OT - Jeremy Tyler Going To Europe, After Junior Year Of High School

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/sports/ncaabasketball/23prospect.html?_r=1&hp

This is an extremely interesting move. Thoughts? 5-Star Recruit. Initially going to Louisville.

 

Phooey.

The way jocks are coddled at most schools, you have to be dumber than a dirt sandwich or totally undisciplined to not be able to survive a year in college. This knucklehead can't even get a high school diploma?

No brains, no discipline, and an inflated sense of entitlement.......the best thing that could happen to this kid is to crash and burn utterly.

 

Its a good move. His focus for his career is basketball. He will make hundreds of thousands of dollars in Europe instead of being stuck in a lame ass school and playing for a bunch of people twittering in the stands. He will get better competition, grow as a player and by traveling and living in a foreign country...he will grow as a person.

 

If I could have gone to Europe to play pro ball at that age, I would have gone too.

 

lets see, hook up with skanky cheerleaders or bang Italian supermodels. not a hard choice!

 

Foolish decision.

 

why? i don't see any real downside to it.

He plays more basketball. Learns more offenses. Probably actually has LESS distractions and makes money.

Travelling is probably worth more in education than him taking Pre-Algebra.

 

That's what I did. Smart man.

 

Well, with all the talk about the NBA and NBAPA trying to actually lengthen the post-high school graduate requirements, he might just end up stranded over there for three years.

And "growing his game" just might not happen. Young guys don't play big minutes internationally. Jennings hasn't even played all that much. Sure, he'll have hours in the gym to practice, but if he were dedicated to his craft he could do the same thing at home.

Do you think NBA teams are going to eagerly draft a dude who didn't even graduate high school? How do you think PR campaigns will go with him telling kids to stay in school?

 

Sad that his word means nothing to him.

Hope he stays in Europe.

 

OK. So he's stranded in Europe making hundreds of thousands of dollars versus making zero playing free collegiate basketball. Big deal about that.

And maybe he won't play big minutes internationally. There's no guarantee he would play at Duke or UNC either.

And as far as marketing, big whoop. He'll worry about that when he gets there. Stay in School is only good if you're a loser. If you're an agressive guy willing to take reasonable risks, then staying in school makes little sense. Maybe he'll just get his GED for the hell of it and then take summer classes if he wants to.

 

He'd play no matter what college he goes to, because he's a freakishly athletic big guy. Honestly, all we would have to do is block shots, rebound, grab some alley oops and stay healthy and he's the #1 pick.

He's also losing potential marketing footholds by not having a chance to play in front of his future target audience. Granted he's a big guy so maybe this applies to Jennings more, but instead of cementing college memories like Durant and Mayo did, he's in Europe making some money. However, rest assured Durant and Mayo are far more marketable than Jennings in to perpetuity, just because they have a huge college fan base that remembers him.

 

well, its not really fair to compare guys that are already in the NBA with guys that aren't in terms of "marketability".

and he'll just be like a foreign player.

 

should be illegal (ok maybe not illegal, but still lame), need to at least graduate high school imo...not even finishing high school is a fucking disgrace (since read, hope he does get a HS diploma)

Also, he may enjoy the money, but just from reading the article, my assumption is he does not have a passion for the game and is just looking for a quick buck. There is no price tag on a college experience and paying in a college atmosphere..he may also sit on the Euro bench, as they dont like playing young players. He would be best suited going to a team where he could start right away in college.

 

Why? High school is glorified babysitting for the most part.

 

I had a 12 year old girl in one of my college classes this year. Nobody gets on her for skipping high school. If you possess the skills, whether mental or physical, to move ahead in life, you do it. You can ALWAYS go back to school. I'm a couple months shy of 28 and I'm back in college.

And btw, nobody got on THIS Guy for skipping high school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBjch7P_gF8&feature=related

 

So, if playing in Europe is such great experience for a player, why is Jennings in such a big rush to come back?

 

I don't know.

 

Language barrier?