There's no greater influence than that of your peers. The success that Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett had while making the jump from high school to the NBA encouraged Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and many others to follow in their footsteps. That path to the NBA was eliminated when the league imposed an age limit in 2006 requiring NBA draft applicants to be at least one-year removed from high school. This rule forced premiere prospects like Kevin Durant and O.J. Mayo to attend college for one year, but Brandon Jennings decided to explore an avenue previously unchartered.
Jennings opted to play professionally in Europe instead of at the University of Arizona, becoming the first American-born player to do so. Throughout the first 12 games of the season Jennings is running away with the Rookie of the Year award in the NBA, averaging 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists a contest. He's shooting the ball remarkably well, hitting at a 46% clip from the field and 47% from deep.
"He's been very good, obviously," acknowledged Bucks head coach Scott Skiles. "He works very hard, he's a good practice player, and his preparation is solid. He worked hard all summer to get ready for this. So far he's been great.
"We're an eighth of the way in though," warned Skiles. "I don't think it's time to hand out any medals or anything like that. Having said that, he's been very, very, very good. In my 20+ years in the league I have a hard time recalling a rookies' first 11 games being this good. I don't want to downplay it because he deserves an awful lot of credit but at the same time we have to keep it in perspective."
A reasonable perspective may have been lost due to the fact Jennings was far from impressive during his one year stint in Europe. His production was minimal at best due to limited playing time, but as it turns out nothing ended up being less important than the statistics.
Financially Jennings saw more income than most college graduates, let alone those who just received a high school degree like him. He wasn't subject to the NCAA guidelines like he would have been at Arizona, so he didn't have to worry about maintaining a 2.0 GPA or dealing with restricted practice opportunities. Jennings endured a crash course on being a professional while in Europe that collegiate programs simply can't replicate. In his eyes it's a big reason behind his stellar start.
"Probably not," admitted Jennings to HOOPSWORLD when asked if he thought things would be going the same had he gone to Arizona as originally planned. "I think the year in Europe helped me out a lot just to be able to play professional basketball for a year."
Because of his pioneer status Jennings developed a massive following eager to see how his decision played out. That following included college coaches, NBA general managers, and most importantly high school athletes all over the country. In Jeremy Tyler he already has one follower, with more sure to come because of how much he's benefitted from it. However, NBA coaches caution against thinking just because it's worked out for Brandon it's right for everyone.
"Every individual has a different set of circumstances that makes them decide what works and that's just a decision that gets made based on that - what's important for he and his family," stated Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. "I don't think you can speculate on whether it's good or bad based on what he did or someone who goes to school for four years did. For four-year guys, maybe that was the best they could do. For this particular individual maybe that was the best thing he could do. It's a very personable decision."
"I agree with Pop," added Skiles. "I think it's an individual basis. Maybe if ten guys go over in ten consecutive years, you might have two Brandons, a couple good players, and some that are going to fail. It's like when guys came out of high school, there's some guys that did it and some guys that failed."
Jennings concurs with the coaches and gives the following advice:
"If you've been away from home it's a good idea you can go ahead and do it. If you haven't then it's going to be tough for you. Not being away from home to going to another country is totally different. You're thousands of miles away from home. You can't just go home any day and try to come back. It's tough and if you do it you gotta stay over there and ride it out. It depends on the person and how strong the person is mentally. It can make or break you. It depends on how hungry you are to learn."
Ordinary is one word that will never be used to describe Jennings because of his game and the route he took to get to the NBA. As a high school senior Jennings had established himself as one of the best point guards in the country by playing against an elite level of competition at Oak Hill Academy. The only thing that was preventing him from being an NBA player last year was the age limit. He went to Europe ready to become a man and anxious to put in the necessary time and effort to maximize his tremendous potential.
As an 18-year-old Jennings was in the minority by having the talent, mental, and physical toughness to excel as a professional. It was far from easy for him though and at times he questioned his choice but he ended up persevering. He's a rarity though, which is why college remains the best decision for the vast majority of young basketball players out there with professional aspirations.
