OT: No college for this B-Ball Wildcat

[red_n_black_attack]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10891252

Incoming Arizona freshman forgoes college to play in Europe until NBA draft eligible.

What will the NBA do when a kid drops out of high school forgoing his senior season (or more) to play in Europe until draft eligible. These kids have to wait until two years (new rule?) until after their class was supposed to graduate. Seems like it makes more sense for the academically challenged to drop out after sixth grade (before they start flunking and their graduation date moves even further out)

This is getting to be crazy!! One day it will happen to a kid who doesn't have academic issues.

[shaunsimpson]

Some will say that this is irrelevant, but it could be very relavant to the college game.

Not in this case since it doesn't seem like he would have quailified, but if the NBA goes to 2 years or even with the 1 year do players skip HS to sign a 2 year contract with a Europe team? On one side they get paid and on the other they take a huge risk in endorsement posibilities since they don't have the name recognition.

[bearcatd]

The only thing I like about baseball right now is their high school draft rule - you can come out after high school but if you set foot on a campus, you can't come out for 3 years (it's either 2 or 3). This gives the 18 year old a chance to get drafted and doesn't hose the schools with a one-and-done.

[Lobot]

The only thing I like about baseball right now is their high school draft rule - you can come out after high school but if you set foot on a campus, you can't come out for 3 years (it's either 2 or 3). This gives the 18 year old a chance to get drafted and doesn't hose the schools with a one-and-done.

Whoa, hang on. It's one year after your HS graduation class goes currently. NBA wants it to be 2 years but it's not a rule yet. Keith Brumbaugh did this this year.

I could be wrong but Prep school students who go an extra year after graduating from HS to get college eligible are also eligible for the draft as it stands now. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but that's my understanding.

[red_n_black_attack]

Whoa, hang on. It's one year after your HS graduation class goes currently. NBA wants it to be 2 years but it's not a rule yet. Keith Brumbaugh did this this year.

I could be wrong but Prep school students who go an extra year after graduating from HS to get college eligible are also eligible for the draft as it stands now. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but that's my understanding.

It is currently 1 year after high school graduation for basketball and 3 years for baseball. Prep school after high school graduation ... I think that counts as the "year" after high schoool graduation.

[levydl]

In baseball you have the option of: (1) getting drafted right out of high school; (2) going to a D1 college for at least 3 years and then being eligible for the draft; or (3) going to Junior College and being eligible for the draft at any time (that is, after either your 1st year or 2nd year in JC).

The other thing about baseball is that you don't have to "enter" the draft as you do in basketball - if you're eligible to be drafted, baseball teams can simply draft you. In basketball, you have to forfeit your eligibility to get the opportunity to get drafted (now, I know Randolph Morris entered the draft, wasn't drafted, was allowed back to UK, and then was considered a free agent after the season, with the Knicks signing him. But I think that is only the case if you don't get drafted at all, and that might not even be allowed anymore). In baseball, teams draft high school kids that have already pledged to go to college (the Reds famously did this with Jeremy Sowers in 2001. He told everyone he was going to Vanderbilt after high school, but Jim Bowden didn't care what he said and drafted him in the 1st round anyway. He, of course, went to Vandy, and then 3 years later was drafted in the 1st round by Cleveland. He's back in the minors now).

I guess the NBA used to allow something like this, because I recall that Red Auerbach drafted Larry Bird after his Jr. year even though he didn't go pro. Unlike baseball, where if you draft a kid and they don't sign they are back in the draft the next year, the Celtics still owned Bird's rights when he did turn pro.

So there are a lot more options in baseball than in basketball. Of course, there are a lot more players needed, with rosters double the NBAs and with the vast minor leagues.

I hope Jennings succeeds in Europe, gets better, and makes good money both his shoe and player contracts. It's a farce that he should have to go there to get paid to play though.

[Lobot]

In baseball you have the option of: (1) getting drafted right out of high school; (2) going to a D1 college for at least 3 years and then being eligible for the draft; or (3) going to Junior College and being eligible for the draft at any time (that is, after either your 1st year or 2nd year in JC).

The other thing about baseball is that you don't have to "enter" the draft as you do in basketball - if you're eligible to be drafted, baseball teams can simply draft you. In basketball, you have to forfeit your eligibility to get the opportunity to get drafted (now, I know Randolph Morris entered the draft, wasn't drafted, was allowed back to UK, and then was considered a free agent after the season, with the Knicks signing him. But I think that is only the case if you don't get drafted at all, and that might not even be allowed anymore). In baseball, teams draft high school kids that have already pledged to go to college (the Reds famously did this with Jeremy Sowers in 2001. He told everyone he was going to Vanderbilt after high school, but Jim Bowden didn't care what he said and drafted him in the 1st round anyway. He, of course, went to Vandy, and then 3 years later was drafted in the 1st round by Cleveland. He's back in the minors now).

I guess the NBA used to allow something like this, because I recall that Red Auerbach drafted Larry Bird after his Jr. year even though he didn't go pro. Unlike baseball, where if you draft a kid and they don't sign they are back in the draft the next year, the Celtics still owned Bird's rights when he did turn pro.

So there are a lot more options in baseball than in basketball. Of course, there are a lot more players needed, with rosters double the NBAs and with the vast minor leagues.

I hope Jennings succeeds in Europe, gets better, and makes good money both his shoe and player contracts. It's a farce that he should have to go there to get paid to play though.

I posted something similar but did it in the wrong forum and I got shut down. I knew this was going to happen eventually and it will get worse if they go to a 2 and done rule in the NBA.

Howwwwwever, There is something to be said for someone that has enough smarts to qualify for D1. That fact that this kid didn't qualify makes me think he wasn't worth the trouble and Lute Olsen all but said so in an ESPN article today.