Joel Huerto is managing editor of One Man Fastbreak.net and a sports consultant with Opposing Views.com. He has been a member of the sports media for almost 20 years, which included nine years as a news editor at the Los Angeles Times. He will cover a variety of topics, from coach and player profiles to hot-button issues. Joel is also known as "maniLA ice" for his cool demeanor in the friendly confines of the YMCA hardwood. He loves to shoot the "tear drop" and prefers to play zone to hide his deficiencies on defense.
If college and professional basketball were caught in a Matrix, Brandon Jennings would be an anomaly. He is the glitch in the system. He's the worm virus that everyone needs to pay attention to because the impact could cause a complete overhaul of the system.
A year ago, Jennings was considered the best high school player in the country out of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) with his sights set on Tucson to play for Arizona. He would follow the road taken by past standout Wildcat point guards Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry and Gilbert Arenas. But when Jennings did not meet academic requirements, the Compton native was knocked off the fast lane to stardom and was faced with a difficult decision.
Because Jennings was too young to enter the NBA draft, he needed to take a different route, a path that landed him 7,000 miles from home. He decided to play professionally in Europe, becoming the first high-profile high school player to make this move.
Instead of living in a college dorm, Jennings is now making a living in Rome as a member of Italy's Lottomatica Virtus Roma. Instead of attending 8 a.m. classes, he works out with his pro team for three hours in the morning and repeats the process later in the afternoon. Instead of battling Tyreke Evans and Greg Monroe for freshman of the year honors, he's battling Ibrahim Jaaber, Rueben Douglas and Sani Becirovic for playing time.
And instead of preparing to play against top-seeded Louisville in the Sweet 16 with the 12th-seeded Arizona Wildcats,
Jennings is preparing to play in Serie A against Carife Ferrara this Sunday.
During an interview with HBO's Real Sports, the 19-year-old basketball pioneer told Bryant Gumbel that the transition from high school standout to Euroleague rookie has not been easy. Although Jennings is making the best of the situation, he is clearly homesick and is counting the days when he returns to the States.
Off the court, he has had to adjust to a completely different culture and a more subdued lifestyle. On the court, his still-maturing body has been overwhelmed by European veterans who could care less that he was a McDonald's All-American. "It could be worse," Gumbel said about playing in Europe, to which Jennings replied, "It could be. I could be in college. I could be in class right now."
During his senior year at Oak Hill, Jennings averaged 15 points a game. Through 21 games in the Italian League, he's averaging less than eight. "I'm playing against grown men," Jennings said. "I'm playing against guys that are way stronger than me. Guys with a lot more experience."
Despite being thousands of miles from his basketball dream and the ups-and-downs of his European experience, Jennings has not wavered on his decision to spurn the books in favor of booking a flight to Italy and getting a head start on his pro career. It's a calculated risk that Jennings is willing to roll with, hoping that his name would be synonymous with Curt Flood and not Maurice Clarett.
"It's the best decision I've made so far," said Jennings, who credits Sonny Vaccaro for authoring the idea of having high school players play overseas for a year.
Vaccaro, a former high-powered shoe executive turned Father Flanagan, firmly believes that high school players should be afforded an option. So when Jennings reached out to him, Vaccaro agreed to advise him and helped negotiate a deal with Virtus Roma.
Jennings ended up signing a three-year professional contract that pays him $1.2 million a year, complete with a three-bedroom apartment, a car and tuition for his younger brother. There is a clause in the contract that will allow Jennings to apply for the NBA draft once he fulfills his one-year obligation with the team.
The fact that Jennings has been able to survive his European odyssey, Vaccaro believes "the kid" has already succeeded. "I think he'll go in the [draft] lottery, and I think I'm going against public opinion right now," Vaccaro said. "Brandon Jennings played the mental game and won."
"I'm playing against grown men," Jennings said. "I'm playing against guys that are way stronger than me. Guys with a lot more experience."
Does he realize this would have happened if he had gone to the NBA? He still would have been playing against people stronger and more experienced than him.
Posted by: Tom | March 26, 2009 at 06:41 AM