Epiphanny Prince, who once scored 113 points in a high school game and became a third-team All-American at Rutgers, is giving up her final season of eligibility to play professionally in Europe.
Prince, who plans to enter the 2010 WNBA draft, is the first American woman to leave early to start a professional career. Unlike her male counterparts, who can declare for the NBA draft one year after their high school class graduates, the rules for women are more stringent — and unfair.
WNBA rules require players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school. Prince, who turns 22 in January, plans to graduate from Rutgers before the draft.
"I'm not really concerned with being the first person to do this," Prince said. "This is the right decision for me and my family."
Sonny Vaccaro, the former sneaker executive who advised prep standout Brandon Jennings to give up a scholarship to Arizona for a one-year career in Europe, applauded Prince's move. Vaccaro also is guiding San Diego prep star Jeremy Tyler's venture to Europe. Tyler gave up a scholarship to Louisville to get a jump on his pro career.
"The world is changing," Vaccaro said. "This is where we're at today. This is 2009. Here's a young lady who made a landmark decision."
While there is an ongoing debate on the legality of restricting players from jumping straight from high school to the professional ranks, there is another discussion surrounding men's teams who sign the one-and-done players.
Two recent one-and-done players — Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo — reportedly have left trails of wrongdoing at Memphis and USC.
At least she is planning to graduate in the very near future. I can't say the same about a lot of the men.
Posted by: Rob | August 11, 2009 at 08:59 AM