Jennings and U of A
UCLA's path to a possible fourth straight men's basketball Pac-10 title got a little easier when Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings did not qualify academically and will not enroll in school.
"We're disappointed in terms of Brandon's decision, but we want to wish him the best of luck,'' Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "We hope that things turn out well for him in the future."
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
I thought when an athlete couldn't qualify academically for a school like UCLA, Cal, or Stanford, he or she enrolled in one of the Arizona schools. It is interesting to see that even UofA has admission standards that still have to be met. When Brian gets back from his vacation, one of the assignments his editors should give him is to check out the differences in admission standards for athletes for all the Pac-10 schools so that it can be understood just how out of level the playing field actually is.
Oops! Welcome back Brian! I should have read the first post before commenting on the latest one.
I am curious to see if Brandon Jennings will start a trend here where (un)qualified top tier prospects will head overseas to play for a year or 2 before entering the NBA draft. I can't imagine this situation has not been observed by David Stern or the NCAA for that matter.
I was thinking the same thing. I think its probably better for everyone if these kids that really don't want to go to college (or can't get in) just go to Europe to play. We just get mad at them when they leave after a year anyway and I don't think that removing the OJ mayos of the world from college basketball will have much of a negative impact.
i am reading elsewhere that he decided to play in europe even tho his 3rd test results have not come back yet? maybe brian has inside info that he did not pass the 3rd test?
Well for the first poster, Jennings actually did not qualify under NCAA admission standards (due to those two tests that he had not passed) so I suppose it does not matter whether or not Arizona's admission standards are lower than the California Pac-10 schools. Though I would also like to see the different admission standards among the Pac-10 schools.
Also, Jennings announced that he would play in Europe next year before he even got his 3rd test results, so I have a feeling that he thinks he did not pass.
I read he failed the first and passed the second, but his score increase raised a red flag. He was required to take the third test to substantiate the score on his second test.
He might get a $100K - $200K (US tax free) contract in Europe. Don't know if that includes living expenses, but it doesn't leave much after lawyers and handlers are paid.