings would have received 0% of the revenues from.

Good to see someone stand up to the system.

How much do you people honestly value a college education?

[panacea]

Glad to see Jennings not buy into the exploitative nature of big-time college sports in America. And no, the cost of tuition, room and board at Arizona is not equal to the market value of one year of Jennings' basketball talents. Heck, it's probably not even equal to the amount Arizona makes just on sales of his jersey, let alone of tickets bought by people who just want to see him, or the revenue of video games produced using his likeness - all of which Jennings would have received 0% of the revenues from.

Good to see someone stand up to the system.

How much do you people honestly value a college education?

About as much as the Wall Street Journal does?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1216236 ... =yhoofront

[asdfgh]

Education of any type is great, but college education in the United States where you have to pay a fortune to get a degree from a semi-respectable school is a scam. It's pretty disgusting that knowledge and education in capitalist nations is treated like fast-food.

[Malinhion]

You can't even do anything with an undergrad degree any more, unless you're an engineer. You're better off dropping out and getting on-the-job training, which is where you learn everything anyhow. College is for learning how to manage your own life, developing that lifestyle, and generally being able to party your ass off and have a good time while you're young.

[M.Balla]

In case you didnt knew it, in Europe we have colleges and degrees and we don't need to spend the savings of our whole family to get a quality education. They can get their degree while playing the Euroleague and earning a big time paycheck.

[BubbaTee]

Glad to see Jennings not buy into the exploitative nature of big-time college sports in America. And no, the cost of tuition, room and board at Arizona is not equal to the market value of one year of Jennings' basketball talents. Heck, it's probably not even equal to the amount Arizona makes just on sales of his jersey, let alone of tickets bought by people who just want to see him, or the revenue of video games produced using his likeness - all of which Jennings would have received 0% of the revenues from.

Good to see someone stand up to the system.

How much do you people honestly value a college education?

Nothing's stopping Jennings from getting a college education if he wants. Certainly if he wants to go to school later no one should discourage him. Many players finish their degrees after turning pro, and they should all be applauded.

By going pro, Jennings:
- will have nearly $500,000 US in his pocket, plus be able to sign a shoe deal and other endorsements. With that kind of money he can go to any university in the world, including ones better than the University of Arizona.
- And he'll still have a lot of money left over after paying for college.
- And he'll have a year's worth of professional experience in his job field, as well as the ability to work on his game full-time during that year.
- And he'll have provided a job for his brother.
- And by attending later as an actual student rather than a big-time scholarship athlete, he won't be getting cushy grading curves, which will improve the quality of his education.
- And he'll be exposed to a different culture than just the US, helping to make him a more well-rounded person.

By going to school, Jennings:
- will not put a dime in his wallet.
- will not have a year of professional experience, and can only be coached during certain parts of the year, and only for a limited number of hours per week.
- will not have provided his brother with a job.
- will be coddled through classes, allowing him to coast through without having to actually learn the material.
- will be exposed to diverse types of people, but will likely not be exposed to an entirely new culture.
- will watch as other people profit off his likeness without his consent, and without him receiving a penny of the proceeds.

[Optimus_Steel]

Glad to see Jennings not buy into the exploitative nature of big-time college sports in America. And no, the cost of tuition, room and board at Arizona is not equal to the market value of one year of Jennings' basketball talents. Heck, it's probably not even equal to the amount Arizona makes just on sales of his jersey, let alone of tickets bought by people who just want to see him, or the revenue of video games produced using his likeness - all of which Jennings would have received 0% of the revenues from.

Good to see someone stand up to the system.

How much do you people honestly value a college education?

College is not for everyone. I have a degree, i value mine but im not even doing what i studied in college. A guy like Jennings does not a need a degree. He wants to play basketball and has exceptional talent to do so and make money, so good for him. If you can go for it. Why should he be forced to play in college for one year? He doesnt want to be there. The NCAA or his college isnt going to reward him justly for any revenue he makes them. The NCAA exploits its stars. He does not want to be forced into the NCAA system and i cant blame him. He is gonna make alot more money playing basketball in Europe than spending a year in college. Its a no brainer for him.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

You know, it's entirely possible to have a student-athlete experience featuring a rigorous academic schedule. It doesn't happen often and the age limit practically discourages it, but treating stereotypes as reality only hurts all sides in this deal. Look at a guy like Adam Emmenecker of Drake University. Sure, he's going pro in something other than sports, but he has four majors and a 3.9 GPA while being a top player in his conference. You're telling me that if Jennings harbored similar academic ambitions, that would be detrimental to his professional career and should be discouraged?

Also, BubbaTee, you're completely wrong about Jennings not being "exposed to an entirely new culture" in college. Completely wrong. Did you go to college? That culture in itself is unlike anything you'll experience anywhere in the world. Sure, Jennings is starting his pro career early and he'll have more green in his pocket. But there's something to be said about having a lot of experience.

(It also bears noting, as I don't think anyone has figured out yet, that not every high-schooler is going to be automatically comfortable living and working in Europe. I'd be surprised to see Brandon Jennings become a breakout star in Europe, but I have no idea what playing time he'll get...or what he'll do with it. Just as college is not for everybody, Europe is not for everybody. I think too many people are caught up in the "F**K THE ESTABLISHMENT AND F**K YOU STERN" mentality to see through every little detail.)

[wilt]

You're telling me that if Jennings harbored similar academic ambitions, that would be detrimental to his professional career and should be discouraged?

But he doesn´t. I mean, it´s not like he´s getting forced to go to Europe (even if he failed to get into Arizona, there´s good chances he´d make the Cut for various other schools) , so that is somewhat of a mute point.
Yes, College is a great experience and getting a degree should be valued highly, but it´s not like Colleges go into debt giving out scholarships so that a guy like Jennings should feel some sort of guilt not to cheerish that.

It would be extremely dangerous if this opens the floodgates, but i really don´t see any point in questioning Jennings´s decicion right now.

And i do think that a lot of people here really have to slow down a bit in their "excitement", too. It will be a very complex year for Jennings, it is far from guaranteed that he will adjust well enough to get the draft position he might have gotten being a freshman in College in a very controlled situation.
He will have to deal with a whole new environment, a whole new lifestyle and a whole new importance of Basketball.
In many ways this is much closer to what it was like to jump directly to the NBA than people think. Extract a chunk of pure/true talent but replace it with a much more hostile environment (non-successfull clubs do go bancrupt in Europe, they don´t just change the owner ...) .