-- It will be interesting to see if this starts a precedent with kids

Jackson

April 23, 2009
Basketball Prospect Leaving High School to Play in Europe
By PETE THAMEL
SAN DIEGO — Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 high school junior whom some consider the best American big man since Greg Oden, says he will be taking a new path to the N.B.A. He has left San Diego High School and said this week that he would skip his senior year to play professionally in Europe.

Tyler, 17, would become the first United States-born player to leave high school early to play professionally overseas. He is expected to return in two years, when he is projected to be a top pick, if not the No. 1 pick, in the 2011 N.B.A. draft.

Tyler, who had orally committed to play for Rick Pitino at Louisville, has yet to sign with an agent or a professional team. His likely destination is Spain, though teams from other European leagues have shown interest. A spokesman for Louisville said the university could not comment about Tyler.

“Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better,” Tyler said. “If you’re really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys.”

His decision is perhaps the most important one since Kevin Garnett jumped straight to the N.B.A. from high school in 1995. Garnett was the No. 5 pick in the N.B.A. draft and ushered in a generation of preps-to-pros stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. A minimum-age rule passed for the 2006 draft cut off that route, essentially forcing players to spend at least one year in college.

But Brandon Jennings, a point guard from Los Angeles, became the first player to graduate from high school, skip college and play professionally in Europe. (Whether Jennings would have qualified academically to play at Arizona, where he had signed a letter of intent, is unknown.) He is in his first season with Lottomatica Virtus Roma in Italy and is projected as a high pick in the N.B.A. draft in June.

Tyler took Jennings’s path and added a compelling twist, perhaps opening the door for other elite high school basketball players to follow.

Sonny Vaccaro, a former sneaker company executive, orchestrated Jennings’s move and has guided Tyler and his family through the process.

“It’s significant because it shows the curiosity for the American player just refusing to accept what he’s told he has to do,” Vaccaro said. “We’re getting closer to the European reality of a professional at a young age. Basically, Jeremy Tyler is saying, ‘Why do I have to go to high school?’ ”

Vaccaro said he was unsure how much money Tyler would make, though it will most likely be less than the $1.2 million Jennings made in a combination of salary and endorsements this season. Vaccaro said Tyler would make a six-figure salary, noting that the economic crisis in Europe could hurt his earnings.

Vaccaro made his name by signing Michael Jordan to Nike in the mid-1980s and has advised numerous elite players over the years. “I believe he’ll be a 10-time All-Star with his ability,” Vaccaro said of Tyler.

For now, Tyler said he was working out eight to nine hours a day at local gyms and schools and spending two and a half hours a day to get his high school diploma online. He said he had his “ups and downs” in the classroom but was on track to qualify academically to play in college.

Tyler said his game stagnated by playing high school basketball here and he was frustrated by the rules of the California Interscholastic Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

He averaged 28.7 points during a tumultuous junior season in which his team went 15-11. Two of his coaches were fired in part because of their roles in trying to recruit three star players to complement Tyler. Kenny Roy, the former head coach, denied any wrongdoing.

But the three transfers were ruled ineligible, leaving Tyler the centerpiece of a team whose next biggest player was 6-2.

“It was boring and I wasn’t getting better,” Tyler said. “Each game was the same thing. I was getting triple-teamed and getting hacked. After each game I’d have scratches and bruises up and down my arms from getting triple-teamed. It just wasn’t for me.”

Spain is the most likely option for him because of the structure of its basketball league. Vaccaro said Tyler could shuttle between his professional team and its development squad for 18-year-olds. So if Tyler, who turns 18 in June, struggles early against professional men, he will be able to play and practice with the younger team.

Tyler, who was raised primarily by his father, James, and his uncle, Maurice, will move to Europe with his older brother, James. A rotation of relatives plans to visit. Tyler’s father said he had reservations at first about sending his son overseas, knowing there would be a strong reaction in the community.

“You know what? It’s just a job,” the elder James Tyler said. “He gets a chance to work the job of his dreams and have fun doing it. There’s kids leaving to go to Iraq at age 18. They took a job to serve their country. He’s going to play ball.”

Along the way, Tyler may just become a trailblazer for other high school basketball prodigies.

“This is what I want to do,” he said. “It will help me get better and grow up.”

massive massive mistake by this guy. i'm sure that some feel that its his life and if he wants to get paid, fine. i would be cool with this guy leaving for europe after he graduates. but his junior year?

this is going to set a dangerous precedent, and the sad part is that most of the execs in the nba probably don't even care.

Brandon Jennings is mentioned in the article because he started this trend. By several accounts, he isn't performing that well. He's getting around 18 minutes a game and is averaging around 6 points/game and with 2 assists/game.

The NBA needs to do away with the age limit rule.

(04-23-2009 04:17 PM)Brick City Pirate Wrote:  The NBA needs to do away with the age limit rule.

This is one of those issues that I go back and forth on. From a theoretical perspective, I think that if you're good enough to play in the NBA when you graduate from high school, then you should be able to be drafted right away. Certainly, guys like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant never needed to spend a year in college or Europe before going to the NBA. If I knew that the NBA would only draft those types of high school players, then the age limit rule would be unnecessary.

The problem was that, in practice, way too many players out of high school (1) were drafted completely on speculation and turned out to be high profile busts and/or (2) never got drafted and ended up giving up their NCAA eligibility (thereby taking a quality player away from the college ranks). For every LeBron James, there were 10 Kwame Browns who should never have even thought of skipping college. Just having one year in college has the dual effect of drastically reducing the risk of teams drafting young busts (since NBA teams get to see those players against much better competition) and making sure that high school players don't get so starry-eyed that they make a huge mistake going into the draft when they really shouldn't be there (especially with so many agents out there pushing them to get paid right away).

Also, always remember that the NBA is a business first and foremost. While LeBron was an exception as a high school player that was well-known, in almost all other cases, the NBA benefits a lot if a player has even just one year of college experience so that he's publicized and becomes familiar to the national public. There was a lot of hype with Derrick Rose going into the NBA this past season and that would have not occurred to the same extent if he had come out of high school a year earlier (same thing with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in the year prior to that). Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon - all of those guys came into the NBA as known stars because of their college careers. It's a whole lot easier to market (and sell tickets to watch) rookies that we're already used to watching on the national stage in college.

The NBA isn't like baseball or hockey where drafted players go to the minors - top draft picks in basketball are expected to have an immediate impact as opposed to being stuck on the bench. So, overall, I support the age limit rule for the simple fact that it improves overall play in both college basketball and the NBA.

Frank, The problem I have with your rational is that it's only 1 year of college. If the kids were required to at least stay in college for 3 years and become real students, I'd be ok with an age limit. A lot of the 1 and done kids go to class for the first semester and when they know they are headed to the nba they tank the second semester. If they were required to stay 3 years, you would get kids that actually want a college degree as a fall back if they don't play professional ball. The kids that are not suited of college can go overseas or to the nba developmental league. Just my opinion.

If they can put you in a war to fight for this country then you should be allowed to make a living. Young Mr.Tyler wants to go to europe and make some money playing basketball instead of making someone else a living. I'm fine with that. Do I beleive he should have finished high school yes, but if he wants to try and make a living go right ahead.

(04-23-2009 05:28 PM)Brick City Pirate Wrote:  Frank, The problem I have with your rational is that it's only 1 year of college. If the kids were required to at least stay in college for 3 years and become real students, I'd be ok with an age limit. A lot of the 1 and done kids go to class for the first semester and when they know they are headed to the nba they tank the second semester. If they were required to stay 3 years, you would get kids that actually want a college degree as a fall back if they don't play professional ball. The kids that are not suited of college can go overseas or to the nba developmental league. Just my opinion.

I completely understand your point of view. If I had my druthers, the NBA draft rules would be the same as the NFL so there wouldn't be one-and-done players. In fact, the next collective bargaining agreement may very well put that into place. I'm just looking at it from why the NBA does things now: there's a whole lot more hype and commensurate ticket and jersey sales for a player like Derrick Rose coming off of an appearance in a national championship game as a freshman than having him spend a year in the NBDL. The NBA, more than any other league, is a star and personality driven enterprise, so it is much more important for those teams to be able to maximize their draft picks.

if the nba had a minor league system like the nhl and baseball does, i would not have a problem with it, although it would put a serious hurt on the college game.

Two words: See ya'

I hope this does start a new trend.

The NBA has every right as an organization to pick when someone can play. If they want one year to see how a kid stacks up against the best competition out there, so be it. If a kid wants to play pro ball for a year after high school, or drop out like many musicians do, so be it. Play in Europe, play in Israel, play in Japan. There are plenty of opportunities out there, plus you can see the world while hoopin'.

I'm as big a sports fan as most, but I just think there's a problem with the system when the only reason one and done players go to college is because they can't go directly to the nba or because they want to refine their skills/reputation a little at the college level. Frank, I agree with your example of Derrick Rose, but I thought college was supposed to be a place to get a scholastic education not a place for basketball players to hone their skills. A 21 year old age restriction should be in place for all pro sports leagues if a kid decides to go to college.

Things I'd like to see happen

1.The NCAA and NBA establish two separate deadlines. If a kid wants to go pro out of high school, they must declare and waive their NCAA eligibility six months before the NCAA signing day. After this six month mark, a kid may not declare for the NBA and cannot be drafted. This gives coaches some time to replace top recruits that leave for the pros and avoids terrible situations like the Pitino-Talfair debacle (kid declares on signing day).

2. Any kid that goes to college forfeits the right to declare for the NBA for a period of three years (similar to MLB and NFL). If they drop out of college, they may not be drafted by the NBA until the completion of their third year. This encourages kids to stay in school and earn a college degree (actually be scholar-athletes which is what college players are suppose to be). Kids that don't want to take the college route may enter the developmental league, the Europe league, etc. but the 3 year rule would still apply (i.e. if you go to Europe, you are going to be there three years minimum).

(04-24-2009 07:16 AM)Brick City Pirate Wrote:  I'm as big a sports fan as most, but I just think there's a problem with the system when the only reason one and done players go to college is because they can't go directly to the nba or because they want to refine their skills/reputation a little at the college level. Frank, I agree with your example of Derrick Rose, but I thought college was supposed to be a place to get a scholastic education not a place for basketball players to hone their skills. A 21 year old age restriction should be in place for all pro sports leagues if a kid decides to go to college.

I think that we'll end up getting something close to that. The word is that in the next NBA collective bargaining agreement, the owners will push to raise the NBA age limit to at least 20 or be 2 years removed from high school graduation. This is something that the players union could reasonably end up conceding in exchange for other items (since it's an issue that affects future players as opposed to current members of the player's union).

Seems to me that the best solution might simply be to pay the college athlete.

Cheers,
Neil

Sure, you still have some one and done players, but I'm pretty sure they can go back to school whenever they want based on the fact that they went there and played ball and helped the school.

Also, look at how many guys stick around when they would have left after high school. Sometimes that year of college ball can be an eye-opener and lead to three more years.

I really like what College baseball and MLB have in place...a kid can go pro out of high school, but if he goes to college he has to stay three yrs...it really gives the schools a little more security

Jackson

(04-23-2009 05:42 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  If they can put you in a war to fight for this country then you should be allowed to make a living.

This kid is 17. He can't fight in a war. He might be able to enlist with a parents signature, but the standing policy is no one under the age of 18 can deploy. The kids a flat out fool. He hasn't even finished high school yet. He lacks the education and maturity to be successful off the field.

If he's not studious, or he's uneducated, if you prefer, then trying to make a living is a good idea - especially if he's focused on basketball to the exclusion of everything else, like many ghetto kids have today. Whether or not it's a good idea remains to be seen. But this kid may have no other options as to his future, if he's been slacking all his life...

It's not the smartest move, but it might be the smartest move for this kid if he's made bad decisions for most of his life already...

According to David Stern, the owners and players union has agreed, that the next contract will require 2 years out of high school to be elligible for the draft. This will continue and even grow in numbers. Very few will ever play in the NBA after going to Europe first.