Just a few days after an impressive 32 point, 9 assist performance against Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets, Brandon Jennings dropped an insane stat line. 55 points on 21/34 from the field (62%), 7/8 from 3pt range (88%), 5 rebounds and 5 assists with 4 turnovers. What makes his 55 point performance even more impressive is that he failed to score a point in the first quarter, went for 29 in the third, and most important of all, led his team to a victory.

Jennings’ difficult time in Europe has been well documented. From getting kicked out of practice for not working hard enough, to meager playing time and scoring output, many skeptics deemed his choice a failure very early on. However, Jennings apparently learned a great deal in his year abroad. While his flashy style and controversial public comments have painted one picture of Jennings, his actions and performance in the NBA have displayed something very different thus far.

When top scorer Michael Redd went down with yet another knee injury, many said “here we go again” for the woeful Bucks. However, Jennings apparently was not one of them. He has picked up the scoring load, shown poise and leadership, helping to guide his team to a 5-2 record with a 4 game win streak. He is also leading his team in points (25.6) and assists (5.1). Jennings is also adding over 4 rebounds a game, 1 steal and shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 57% on 3pt.

There is no question that we surely will see players choose the path of Brandon Jennings by going to Europe as opposed to their requisite year of college. There also certainly will be those who are not fit to make that jump. Hopefully we do not see a rash of “advisors” steering players who should be playing college basketball, towards the overseas payday for their own monetary gain; however, it may in fact be a good move for some players.

Maybe it takes a year of sitting on a bench in Europe, getting treated like any other professional player and having to work hard, rather than walking around a college campus like a celebrity for a year. Maybe it is too stressful for some to be labeled the next Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, etc. every night on ESPN during March Madness. Maybe, for some, this really is a successful path to choose.

While it is still too early to grade the Jennings experiment a complete success, I would venture to say that he is off to an exceptional start and proving a lot of doubters wrong. Somewhere Sonny Vaccaro is smiling.

You have heard of Brandon Jennings.  He had problems attaining the requisite scores to go to a D1 school and decided to play his first year out of high school overseas.  His struggles were documented, but he was still a lottery pick of the Milwaukee Bucks.  There were many doubters.  He has shut them up thus far.  Through five games, Jennings is leading the Bucks in points-per-game (18.4), assists-per-game (4.4), and minutes-per-game (31.6).  Doubters have become believers, and it has made the NCAA nervous that young players will read up on the Brandon Jennings Experiment, deciding to play overseas for a year, pocket that money, and then hopefully be a lottery pick in a future draft.  Not so fast..

While Brandon Jennings may have “cheated the system”, there are those that believe he will be a rare exception.  They look at someone like Jeremy Tyler, who has not yet tested his luck in the NBA or its draft, but has been struggling mightily overseas in Israel.  Tyler left the states a year younger than when Jennings left; he left before he completed his senior year of high school.  His coach in Haifa is not too fond of him thus far, calling him lazy, out of shape, naïve, and immature. I find it interesting that after only two games, Pete Thamel of the New York Times can already confidently say,

The Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings skipped college and had rocky moments while playing last season in Rome. But they were nothing compared with Tyler’s.

What does this tell us?  Not much, yet.  Tyler still has a lot of time to prove himself overseas.  And let us not forget how much criticism Jennings received before becoming a solid player in the NBA.  It seems like some of our memories are very short.  I think it is way too early to call Tyler a bust.  However, if Tyler is unable to thrive in Israel and does not pan out in the NBA, then perhaps Jennings will be looked at as a fluke success story, and Tyler’s story may dissuade others from following his path.

One thing that is certain is that there are a lot of important people paying particular attention to how Tyler fairs in the long run.  Those entities include advisors like Sonny Vaccaro, agencies like Wasserman Media Group, executives within the NCAA, David Stern, shoe companies, and many others.  Personally, I hope that Tyler wakes up and gets his mind right, because as an agent, I love having more options for potential clients.  If a future Jennings or Tyler came to me asking for guidance on what to do, I’d like to have confidence that playing overseas instead of NCAA basketball will not kill his future.

Last week, the single game penalty turned into a year-long ban.  The NCAA suspended Bryant for the rest of the 2009 season and any bowl game that OK State might play in.  Oklahoma State appealed the suspension, which seems rather harsh based on the situation (unless there are facts that have been withheld to the public).  We may find out the result of that appeal as early as tomorrow.

It sure seems as if OK State gets picked on a lot by the NCAA.  Remember Andy Oliver?  He played at the same institution before signing with a professional team in the 2009 draft.

The NCAA flexes its muscle again.  Are you impressed?  If Bryant would have solicited advice of an attorney, would the NCAA have pulled an Andy Oliver and tried to say that he was ineligible for that too?

Shouldn’t the NCAA be the advocate for its student-athletes above everything else?  I perceive the institution in a different light.  Its actions lead me to question its purpose at times.  With Brandon Jennings performing at a high level in the NBA (yes, it is a very small sample to look at) after saying no to college and playing a year overseas, shouldn’t the NCAA try to do more to show that it cares about its players.  Suspending them for a season without giving solid justification, makes me think that athletes will want to get in and out (or never in) of college as fast as possible.

Again, if the penalty is merely in response to Dez lying to NCAA officials, then I think it is excessive.  If there are facts unknown to me and the rest of the general public, then that is another story.  OK State was 4-0 without Bryant…until last weekend.  41-14.  Season over.  Reminiscent of last year’s College World Series.

But what exactly is the proposal?  It is posted in its entirety at the link above, and titled, AMATEURISM AND ELIGIBILITY — INVOLVEMENT WITH PROFESSIONAL TEAMS — EXCEPTION — PRIOR TO INITIAL FULL-TIME COLLEGIATE ENROLLMENT — DELAYED ENROLLMENT — SEASONS OF COMPETITION.  If adopted, it would allow prospective student-athletes to play a professional sport overseas upon graduating high school, and still retain the opportunity to play that sport for an NCAA institution later in life.  The caveat is that the athlete cannot receive more than the allowable actual and necessary expenses under 12.02.4 (a).

Actual and necessary expenses include,

• Meals and lodging directly tied to competition or practice held in preparation for competition.
• Apparel, equipment and supplies.
• Coaching and instruction.
• Health/medical insurance.
• Transportation related to practice or competition.
• Medical treatment and physical therapy.
• Facility usage.
• Entry fees.
• Other reasonable expenses.

“Other reasonable expenses” seems quite broad, although things like out-of-season expenses (i.e. pre-training camp) are not considered actual & necessary expenses under this legislation.  And how would someone like Brandon Jennings justify that his on-the-books payment was an actual and necessary expense?  I doubt he could, and Jennings would not be the type of athlete able to become a student-athlete after playing a year overseas.

Definitely an interesting proposal.  I am very interested to see if any changes are made to it between now and its suggested adoption.

First Round

1. Clippers - Blake Griffin PF/C – Agency: Excel Sports Management
2. Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet C – Agency: BDA Sports
3. Thunder – James Harden SG – Agency: Landmark Sports Agency
4. Kings - Tyreke Evans PG/SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
5. Timberwolves – Ricky Rubio PG – Agency: BEST
6. Timberwolves - Jonny Flynn PG – Agency: CAA
7. Warriors - Stephen Curry PG/SG – Agency: Octagon
8. Knicks - Jordan Hill PF – Agency: BDA Sports
9. Raptors - Demar DeRozan SG/SF – Agency: Goodwin Sports Management
10. Bucks - Brandon Jennings PG – Agency: BDA Sports
11. Nets - Terrence Williams SG/SF – Agency: Goodwin Sports Management
12. Bobcats – Gerald Henderson SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
13. Pacers – Tyler Hansbrough PF – Agency: Excel Sports Management
14. Suns - Earl Clark SF/PF – Agency: BEST
15. Pistons - Austin Daye SF/PF – Agency: BDA Sports
16. Bulls - James Johnson SF/PF – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
17. 76ers - Jrue Holiday PG/SG – Agency: BEST
18. Timberwolves – Ty Lawson PG – Agency: Peake Management Group
19. Hawks - Jeff Teague PG/SG – Agency: BDA Sports
20. Jazz - Eric Maynor PG – Agency: ASM Sports
21. Hornets - Darren Collison PG – Agency: BDA Sports
22. Trailblazers – Victor Claver PF – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
23. Kings – Omri Casspi SF/PF – Agency: CAA
24. Mavericks – B.J. Mullens C – Agency: ASM Sports
25. Thunder – Rodrigue Beaubois PG – Agency: Comsport
26. Bulls – Taj Gibson PF – Agency: Priority Sports
27. Grizzlies – DeMarre Carroll SF/PF – Agency: Priority Sports
28. Timberwolves – Wayne Ellington SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
29. Knicks – Toney Douglas PG/SG – Agency: FAME
30. Cavaliers - Christian Eyenga SG/SF – Agency: ASM Sports

Notes:

• Leading up to the draft, I really liked that Goodwin Sports Management was doing to get its clients connected on social networks.  My man Nate Jones, a law student at UCLA, has been doing a great job helping out Aaron Goodwin and Co. on publicizing GSM client Twitter accounts and setting up Rookie Chronicles.
• BDA Sports seems to have dodged any potential negative recruiting ramifications from the company’s involvement with the O.J. Mayo scandal.  Three BDA clients were taken in the top ten picks of the draft.  Four BDA clients went in the top fifteen.  Six in the top twenty-one!  Where WMG made the headlines last year, BDA definitely took over the 2009 draft.
• Speaking of WMG, the company had three players taken in the top sixteen picks.  And BEST had three guys selected in the top seventeen picks.  WMG still dominated with five total draft picks in the first round.
• The first Israeli player drafted was taken by the Kings.  The fairly new GM of the Kings is a friend, Jason Levien.  I am happy for him because I think Omri Casspi was a steal at the slot picked, and Levien is supporting the Jews!
• One of my favorite players in the draft, Toney Douglas, was taken by a team who I think will really benefit from drafting him.  Knicks fans should be happy with that pick.

When Gumbel asked Jennings whether he was glad he decided to play in Rome, Jennings answered, “Yes. No doubt. It’s the best decision I’ve made so far.”

That’s certainly a surprising statement, considering the fact that Jennings started out his Virtus Roma career after being kicked out of one of the team’s first practices and producing poor numbers early in the season.  He has now settled down a bit and found his position on the team, but many critics of Jennings still think that his decision to venture abroad has lowered his draft stock.

On the other side, others have praised Jennings for being a trendsetter and showing high school phenom athletes another way to make it professionally.  Those that know of Brandon’s close family connections know that his decision was not solely based on monetary incentives.  However these critics also recognize that Jennings has become a millionaire when some of his peers went to college and played for free.

I’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again. If the Brandon Jennings experiment turns out to be a success and even if it doesn’t, many other talented high schol players will now decide to follow in his shoes.

In every generation, one athlete makes a bold move, laces up a new pair of shoes never seen before, and does something that turns the footwear industry on its head.  In 1936, Adi Dassler came to the Berlin Games with a suitcase of track spikes and persuaded Jesse Owens to give them a try.  When Owens won 4 gold medals, he was catapulted to superstar status along with the adidas shoes he was wearing.

32 years later, when Tommie Smith took the 200M gold in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, he stood on the podium with a clenched fist high above his head and a pair of Puma suede shoes at his feet.  Walt Frazier would also don Puma shoes that year, triggering a fan base a million strong to follow “Clyde’s” impeccable style.

On the heels of Michael Jordan, basketball-newcomer Nike soared past the competition in 1985 with the release of the Air Jordan line.  As we approach the silver anniversary of MJ’s grand entrance into the NBA, Nike still reigns supreme in the sporting goods industry.  History tells us that can change instantly when a star athlete bucks the norm to begin a different movement.  The next seismic shift in the shoe landscape could be on the horizon, or overseas to be more exact.

Brandon Jennings has been a trendsetter since he skipped out on college hoops to play professionally in Italy for his “purgatory year” between high school and the NBA.  On the business side of the game, Jennings signed a deal to be Under Armour’s first basketball endorser.  The Maryland-based company is betting millions that Jennings can be a catalyst for a new generation of shoes and are promoting Brandon with his very own website (wheninrome.underarmour.com) and the “Young Money” prototype kicks that have all the sneaker blogs buzzing.

The Under Armour of today parallels the pre-Jordan Nike in many ways.  Both built strong brands in other markets (Under Armour in performance apparel and football, Nike in running) before breaking into hoops.  To gain entry into the lucrative basketball shoe market, they signed young standout players on the cusp of entering the league.  Both Jordan and Jennings were innovators mentored by the sneaker guru himself, Sonny Vaccaro.  Will the similarities end there?  We won’t know for some time, but the battle over the feet of ballplayers and the thousand of kids that follow their steps is overdue for the next big shoe craze.  Maybe the next big shoe tagline will read, “Be Like Brandon.”

Book to Read:  Sneaker Wars by Barbara Smith (http://www.amazon.com/Sneaker-Wars-Brothers-Founded-Business/dp/0061246573)

Article to Read: The Last Don by Ric Bucher (http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no23vaccaro.html)

In a previous post, I described the predicament that Jennings was in.  Brandon Jennings was the first prep to pro basketball star from North America to play in Europe.  Because of low SAT scores and the coaching turmoil at Arizona, he decided to forgo playing college ball and headed to play professionally for Virtus Roma.

Jennings’ flashy play and high top hair cut attracted enough attention, but this unprecedented move to play in Italy for millions caused many to question Jennings.  Others thought he could be a trend setter for many future young players, who because of the NBA’s “one and done” college age restrictions, would rather make go overseas and make millions instead of playing one year of college ball.

Jennings signed with Roma for $1.65 million, but has a buyout clause in his contract that would allow him to leave after each season if he were to pursue his NBA dream.  Jennings has said multiple times that this the NBA is a definite for him.  He will likely leave Italy after this season and become an NBA lottery pick in 09′.  Many scouts and coaches have compared him to the Spanish star Ricky Rubio, who played in the same league. Comparisons to Europe’s best is great for Jennings, however players who have guarded both say that Jennings is even better than Rubio at 18.

Jennings and all his flash and hype came to Italy with high expectations.  He was soon humbled, where the real Brandon Jennings finally emerged.  His first week at practice in Italy, Jennings was kicked out of practice for “slacking” on his cuts during practice when going over the new plays.  Jennings was stunned and amazed.  He could act any way he wanted at practices in high school, but not in Europe.  After a conversation with Ray Allen, he quickly regained his composure and was able to step it up, giving himself and his teammates the confidence they needed in their million dollar point guard.

From that day forward, Jennings has continued to improve physically in the weight room and mentally with his decision making on and off the court.  And although he still spends a  lot of money of thousand dollar Gucci and Dolce backpacks and bags, he is learning the Italian culture and emerging as a potential NBA leader in the future.

Jennings’ personality really doesn’t match his flashy hair and upbeat style of play on the court.  He is a momma’s boy at heart and really only associates with his brother, mother and teammates in Italy.  It appears that Jennings is getting a real education overseas, and will surely be better off because of it.

Going overseas instead of attending college has its ups and downs, and although many others might not choose the route “Young Money” has taken, his voyage will certainly shed light unto the the rest of us.  We can see if and how many others follow in his shoes.

Visit Jennings blog, When In Rome to check out the latest updates on Brandon Jennings and how he is progressing in Italy.  His blog addresses the latest on-court issues, along with features such as his favorite music, movies, and the newst Under Armour gear.

Sports Business

• HHR continues its excellent interview series with young sports entrepreneurs by talking to Yardbarker’s Marketing Coordinator, Diana Iakoubova [So You Want to Work in Sports?: Diana Iakoubova, Marketing Coordinator, Yardbarker Network].
• Jimmie Johnson = Roger Federer of NASCAR? [Why isn’t Jimmie Johnson more marketable?]

Basketball

• Brandon Jennings has a blog [When in Rome].

Baseball

• $52 million for a 17-game winner [Cubs, Dempster agree to four-year contract].
• Dustin Pedroia is counting down the days until he is arbitration eligible [An MVP Season for the Bargain Basement Price of $457K].
• The MLBPA tightens its grip on agents when it comes to arbitration [Union requires pre-arbitration update].

Football

• Should we start taking this kind of speak seriously? [Berthelsen predicts lockout in court testimony]
• About a dozen candidates remain in the search to replace the late Gene Upshaw [NFLPA narrows search for next executive director].

While many teams abroad are obviously interested in acquiring top-notch NBA talent, no one has been more vocal in expressing his feelings than Panayiotis and George Angelopoulos, the billionaire brothers behind Olympiacos (the team that signed Childress).  In a recent New York Times article, Panayiotis said,

“Next season I will open up a small office for free agents in New York, and I will take petitions.”

And you can bet that American agents have already begun to write those petitions.  Not only do agents enjoy having another option for their clients (one that acts as a form of leverage to potentially drive up salaries in the U.S.), but in the back of their minds, they are thinking about that hefty ten-percent agent fee earned when their clients go overseas.  Plus, the fee is paid by the team, which means that absolutely nothing comes from the client’s pocket.  There is nothing like not having to invoice your client bugging him for money…and an extra six-percent over what you’ll get representing a client in the NBA is not so bad either.