I'm even more convinced Jennings made right move
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We met inside my small hotel suite at the New York-New York casino, cameras rolling and rollercoaster whizzing outside my hotel window. Jennings, who is in Vegas meeting with prospective European teams, came dressed looking like the typical 18-year-old — white T-shirt, matching white shorts, sneakers and an oversized ball cap. He was shy, a bit nervous, very soft spoken and articulate.
Dumb? Not to my eyes and ears. Whatever trouble he may or may not have had with the SAT — the NCAA red-flagged a score of 1,300 the second time Jennings took the test — was probably a result of indifference, immaturity and lack of preparation.
More than anything, Jennings struck me as determined and resolute. He knows there are people hoping he fails in his bid to go from high school All-American to European professional success to NBA lottery pick in a calendar year. He wants to make those people look foolish and evil.
"No, I'm not nervous," Jennings said about playing overseas, though he's never been outside of the country. "I'm not scared at all. It's basketball. I've been doing this my whole life."
Why demonize a kid for pursuing his dream? We don't do it to baseball players who join the minor leagues for relative peanuts straight out of high school. Why basketball players?
That bothers some, including Jennings.
"This is something we've always dreamed about — playing in the NBA, taking care of our families. When we see other kids going pro at 13, 14, 15, it bothers us. We're doing the same thing they're doing."
Regardless of his score on the SAT, no one can say that Brandon Jennings is trying to hurt anyone by approaching his basketball career in a more honest fashion than Lute Olson and the NCAA administrators who protect a morally bankrupt system.
Jennings is going to spend the next year developing his basketball skills.
"It's not about money," Jennings said. "It's about developing. Getting better. Playing against better competition. I'll be playing against professionals. ... Some guys over there should be playing in the NBA."
For better or worse, Jennings isn't going to waste time putting on the charade of being a college student. At this time, he has no interest in a formal, traditional education. He wants to learn basketball.
To be perfectly honest, that hurts me. I want every kid to be Grant Hill or Shane Battier. But the reality is every kid is not. Jennings grew up in Compton, Calif., the birthplace of NWA, fertile gang territory and a place not known for Huxtable-like families.
As Kelly Williams, one of Jennings' advisors and the father of NBA guard Marcus Williams, told me, every kid has a different situation. Going overseas makes sense for Brandon Jennings.
"I'm doing this for myself. I think it's the right thing for me," Jennings said. "It's something that I wanted to do, try something different."
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He's a Chris Paul lookalike with Hot Sauce's And1 instincts.
Strictly from a basketball standpoint, a year in Europe will do Jennings good. No one who knows anything about basketball believes Lute Olson would teach Jennings a thing about the fundamentals of the game. I'm not taking a cheap shot at Lute to defend Jennings' decision. It's a well-known fact within basketball circles that Lute Olson is famous for rolling the ball on the court, kicking back and enjoying the work of his recruiters. Lute Olson is not Bobby Knight.
Overseas, the grown men of the European league will force Jennings to play a more mature game. The pressure and intensity of playing just once a week will cause Jennings to eliminate some of the mustard from his game. The rigorous, structured practice schedule will help, too.
The NCAA limits the amount of time players can spend working on their games with coaches. There are no such limitations overseas.
I'm rooting for Jennings. I hope his European vacation works and inspires other promising American players to choose a similar path. The NCAA refuses to revamp a system that is grossly flawed, outdated and incapable of addressing the real needs of the athletes who drive the engine$.
"(Miles) Brand said they've made millions of dollars before with kids playing in college, and they'll make millions after," Vaccaro said. "They're not going to rescind the CBS contract. They're not going to rescind the new contract with the leagues. He doesn't give a damn about the kids. He doesn't care about caring for the kids. It's a business proposition."
Idiots keep clamoring that "culture shock" is going to be a difficult obstacle for Jennings overseas. The kid went to high school in Compton. He transferred for two years to Oak Hill Academy, which is located in the backwoods of Virginia. He was headed to Tucson, Ariz. By my count, he would've been shocked by three very different American cultures within a short time frame.
You think Yao Ming didn't experience culture shock when he left China? Bill Russell bitched about the Boston culture shock he experienced his entire career. Jackie Robinson survived culture shock.
Brandon Jennings is going to go see some of the world with his mom, brother and a couple of friends. It sounds like a damn good season of "The Real World."
Anyway, judge for yourself if you think he can handle it. I chatted on camera with Jennings and Vaccaro. Draw your own conclusions.
If you would like to respond directly to Jason, you can e-mail him at ballstate68@aol.com.
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