Looking for updates about Jeremy Tyler for my side-project, www.jeremytylereurope.com, I learned that two more American basketball players are bound for Europe.
Here are their quick biographical sketches, their prospects and a discussion of whether their decisions indicate an emergent trend.
He averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists, while shooting 39% from three-point range as a sophomore, but was not able to return Florida to national prominence since the program won consecutive national championships. The Gators have missed the NCAA tournament the last two years.
A dual citizen of Greek background, he played for the Greek FIBA 20-and-under national team last summer. Interestingly, his older brother, Pat, spent last year playing for the Greek team Maroussi, reportedly one of Jeremy Tyler's possible destinations.
Calathes entered the NBA draft, but wasn't a sure-fire first-round pick. Still, several NBA executives told FOXSports.com that he had a 50-50 chance of getting a guaranteed contract in the $1 million per season range by being picked in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft.
But could have easily slid into the second round, which would have left him with a non-guaranteed contract.
For him, Europe appeared to be a much stronger option.
According to DraftExpress.com, he has signed a 3-year, 2.1 million with Euroleague champion, Panathanaikos. Jonathon Givony points out that he also has received a "very comfortable buyout" situation that would allow him to return to the states as early as next season.
His NBA draft stock would improve in the next year, meriting him a higher selection in next year's draft.
The citizenship, money and likelihood of leavening his NBA prospects make Calathes' decision "sound about as convenient as a weekend jaunt to Cancun," according to Yahoo blogger Eamonn Brennan.
He averaged 13.2 ppg as the third-leading scorer for the Clemson Tigers. He led the team with 92 3-pointers, and frequently flashed far-flung range in shooting 39% on 3-pointers. However, he does not possess the wide suite of skills and size Calathes does, and likewise did not project to land with an NBA squad.
Although he didn't enter the NBA draft, he recently suprised his coach by announcing he'll pursue playing for a Spanish or Italian team for around $500,000 per year.
Like Calathes, he possesses a perimeter-oriented game which portends success in Europe.
Also like Calathes, he possesses dual citizenship which makes him more attractive to European teams with limited roster spots for Americans. Oglesby's father, Tony, played basketball in Europe. Terrence was born in Norway and played for that country in the FIBA under-20 championships in 2008.
Unlike Calathes, and Jennings and Tyler before him, Oglesby doesn't figure to use Europe as a launching pad for the NBA. He says playing professionally had always been a goal - one he was able to attain through his defection.
"Kids dream of playing here when they are dribbling in a playground, not in Italy, Greece, Spain or anywhere else," said Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com. Oglesby, again, appears to be an exception. One wonders if more top-shelf American basketball players and players find success playing in European leagues, and their Euroleague jerseys come to be marketed to American inner-city youth, will Goodman's statement still be true 5, 10 years down the road?
So what do these two recent defections mean for the future?
No earth-shaking as of yet. Calathes and Oglesby, after all, are exceptional because of their dual citizenship. Still, one wonders if their success will influence more players - dual citizens or not - to consider jumping collegiate ship for European waters. I doubt there are many players like Calathes - dual citizens and borderline 1st-round picks for whom it makes more financial sense to "apprentice" in Europe for a short period. A "one-passport" American collegiate underclassman good enough to take one of the top Euroleague teams' American roster spots would also likely be good enough to warrant selection as an NBA lottery pick, meaning more riches - and comfort - by staying in America.
Still, publicity following decisions to play abroad by Jennings, Tyler, Childress, Calathes and Oglesby have explosed more and more talented high school and collegiate players to consider Europe as a legitimate alternative to the NCAA en route to the NBA, or as a lucrative destination itself.
Each player who chooses Europe chips away at what some see as an NCAA sports industrial-complex churning out millions of dollars for predominanltly older white men swirling around mostly black teenagers handling an orange ball to entertain tens of millions. The ones sweating the most earn the least money (at least officially) .
Recent developments hit this point home.
Investigations of academic fraud of players under former Memphis Coach John Calipari hint at the moral rot beneath the telegenic gleam and shine of big-time basketball, as the NY Times' Pete Thamel recently wrote:
Here are their quick biographical sketches, their prospects and a discussion of whether their decisions indicate an emergent trend.
Nick Calathes - a 6-6, 194-lb. Florida Gators combo guard.
He averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists, while shooting 39% from three-point range as a sophomore, but was not able to return Florida to national prominence since the program won consecutive national championships. The Gators have missed the NCAA tournament the last two years.
A dual citizen of Greek background, he played for the Greek FIBA 20-and-under national team last summer. Interestingly, his older brother, Pat, spent last year playing for the Greek team Maroussi, reportedly one of Jeremy Tyler's possible destinations.
Calathes entered the NBA draft, but wasn't a sure-fire first-round pick. Still, several NBA executives told FOXSports.com that he had a 50-50 chance of getting a guaranteed contract in the $1 million per season range by being picked in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft.
But could have easily slid into the second round, which would have left him with a non-guaranteed contract.
For him, Europe appeared to be a much stronger option.
According to DraftExpress.com, he has signed a 3-year, 2.1 million with Euroleague champion, Panathanaikos. Jonathon Givony points out that he also has received a "very comfortable buyout" situation that would allow him to return to the states as early as next season.
His NBA draft stock would improve in the next year, meriting him a higher selection in next year's draft.
The fact that Calathes will play for one of the most decorated coaches in the world in Zeljko Obradovic on someone else’s coin and come back a much better player in one year has to look attractive. With Sarunas Jasikevicius reportedly on the way out of Panathinaikos, a decent amount of playing time will be opened up for him.The Orlando Sentinel broke down the specifics of contract :
around $1.1 million per year, in addition to providing him with a home, car and tax credits, making for a total package commensurate to what the NBA rookie salary scale provides a late-lottery selection. Golden's State forward Anthony Randolph, the final lottery pick of 2008 at No. 14, made $1.424 million as a rookie.European teams crave Americans sporting dual European citizenship because they generally only have roster spots for two Americans, have a few more for non-American foreigners, and give the rest of the roster spots to natives. Calathes' Greek passport puts no stress on Panathanaikos' roster quotas.
The citizenship, money and likelihood of leavening his NBA prospects make Calathes' decision "sound about as convenient as a weekend jaunt to Cancun," according to Yahoo blogger Eamonn Brennan.
Terrance Oglesby - a 6-2, 190-lb. Clemson Tigers guard
He averaged 13.2 ppg as the third-leading scorer for the Clemson Tigers. He led the team with 92 3-pointers, and frequently flashed far-flung range in shooting 39% on 3-pointers. However, he does not possess the wide suite of skills and size Calathes does, and likewise did not project to land with an NBA squad.
Although he didn't enter the NBA draft, he recently suprised his coach by announcing he'll pursue playing for a Spanish or Italian team for around $500,000 per year.
Like Calathes, he possesses a perimeter-oriented game which portends success in Europe.
Also like Calathes, he possesses dual citizenship which makes him more attractive to European teams with limited roster spots for Americans. Oglesby's father, Tony, played basketball in Europe. Terrence was born in Norway and played for that country in the FIBA under-20 championships in 2008.
Unlike Calathes, and Jennings and Tyler before him, Oglesby doesn't figure to use Europe as a launching pad for the NBA. He says playing professionally had always been a goal - one he was able to attain through his defection.
"Kids dream of playing here when they are dribbling in a playground, not in Italy, Greece, Spain or anywhere else," said Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com. Oglesby, again, appears to be an exception. One wonders if more top-shelf American basketball players and players find success playing in European leagues, and their Euroleague jerseys come to be marketed to American inner-city youth, will Goodman's statement still be true 5, 10 years down the road?
So what do these two recent defections mean for the future?
No earth-shaking as of yet. Calathes and Oglesby, after all, are exceptional because of their dual citizenship. Still, one wonders if their success will influence more players - dual citizens or not - to consider jumping collegiate ship for European waters. I doubt there are many players like Calathes - dual citizens and borderline 1st-round picks for whom it makes more financial sense to "apprentice" in Europe for a short period. A "one-passport" American collegiate underclassman good enough to take one of the top Euroleague teams' American roster spots would also likely be good enough to warrant selection as an NBA lottery pick, meaning more riches - and comfort - by staying in America.
Still, publicity following decisions to play abroad by Jennings, Tyler, Childress, Calathes and Oglesby have explosed more and more talented high school and collegiate players to consider Europe as a legitimate alternative to the NCAA en route to the NBA, or as a lucrative destination itself.
Each player who chooses Europe chips away at what some see as an NCAA sports industrial-complex churning out millions of dollars for predominanltly older white men swirling around mostly black teenagers handling an orange ball to entertain tens of millions. The ones sweating the most earn the least money (at least officially) .
Recent developments hit this point home.
Investigations of academic fraud of players under former Memphis Coach John Calipari hint at the moral rot beneath the telegenic gleam and shine of big-time basketball, as the NY Times' Pete Thamel recently wrote:
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