Branden Jennings - Will others follow

[MADXSTER]

Apparrently jennings is making the $$$....so the question is...will other follow.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/wei...tive-deal.html

Jennings signs lucrative deal with Under Armour
September 29, 2008
For those who thought point guard Brandon Jennings - arguably the best prep prospect in the country last year when he played for Oak Hill Academy (Va.) - might not benefit from signing with a European professional team instead of playing college basketball for a year, Sports Business Journal offers this piece of information.

Jennings, a rookie with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, has signed a shoe and apparel deal with Under Armour, estimated to be in the mid-six figures. “It shows that they can do it,” Sonny Vaccaro, the former Nike and Reebok executive who advised Jennings on the deal as well as exploring a deal in Europe, told SBJ. Vaccaro claimed Jennings’ combined deal will exceed a $1 million a year.

“It took an 18-year-old kid from Compton to stand up to the system.” Vaccaro said, adding the parents of six elite high school players called him after Jennings signed with the Italian team in July.

Vaccaro said last week that number had grown.

Do we sense a trend here?

[Muskie]

I sense that Sonny is out to make a name for himself at the expense of Jennings long term future.

So what if these elite players go overseas. How is anyone going to follow them? Quick tell me the channel that Jennings is playing on next season?

[D-West & PO-Z]

I sense that Sonny is out to make a name for himself at the expense of Jennings long term future.

So what if these elite players go overseas. How is anyone going to follow them? Quick tell me the channel that Jennings is playing on next season?

Sonny Vaccaro already has a name for himself. He is a well known guy among the basetball elite. Is he trying to make a buck? I'm sure he is, but he already has a lot of connections and money.

[wkrq59]

I hope this is a trend that will continue for no doubt NBA ready players in high school as the one year NBA ban is not good for college basketball.

LH, I agree whole-heartedly. The colleges have provided both the NBA and the NFL a free developmental program for too damned long. I still say a kid and/or his parents or guardian should have to sign a binding 4-year contract before a scholarship can be granted. This would mean more careful scouting and recruiting by the schools and it would put an end to the one-year-renewable scholarship.
It would also keep kids from saying schools 1 through 10 are high on my list but I think highly but not as strongly about schools 11 through 20. Translated, "I want to make as many unofficial visits as I can and as many official visits as I can and in the process have a helluva good time being recruited."
Such a contract would also force the potential student athlete to think carefully before he signs that document and force his parents and or guardians to do the same.
And I'm reasonably sure it would reduce cheating and flat force the NBA to forget about one-and-done. Also, it would force colleges to consider the ability of a student to earn a degree, first and foremost as our alma mater does.
For the student who does not qualify academically, there are still three roads: JC, NBA Dev. League or Europe.
But what about the "hardships?" Hey, if they were hardships after one, two or even three years, they damned right well were hardships before they ever set foot in a college or university.
Such a contract would also create a larger base of available players, and keep some of if not all the BCS schools from stockpiling. The kid who isn't mature enough as a freshman to make a selection based on the true purpose of a university isn't mature enough to play basketball as a freshman, either.:D

[_LH]

Hopefully the trend does continue and it forces the NBA to either move the ban to a 2 year ban or drop it all together. I am not a fan of one and done players and any method to keep them out of college for one ridiculous year is okay with me.

[Muskie]

Yes but before this he wasn't personally hooking players up with teams (i'm not aware that he's a registered agent although I could be wrong).

[Muskie]

Lute is out at Arizona, but i suspect it's too late for Jennings at this point.