• Cole Aldrich – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Darrell Arthur – Jerry Hicks
• Mario Chalmers – Sam Goldfeder (Excel Sports Management)
• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group)
• Drew Gooden – Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited). Formerly with Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Xavier Henry - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Darnell Jackson – Roger Montgomery (Montgomery Sports Group)
• Sasha Kaun – Justin Zanik (ASM Sports). Currently playing for powerhouse, CSKA Moscow.
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group). Retired.
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment). Retired.
• Russell Robinson – Bob McClaren (McClaren Sports). Playing for DKV Joventut in Spain’s Liga ACB.
• Brandon Rush – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports and Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg. Retired.
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon). Assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)

Kansas produces professional basketball players.  This is only a partial listing of the many high quality basketball players to come out of the Jayhawks program in the past couple of decades.  No one agency dominates the school, and there is quite a wide spread of agents who have been able to effectively pitch their services to Kansas players.  Excel Sports seems to have a nice mix with two younger players in Mario Chalmers and Cole Aldrich, along with the best in the group, Paul Pierce.

Power forward Markieff Morris should be drafted in 2011.  The senior is 6’10, 235lbs, and puts up over 13 points per game.  Marcus Morris will not definitely leave, but if he does, he is likely to be selected above Markieff.  Josh Selby is a very talented young shooting guard, but the Freshman will likely stick around for at least one more year.  If not, he could be taken in the first round.  Thomas Robinson has a lot of potential and will be returning to Kansas next year as well.  If Tyshawn Taylor leaves, he could be a 2nd round pick, but he also has one year left if he chooses to play it out at Kansas.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Kansas Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

1. Wasserman Media Group (Arn Tellem, BJ Armstrong, Dan Tobin, Greg Lawrence, Thad Foucher, Bob Myers) – The WMG team had an unprecidented draft.  BJ Armstrong stole the show by representing the #1 overall pick, Derrick Rose.  Because BJ was always mentioned with Rose, many looked over the fact that he is also the primary agent for #14 pick, Anthony Randolph.  Quite a first year for the one-time Chicago Bull.  Arn Tellem did not do too poorly himself.  Danillo Gallinari went higher than many had anticipated during the week.  While Tellem may not be “listed” as the primary agent for many of WMG’s 7 first round picks, you have to believe he had a heavy hand in persuading the players to go Wasserman’s way.  Add to the stable Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Maarty Leunen, D.J. Augustin…yeah, this one is easy…Grade = A+
2. Priority Sports (Mark Bartelstein, Aaron Mintz, Brad Ames) – Forget A-Rod vs. Canseco, T.O. vs. the media, and Shawn Chacon vs. the Astros GM.  I want to see Tellem vs. Bartelstein.  If you had to ask me which two names currently dominate the NBPA agent landscape, it would have to be these two fellows.  If your last name starts with a “B”, chances are, Bartelstein represents you.  His company got J.R. Giddons drafted in the first round, way above where I thought he would go.  At the same time, Trent Plaisted slipped a little further than Bartelstein probably hoped he would.  The company definitely jumped for joy when Brandon Rush became a lottery pick.  Overall, Priority had another solid showing.  Grade = A
3. BDA Sports (Billy Duffy, Calvin Andrews, Rade Filipovich) – The biggest news leading up to the NBA Draft had maintained the spotlight for quite some time: O.J. Mayo fired Calvin Andrews and BDA Sports after NCAA violations came to light regarding Mayo’s acceptance of money through a runner for the agency.  In my mind, BDA had to do quite a lot to rebound from that devastating news, which may continue to get worse if further sanctions are placed on the agency.  I do not feel like they ended up very happy.  Besides losing Mayo, James Gist was picked later than expected, but Goran Dragic was taken right about where he was predicted to go.  Overall, 2008 was a disappointing year for a company that used to be right up alongside Priorty.  Grade = C-
4. Excel Sports Management (Jeff Schwartz, Sam Goldfeder) – For a long time, mock drafts had Jerryd Bayless projected as a top-4 pick.  It is not Schwartz’s fault that Bayless slipped as draft day approached; Bayless was probably being hyped a little bit too much beforehand.  Having a lottery pick is always a win for a sports agency, and Excel must be happy that Bayless went in the top 14.  Having two lottery picks is even nicer…Kevin Love is also a client.  The true icing on the cake is that Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was taken at the beginning of the second round.  Mbah a Moute was not even a lock to be picked at all.  Grade = A
5. Montgomery Sports Group (Roger Montgomery) – Not a bad draft for a man who only represented four guys going into last Thursday.  Sonny Weems was taken higher than expected and Darrell Jackson went right about where he was predicted to land…and to a team that desperately needs some help.  I have no criticism for Roger, but until he breaks into the first round, I am unable to give him an A.  Grade = B+
6. Creative Artists Agency (Leon Rose, Andre Buck) – It was looking like CAA was going to be left out of the first round shuffle until the aforementioned O.J. Mayo affair went down.  But even more surprising is that CAA ended up with two lottery picks.  The second is Jason Thompson, who has Andre Buck as his primary advisor.  Who could have predicted that the Rider forward would be selected twelfth overall?  The only thing holding me back from giving CAA an A+ is the slipping of CDR (Chris Douglas-Roberts).  Tenth pick in the second round?  Something went wrong there.  Grade = A-
7. ASM Sports (Andy Miller, Justin Zanik) – Serge Ibaka, Sasha Kaun, Omer Asik, J.J. Hickson, Marreese Speights, Deron Washington, and Richard Hendrix all got drafted.  It seems like ASM has not gotten its due praise because WMG has been taking all of the headlines.  Someone hire a PR expert for this company, ASAP!  Between WMG and ASM, how does anyone else compete?  Sure, James Mays and David Padgett were not selected, but I am sure that they will find a team to play for.  Grade = A+

Grading The NBA Draft (By Agencies) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Russell Robinson – Bob McClaren of McClaren Sports
• Sasha Kaun – Justin Zanik of ASM Sports
• Darnell Jackson – Roger Montgomery of Montgomery Sports Group
• Brandon Rush – Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment

Representing Champions from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Marc Edelman takes a shot at explaining what you must do if you want to become a sports agent. Thanks for the shout-out! [Sports and the Law: On Becoming A Sports Agent].
• Athletes are starting to turn their entourages into salaried employees [Entourage Economics].
• Aaron Goodwin will represent WNBA #1 overall pick, Candace Parker, for marketing purposes [Sparks' Parker meets with Leslie, L.A. media].
• Pat Calathes’ draft stock is rising fast [All-Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, First-Team].
• Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur enter their names into the draft pool. Rush will sign an agent…Arthur may not [Rush can't return to Kansas after declaring; Arthur hasn't hired agent].
• Jeremy Pargo out of Gonzaga will test the waters without an agent [College basketball | Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo to explore pro option].
• O.J. Mayo, on the other hand, will be represented by Calvin Andrews of BDA Sports [USC's Mayo hires sports agent as he prepares for NBA draft].
• Rob Pelinka got Eric Gordon, Excel Sports picked up Jerryd Bayless, and WMG gets a bunch more including the Lopez Twins [Bayless signs with Jeff Schwartz, other agent signings].
• Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore have fired WMG and early signs point to Adu going with IMG for future representation [Changes for Adu].
• We cover athletes constantly switching their agents, sports agents changing their employment, but what about that whole entertainment side of the industry? [Behind the talent-agency shakeups].
• Forbes explains that baseball teams keep making more and more money [The Business Of Baseball].

This week’s featured post takes you into the life of a big time player in the sports and entertainment industry. Check out a day in the life of Glenn Toby by clicking on the Featured tab on the right sidebar.

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Memphis Tigers are set to tip off the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tonight at 9:21PM EST, and until that time, many newspapers and blogs will be writing about the two teams and their players, and contemplating which team that wears the color blue will come out victorious. One common thread will be that Kansas, as a school, has more experience when it comes to making it this far in the Tournament. Kansas has been in the Championship Game eight times, including this year. For Memphis, this is only the team’s second visit to the final game. Kansas has won it all twice, been in the Final Four thirteen times, made the Tournament thirty-seven times, and has eighty Tournament victories. Memphis has never won the Championship, and does not rank close to Kansas in any of the other categories discussed above. But throw all that information out of the window, because it does not matter. Tonight is anybody’s game.

Instead of making predictions like every other sports blog, I decided that it would be interesting to look at the individual top players at each school that are currently on the court and those that have graduated to play in professional ball. What sports agents have dominated Memphis and Lawrence? Which agents have a comfortable relationship with the Championship Game coaches? Are there other people at each campus that may be influencing players?

Kansas Jayhawks in the NBA and their agents:

• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Drew Gooden – Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg (Steinberg & Moorad)
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (SFX)

Memphis Tigers in the NBA and their agents:

• Earl Barron – Mark Termini (Mark Termini Associates)
• Rodney Carney – Chris Emens (Octagon)
• Shawne Williams – Happy Walters (Immortal Sports)
• Lorenzen Wright – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)

It was not an easy task to find out the agents of all of the players listed above. After a quick glance at the names and the agencies listed above, it seems like representatives from Octagon and SFX will have some nice seats in San Antonio. I am sure that Jeff Austin and Mike Higgins will be in attendance, but I doubt that they say a word to each other. Which Jayhawks will they be fighting for? DraftExpress.com currently lists Darrell Arthur going #20 in the first round and Brandon Rush being snagged at #25 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Will either player (or both) sign with Octagon and/or SFX?

Then there is Memphis and its three stars that are suggested to be selected in the 2008 NBA Draft. DraftExpress.com has Derrick Rose being the 2nd overall pick, along with Chris Douglas-Roberts (CDR) being picked at #15 and Joey Dorsey going in the middle of the 2nd round. The list of agents for the current Memphis NBA players does not suggest that any particular agent/agency has an advantage for this year’s talented crop of Tigers. But as far as Memphis is concerned, the history books need to be swept off the table and it must be realized that this is an entirely new organization.

The landscape in Memphis was redone in 2000, when the University named John Calipari its new basketball coach. He led the team to win the NIT Championship in 2002 and then took Memphis to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004, something the Tigers were not used to. In 2006, the Tigers got a #1 seed in the Tournament, and Calipari realized that it might have been time to return to old friends with heavy influence in the basketball community.

Ever hear of a guy named Worldwide Wes? If not, I suggest you read this GQ article on him. The heading describes William Wesley as, the most connected, most discreet, most influential man on and off the court. Not a bad guy to have on your side. In fact, there may be a lot of validity in equating the success of this year’s Memphis Tigers team with Calipari’s connection to Wesley. Don’t think that Calipari has been working with William? Why else would he say that Wesley is a goodwill ambassador for the University of Memphis program? Wesley openly roots for Memphis to win and has been instrumental in bringing relations between Memphis basketball and China.

The sports agent point of all of this is that besides having a strong connection to Calipari as a coach, Worldwide Wes is a big fan of Leon Rose as an agent. None of the four Memphis Tigers currently playing in the NBA are signed with Rose, but you may see some or all of this year’s Memphis draft class signing with the basketball agent if William Wesley has his way. It seems like if there is one player out of the three Memphis ballers leaving for the draft this year that is least likely to sign with Rose, it is Joey Dorsey. I have seen reports linking Wesley with Rose and Douglas-Roberts, but have come up empty in any connection with Dorsey.

I cannot wait for the game tonight. I honestly have no idea who is going to win. But for me, the most exciting period for me is after the game is over and players start to make their decisions on representation for the 2008 NBA Draft. Stay tuned as we update you on the agent signings by both teams’ draft-entry players.

Who Will Represent The 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules