http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/1224 Recent articles about the Arizona Wildcats en-us As I continued to dig over the blog about Brandon Jennings and his going to Europe because he didn't pass the SAT's I found another piece that has head coach Jim Boeheim talking about the situation. And just like last blog I did coach Boeheim is sharp and to the point, and just like last time, I believe him to be fully right. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:51:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290455 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290455 Those of you that read this blog or know me personally know that, while I enjoy Syracuse Men's basketball, I have sometimes been critical of head coach Jim Boeheim. Well, if I'm going to be critical of someone when I think he's wrong, I think that I should also have his back when he's right in what he does or says. Right about now is where you are going to wonder what I am babbling about... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:32:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290096 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290096 Brandon Jennings' decision to forgo college and his verbal agreement with Arizona and play in Europe for a year before entering the NBA Draft has had a resounding impact upon his once future home. The LA Times reported today that Arizona head coach Lute Olson has become fed up with dealing with one and done players, like Jerryd Bayless who just left the Wildcats, and prep star Jennings. Olson was quoted as saying "It's a situation now that if someone's a 'one-and-done,' we're not going to pursue them anymore, no way,". Now, I get his frustration, these guys put in hundreds of hours recruiting these guys and trying to win them over, and then they come and go as they please just because it's not a place they really want to be, they want to go to the NBA. However, is Arizona now going to be able to compete at the highest level in college basketball? This problem rests on the shoulders of the NBA; they need to turn the D-League into their minor league system and let kids who want to go straight to the league play 2 years in the D-League before they can be brought up. That takes away the problem of ruining college programs and gives the kids time to mature without the spotlight on them 24/7, but they're still playing pro ball. It'll never happen, but it could be a nice compromise for everybody. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:59:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289335 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289335 Like many other college basektball traditionalists, Hall of Fame Coach Olson speaks out against the one and done-ers in today's game. With One and Done becoming the norm, (much publicized) Arizona Recruit Brandon Jennings has decided to skip the one and done and play a year in Europe. 4 Real gives us a look at this debate which will only increase in intensity over the next years until something changes after the 2010-2011 season. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:17:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289244 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289244 Lute Olsen says he will no longer recruit players who are leaning towards going to the NBA after the freshmen year. 2 things stick out 1) Olsen is 73 so this policy may be short lived as he nears retirement 2) Its a good idea in principle but its going to hurt the team's competitiveness. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:28:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289214 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289214 I know that this is a UNC blog and as such I should stick to all things Tar Heel. But on the other hand, this Brandon Jennings story is something that might just change all of college basketball and as such I'm going to poke my nose into it. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:01:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289058 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289058 Brandon Jennings says who needs the NCAA? Jennings was one of the top point guard recruits in the country and had signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Arizona Wildcats. Jennings has yet to qualify to enter the NCAA and he had been awaiting the results of his third college entrance exam, but decided to give up his scholarship to pursue an opportunity in Europe. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:56:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288951 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288951 Brandon Jennings doesn't have a choice : He's a dazzling point guard who couldn't get the requisite test scores to enroll at Point Guard U of Arizona, so he is taking his game to Europe. There are sure to be romantic notions of the young American phenom taking his game to Europe and teaching the Europeans a thing or two about American inner city basketball, but my guess is that Jennings will be in for a rude awakening. Don't get me wrong. I am all for American kids fresh out of high school going pro wherever in the world and plying their craft. The globalization and decentralization of the basketball industry has already started and Jennings is definitely not the end. If you can't stop it, why not embrace it? Besides, it is time to have more options than the neither student nor baller world of American amateur basketball. I think that Brandon Jennings will be wise to just suck up the hard year in Europe and learn from his coaches and elder teammates. He cannot expect to go in and dominate at the premier division level of Euro pro ball. The best point guards in Europe are guys like J.R. Holden, Will Bynum and Lynn Greer, who weren't fits in the NBA, for reasons athletic, timing or otherwise. However, they are still world class athletes, with much seasoning. For example, J.R. Holden, in my opinion, is the most effective lead guard in international basketball, Redeem Team players included. Amongst the youngsters, Ricky Rubio is the best, and he is far ahead of Jennings. At 17-years old, Rubio has already been playing pro ball for two years, will play on Spain's senior team in Beijing, and his command of the ACB game on both ends of the floor shows signs of him developing into a taller version of John Stockton. In terms of hoops IQ, Rubio is already ahead of No. 1 overall draft pick Derrick Rose. Brandon Jennings undoubtedly has got some talent, but compared to Rubio, he just looks like a guy who is really good amongst his peers. Basically, Jennings is going to get his butt spanked in Europe for a year. He is just not developed enough to be an elite pro at that level. He will have to adjust to a whole new world linguistically, culturally and gastronomically, and it will make the basketball side of things seem easy by comparison. If he sucks it up, dedicates himself to improving as a player, and doesn't melt down, then he will become a lottery pick in 2009. The Pandora's Box has been opened for high schoolers to play professionally in Europe rather than go to college, and as cold and inhumane as it sounds, Brandon Jennings will be the first guinea pig in the big global experiment. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:03:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288398 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288398 The BearDown held a debate with JVSports regarding Brandon Jennings heading off to Europe. Check it out and let us know what you think. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:47:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288166 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288166 The following comes from Dom over at The Beardown. He is diabollically opposed my beliefs about Brandon Jennings. He is also an Arizona Alum...not that that makes him bias... At all. Anyway, we swapped emails today and eventually decided to trade a short list of questions with one another and match wits. You can see my responses to his questions over at The Beardown. My Words are in Red. First off I would like to say that I like this idea, and credit Jeff with it entirely. Instead of going back and forth like immature idiots commenting we can actually have an intellectual debate about the pro's and cons of this issue. In the interest of Full Disclosure, I am an Arizona Alum, I am upset that Jennings is leaving, but I have also been against High Schoolers in the NBA for a long time, and actually believe the one and done rule should become a 2 year minimum or at the very least an age based rule. So I will be responding to Jeff's questions below. -Why do you think Jennings game would be better off in the NCAA than Europe? In the NCAA he will be developing along with other developing players, playing against other developing players. His game would improve tenfold during the season and he would get a lot of minutes. In Europe [...] Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:30:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288157 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288157 Brandon Jennings was a recent high school graduate waiting on his SAT scores to see if he was eligible to play college basketball at the University of Arizona. Brandon Jennings (AKA The Takeover) will now be a professional basketball player in Europe. Forget going to college for a year or playing in the D League, take the euros and head to Europe. Next year, Jennings will enter the NBA Draft with a year of professional ball on his resume. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:19:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288152 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288152 You may recall my recent column where I urged Brandon Jennings to go to Europe. As Luck would have it, my booiiii (copyright, used with permission of Michael Wilbon) decided to go to Europe. Good Call. Now, color me uninformed, but I don't know the staffing policies [...] Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:48:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287969 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287969 If you don't get the Au Revoir, how about Vaarwel in Dutch or Auf Wiedersehen in German. No matter what European language you put it in Top Ranked Point Guard prospect Brandon Jennings has said it to UA and will be heading to Europe to test the waters in this unfounded move straight from High School to the Euro game. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:37:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287804 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287804 #1 ranked high school player Brandon Jennings is contemplating skipping college and going...not to the NBA but to Europe for a year before entering the draft. The whole issue is surrounding his SAT scores, which were flagged by the College Board because of an excessive increase from his first to second scores. Jennings is a hot-head, but this is a crazy idea even for somebody like him. He'll have to be a true leader and the best player on the court each game in Europe if he wants to keep his draft stock high. I know it's an ESPN article, but read it and gets some perspective on this guy. It'll be interesting to see if he ends up with Lute Olson in Arizona or some random team in Europe. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:23:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286397 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286397 Mere mortals do not attempt to do the things that Brandon Jennings does. People like you and I do not use our 40 inch vertical to sail upwards towards a metal rim only to jam a leather ball through it, smile, and return to Earth. We don't have the balls to adopt a 1989 haircut for our first excursion into the limelight (if we get a piece of the limelight at all). And most of us, will never be important enough for the NCAA to care about us. The few people lucky enough to draw attention from the NCAA, typically do not wag their middle finger at the establishment. But a middle finger wag is exactly what Jennings is considering. And as a mere mortal, I salute him. You see, Brandon Jennings is in danger of not being eligible to enroll at Arizona this summer where he would take over the point gaurd duties from the departing Jerryd Bayless. Brandon is in the uncomfortable position of having the SAT decide his eligibility for collegiate athletics. Most high school Seniors would have to clean their underwear if they were told that a standardized test would narrowly decide the final 'yeah' or 'nay' for their hoop dreams. Brandon's underwear remain unscathed (besides usual wear and tear). Recently, when shoe-marketing legend Sonny Vaccaro appeared on a talk show, he suggested that Jennings forego his career in Division-1 and instead play in Europe. Brandon was listening. Since that day, Brandon has done some pretty logical thinking (which should be helpful on that pesky SAT): "Do I, Brandon Jennings prefer a life with no salary, an inherent risk of injury, access to collegiate vices (drugs, alcohol, coeds, etc.) all set across the backdrop of a campus in the dessert? Or, would I rather have a life with a six to seven figure salary, the same inherent risk of injury, the same vices (drugs, alcohol, college coeds crazy European women, etc.) all set across the backdrop of most pictureesque place in the world?" Hmmm... On the issues of salary, location, and risk alone, it seems inarguable that Europe is a better option for Brandon than Arizona. Add in the fact that Arizona is a day-trip away from Compton, his home town, and the picture gets even clearer. The Hi-top faded one would not be bothered by "friends" from his old neighborhood in Paris. In Europe, Jennings would gain experience playing a highly competitive--more competitive than D-1--style of basketball, while simultaneously avoiding any temptation to have an entourage. He would likely learn how to deal with teammates who did not speak English well. (That might be useful). Brandon might even grow up some However, if Jennings decides to go to Europe, the effects will reach much further than his own basketball career. First and foremost, the NCAA and NBA's pseudo-monopoly on American high school basketball talent will be shown for what it is (a farce). The downside is that it could completely undermine college basketball as we know it. If all of the United States' talent crossed the pond after graduation we might never see this again. On the other hand, if young 'super-athlete'-types appear in Europe more often, perhaps it will rub off on the Euro style of play. In other words, if Dirk Nowitski came through the ranks playing against guys like Greg Oden, perhaps he would have ditched his soft low post game (effectively making him the best player ever ever ever ever) Basketball fans: We live in a Brave New World. Jennings, go to Europe. I hope they show your games on ESPN 8 next year. I'll be there, beer in hand, to cheer you on. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:13:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284993 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284993