Now that everyone has had a day or so to catch their collective breaths, let’s take a look at what the Brandon Jennings to Europe thing could do to / for the University of Arizona.
First off, the obvious.. The Wildcats now have a gaping hole in the lineup for next season. What started off as a promising year – what with Lute Olson coming back, Chase Budinger deciding to stay, Nic Wise determining that transferring wasn’t a good idea and Brandon Jennings preparing to don a Wildcats jersey – has quickly derailed with the Abdul Gaddy de-commit marring the 2009 class and now Jennings joining Emmanuel Negedu in leaving the program. This could be one of the great coaching jobs in recent memory should Olson pull his team together and still make the run that people were forecasting when things were going right.
Second off, the collateral damage. Should Olson not be able to pull things together – which, for the record, I believe he will be able to – then things get to be a little bit dicey. Losing a recruit is one thing, but losing recruits and then losing games, has the potential to start a downward spiral that doesn’t have any definitive end. You need to be able to have coachable talent in order to win, no matter how good of a coach you are.
Third off, the “step back from the ledge” theory. This one I believe is the most likely thing to happen just because it makes a lot of sense. Brandon Jennings heading to Europe or coming back to the UA was just about as win-win situation as Wildcats’ fans could hope for. How so? Am I out of my mind? Possibly, but hear me out.
Say Jennings stays – you get a year of one of the most talented players to have played in McKale and then you say goodbye to him as he bolts for the NBA as soon as he meets the age-requirement rule set up by the Association. In that one season, who knows what happens? But with the roster that had been built up around Budinger, Wise and Jennings, just about anything could happen. Pac-10 titles, final fours and championships make things much simpler in the recruiting game – just ask the last 20+ years.
Okay, so that’s what could have been. But what truly IS is also a win situation for the University of Arizona. Why you ask? Sure you don’t have the services of Jennings on the court with Wise, Hill, Budinger and Withey among others, but what you do have is the knowledge that a committed, signed recruit to your program is playing overseas and making a name for himself. In turn, that name for himself is loads of free publicity for the University of Arizona. That’s one helluva way to open up international pipelines. Also, as I mentioned yesterday, the University of Arizona will always be tied to the first player to head to Europe to play basketball. Instant recognition to future recruits.
Finally, there is the idea that the Wildcats may be better off in the future for other reasons with having Jennings jump ship. That being the APR situation. For the last few seasons, the UA has been lagging far far behind in the APR (Academic Progress Rate) race in the nation, constantly falling short. If Jennings were to come to the UA and had problems in school, which many signs point to the fact that he may have had those problems. Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com brought up the fact in a recent video on FoxSports.com that he was told that Jennings had failed the third attempt at the SAT test and the deadline kept getting pushed back so that he could have greater bargaining power with Europe. Also in the video, Goodman raised the point that Olson had the feeling that Jennings was gone.
So you have a player who had a difficult time trying to get in to college and had ideas of jumping ship after one season anyways. You add those two factors up and there is a distinct possibility of having a player who could take a bite out of the APR score and possibly affect the future of UA basketball.
In no way shape or form is this a “We didn’t want him anyway” argument, because I believe that the Wildcats will SORELY miss the talent that Jennings would have brought to the table. However, it isn’t totally a “jump ship” situation either.
Speaking of FoxSports.com, they have covered this story from many different angles:
Arizona recruit Jennings opts to play in Europe (AP Story)
Jennings may just be a pioneer for ‘student-athletes’
Olson: One-and-done rule to blame for Jennings
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Nice post, thanks.
I’m ready to see what these new coaches can get out of Fogg, Lavender, Horne, and Withey, especially with the increased minutes that will be available now.
Budinger should be highly motivated, armed with some good feedback from his NBA workouts, and ready to work hard and step his game up. He may benefit greatly from increased chances to handle and distribute the ball when Wise gets pressured.
Hill might learn to harness his energy and stay out of foul trouble. Hill, Horne, and Withey can all block shots.
Not looking for greatness next year, but it could well be a much better year to be a fan.
— Portland Catfan 07/09/2008 05:50 PM #
it will be much of the same. a bubble team that just might have that burst this year.
— russ 07/09/2008 07:43 PM #
Alright, Nic and Chase, here’s your chance.
No excuses.
This is your team.
Show us what this means to you.
Time to rise and shine.
BEAR DOWN, RED AND BLUE!!!!!
— Carlos 07/09/2008 09:49 PM #
Your article doesn’t go far enough. This decision is going to have legs, and is sure to
trigger a change(s) in rules, for the better, I hope.
I look for Renardo Sydney to follow Jennings.
— James 07/10/2008 07:18 AM #
You forgot to post a link to Jason Whitlock’s ridiculous article on this subject.
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to read it, but it was asinine, and would love to hear what others thought of it.
— CHRIS 07/10/2008 08:57 AM #
Never mind, it was just under a different headline than what I saw yesterday.
I think that article is full of inaccurate statments.
— CHRIS 07/10/2008 08:59 AM #
“Why pretend to be a college student for one semester when he can’t even “pass” the SAT or ACT?”
For example, why is the word pass in quotations? Either he passed or he didn’t. There is no conspiracy involved in trying to fail him. Worse yet, if he didn’t pass the third test, all indications are that he did cheat on the 2nd test. The only other thing I can figure by Whitlock’s writing here, is maybe he’s using “pass” because the test results aren’t in yet.(?)
“The NCAA needs to be blown up. It pimps mostly black basketball and football players to provide welfare to sports played by mostly white athletes. In exchange, the football and basketball players get a half-baked shot at an education they’re not prepared for upon arrival and a long-shot audition for pro scouts.”
I understand that there is a small amount of truth in this statment. But what is his solution? I’m completely against paying college athletes, as I think it would cause more problems than it solves. Dismantle college athletics altogether? 99% of these athletes will never play professionally, so without the potential for a college education there left to do what; work at WAL-MART for minimum wage, part time, uninsured? The NCAA isn’t the only business exploiting its “workers”. I’m sure every oppurtunity is made to ensure that these kids learn something while they are in school; oppurtunities that the general public never receive.
“Acknowledge that college basketball and football players are entertainer-athletes, not student-athletes. Bring them on campus, pay them, free them of academic responsibility and let them entertain students, alums, boosters and fans while auditioning for a pro career.”
Wrong. In this case why would you send them to school? Each league could just set up their own farm system like baseball does.
I’m not sure why Whitlock feels the need to create injustices and then defend them. Trust me, if I could switch positions with Michael Beasley, Rose, Bayless, etc., I would.
— CHRIS 07/10/2008 09:42 AM #
http://commotionmag.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/brandon-jennings-innovator/
— David 07/10/2008 11:01 AM #
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