if only our state still had real newspapers (UAB part at the end):
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/sports...ei=5087%0A
Top Recruit Weighs the Benefits of a Trip of Europe
By PETE THAMEL
Published: July 8, 2008
AKRON, Ohio — Brandon Jennings is considered the best point guard prospect in the high school class of 2008. His ball-handling and ability to lead the fast break make him a tantalizing prospect.
But Jennings may best be known as a trendsetter.
Jennings, who is 6 feet 2 inches and from Los Angeles, has given strong indications that he will play in Europe next season. An announcement is expected soon, and it could cause a ripple effect for other high school players considering jumping overseas to play until they are eligible for the N.B.A. draft.
Professional teams in Italy are among the European clubs that have expressed interest in Jennings, who would most likely get a minimum of $300,000, including salary and endorsements.
“If it turns out to be successful, there would be more going,” Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said. “It will not just be your eyes as a reporter and my eyes as a coach watching. It will be all the eyes of basketball, particularly the eyes of young people, saying, ‘Is that a great way to get experience?’ ”
Until 2005, players could jump directly from high school to the N.B.A., a path closed when the league instituted an age minimum that essentially required players to go to college for at least a year. An issue arises, however, when a player does not meet N.C.A.A. minimum eligibility standards. Jennings has committed to play at Arizona and his adviser, Kelly Williams, has said that he will find out if Jennings qualified on Friday.
Even if he enrolls at Arizona, Jennings is expected to spend only one year with the Wildcats.
Jennings said he heard the former sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro talk about Europe as an option on a radio show, and he and his mother have consulted Vaccaro about it.
“Basically, you’re not looking so much for money,” said Williams, the father of Nets point guard Marcus Williams. “You’re looking for the kid developing and going to the N.B.A. in the next draft. The thing that you don’t want to do is put the kid in a situation and it’s not a good fit.”
Other players are watching Jennings.
One of the top players in the class of 2009 is Lance Stephenson, who has led Brooklyn’s Lincoln High School to three consecutive New York City championships. Stephenson is considering a conventional list of colleges — Texas, U.C.L.A., Southern California, Memphis, Texas and St. John’s — but is expected to only spend one season in college before heading to the N.B.A. Stephenson’s father, Lance Sr., said Monday in a telephone interview that he and his son would be following Jennings’s decision closely.
“For me and my wife, we just get the information and talk to Lance and let him make the decision on that,” he said. “We’re looking at it and we’re interested just like anyone else.”
DeMar DeRozan, a U.S.C. signee, is considered the best scorer in the freshman class. DeRozan, a 6-6 forward, is expected to fill much of the scoring void left by O. J. Mayo, who left the Trojans after a year and was the No. 3 pick in the draft.
The problem is that DeRozan has said he has not qualified academically to play at U.S.C., which Trojans Coach Tim Floyd confirmed. While DeRozan said he was solely focused on playing college basketball, it is plausible that Europe could become an option.
“It put thoughts in a lot of players’ heads when they see Brandon going over there and doing something like that,” DeRozan said.
College coaches are generally against the idea of high school players’ playing in Europe. Memphis Coach John Calipari listed a handful of reasons. He cited the language barrier, games against more physically dominant competition, and the cultural adjustment for a teenager. Calipari and numerous other coaches used the word “exposed” when describing a potential situation in which a player like Jennings would go to Europe, struggle and hurt his draft stock.
“I don’t know if I’d want to be the first one, because your career is on the line,” Calipari said. “And here you are getting coached by a guy who doesn’t speak your language.”
Indiana Coach Tom Crean said he was not in favor of anything that would give a player an excuse not to keep up with his academics.
“If people thought going to the N.B.A. was a hard adjustment at a young age, imagine going thousands and thousands of miles away,” Crean said. “You’re going to lose your support system. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
Not every player is thinking about heading out. The 6-9 forward DeMarcus Cousins said he was not wavering from his commitment to Alabama-Birmingham.
Why not Europe?
He smiled and said, “My mom would never allow it.”
