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#1 Recruit Emmanuel Mudiay chooses European pros over SMU for 1-and-done

Buffnik

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Wow!

First time this has happened, at least for a recruit of this caliber.

I feel kind of bad for Larry Brown and the SMU fans. This was bound to happen sooner or later, but it happened to them and it would suck so bad. (Although it does sound as though Brown advised going to Europe once he had the sit down and learned the financial situation and, possibly, what benefits Mudiay may have already been caught accepting that would have voided any wins SMU got with him on the team.)

"I was excited about going to SMU and playing college basketball for Coach Brown and his staff and preparing for the NBA, but I was tired of seeing my mom struggle," Mudiay's brother, Stephane, said in quotes his brother provided to SI.com. "And after sitting down with Coach Brown and my family, we decided that the best way for me to provide for my mom was to forgo college and pursue professional basketball opportunities.



"I am grateful for Prime Prep coach [Ray] Forsett for developing me into the player and man that I am, and I am also grateful for Coach Brown's guidance and his support. This has nothing to do with my eligibility in any way."

However, the athletic 6-foot-5 point guard, considered a one-and-done possibility, is concerned about amateurism issues and not academics or financial stability, the source told ESPN.com. SMU accepted Mudiay academically.

"The NCAA is on him," the source said. "And he's worried."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...angs-prospect-emmanuel-mudiay-headed-overseas
 
Wasn't there somebody else who did this a few years ago? Not quite this level of recruit but I remember it didn't work out as well as he'd hoped.
 
NW Buff said:
Wasn't there somebody else who did this a few years ago? Not quite this level of recruit but I remember it didn't work out as well as he'd hoped.
Click to expand...

Brandon Jennings went to Europe instead of Arizona.
 
Let them come straight out or have to play college a few years. Think it would help the game. Sure some guys will miss but that's part of it.
 
Improper benefits at Prime Prep? Shocking.

Hope he has a healthy year in Europe and gets properly scouted and put in a position to succeed by an NBA team who did their homework. I'm with Luke and others who have discussed in previous threads the merits of treating draft eligibility like baseball does theirs. Basically, don't waste the college's time for staying eligible one full semester and then bolting for the pros. Go out of high school or develop for a few years in college before you can declare again.
 
I would prefer the guys that are 1 and done to just go to Europe. It is the 1 and done players that put the universities at risk from boosters and agents that know the kid is just there for a year because he cant go the the NBA out of high school. Everyone wanting to get their hooks into a kid in anticipation of a big payday.
 
Europe isn't like going to Canada for a year. Any idea where he ends up playing? It could be a pretty big culture shock.
 
SuperiorBuff said:
I really don't have a problem with that.
Click to expand...

I don't. College sports is about the coaches, fans and teams. It's not star-driven and I think we lose something important when ESPN and other media focuses so hard on turning it into that. The superstars are only here for a short time and they're not the best in the world. Focusing on them makes zero sense for marketing the sport because it's not representative of the sport's place within the sporting landscape.

So let's build teams and see them play hoops like the old Duke and Indiana teams, like the recent Wichita State, Butler and Gonzaga teams. High quality execution of systems is what makes college basketball better to watch than the NBA. It shouldn't try to be the D-League relying on a handful of stars that are unfairly restricted from making millions by a silly collective bargaining agreement that forces them to play as amateurs for a year.
 
If a HS kid is given a lottery grade then they should be able to go straight to the NBA. Anything less, and they should have to wait a year before going. I had front row seats when Durant destroyed the Buffs. It was incredible. KD, Anthony Davis, Melo etc. raised the quality of the college game. It's undeniable, but they shouldn't have to be forced to play college.

The free-for-all NBA entries clearly didn't work for most kids & it adversely affected the college game. The rules have to be more nuanced. If a kid is given a first-round grade after his frosh yr then there's no reason he should be forced to stay for 2 yrs. Restricting elite talent from growth hasn't worked in any endeavor ever.

Players would rebel & reduce the quality of the game.
 
This is enjoyable debate. A real variety of points being brought up.

There are a few Durants and Melos each year. And there are previous few Kobe Bryants, LeBron James', and Moses Malones - individuals who truly can jump from hs to the pro ranks. There are several who have tried but failed.

The 2 year idea doesn't deprive the individuals the right to earn money for their on-court skills. They can go to other leagues and ply their trade. And seeing that the older vets and the union would benefit from these additional openings I doubt they would side with the hs players in confronting the leagues employment rules.

It's not a perfect system, but I think the 2 years removed from hs is better than the 1-and-done currently in existence.
 
SuperiorBuff said:
I really don't have a problem with that.
Click to expand...

I don't really have a problem with it. Players have to do what is best for them. You could make the argument playing overseas where the talent pool is greater, where they can focus on basketball 100% of the time is more to the benefit of someone that has a very good chance to be playing in the NBA.

But it does dilute the college game somewhat. Being able to watch an Anthony Davis, Andrew Wiggins type talent is definitely a draw. If say 10 of the top 20 high school recruits go that route, then it does hurt the game.
 
I'd argue that a year in Europe would be more educational to their overall development than a year at UK for instance, taking a semester of under-water basket weaving and then a semester of blowing off classes and not finishing beyond March... Go see the world and make some money.

His first language was also French, so I'd not be surprised to see him land somewhere French speaking for a year.
 
The NBA owners passed the age requirement not out of concern for young players. Rather they were taking financial hits by gambling on high schoolers with uneven competition. The owners and GM's want a free look at players for at least one year. Whether that's in college or Europe, they could care less.
 
rolandftw said:
But it does dilute the college game somewhat. Being able to watch an Anthony Davis, Andrew Wiggins type talent is definitely a draw. If say 10 of the top 20 high school recruits go that route, then it does hurt the game.
Click to expand...

This is undeniable. I also love seeing the youth vs experience match ups like UK-Wiscy & UK-Wichita St. Those were some of the best games all year & they don't happen w/o the 1 year rule. Let's be honest, the people leading the 2 yr rule are Coach K & the like & it's mostly out of selfishness. Would I want Jabari Parker for 2 yrs? Of course, but he easily could've won the ROY if he was allowed to come out last yr.

buffaholic said:
I'd argue that a year in Europe would be more educational to their overall development than a year at UK for instance, taking a semester of under-water basket weaving and then a semester of blowing off classes and not finishing beyond March... Go see the world and make some money.
Click to expand...

I agree. It didn't work out for Brandon Jennings & it affected his stock which, i'm sure, was partially due to him not being coddled for the first time ever. However, as a basketball fan, there are only so many truly special players & I don't want to be deprived of watching them. Some kids will never go to Europe regardless. The rules have to be more nuanced than just a blanket 1 year or 2 year rule.
 
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BuffG said:
This is undeniable. I also love seeing the youth vs experience match ups like UK-Wiscy & UK-Wichita St. Those were some of the best games all year & they don't happen w/o the 1 year rule. Let's be honest, the people leading the 2 yr rule are Coach K & the like & it's mostly out of selfishness. Would I want Jabari Parker for 2 yrs? Of course, but he easily could've won the ROY if he was allowed to come out last yr.



I agree. It didn't work out for Brandon Jennings & it affected his stock which, i'm sure, was partially due to him not being coddled for the first time ever. However, as a basketball fan, there are only so many truly special players & I don't want to be deprived of watching them. Some kids will never go to Europe regardless. The rules have to be more nuanced than just a blanket 1 year or 2 year rule.
Click to expand...

Jennings was picked 10th, how bad did it hurt him?
 
Don't know how it hurt Jennings. He was a high draft pick and just hasn't played like a #10 draft pick.

I am more in favor of the college baseball rule myself...but don't see that happening
 
tante said:
Jennings was picked 10th, how bad did it hurt him?
Click to expand...

A touch. If I remember correctly, heading into that previous season, there was talk of him being a top 3-5 pick. So he fell a little bit, but not a whole lot.
 
rolandftw said:
I don't really have a problem with it. Players have to do what is best for them. You could make the argument playing overseas where the talent pool is greater, where they can focus on basketball 100% of the time is more to the benefit of someone that has a very good chance to be playing in the NBA.

But it does dilute the college game somewhat. Being able to watch an Anthony Davis, Andrew Wiggins type talent is definitely a draw. If say 10 of the top 20 high school recruits go that route, then it does hurt the game.
Click to expand...

I agree, however, the NCAA is still trying to maintain the illusion that these are student athletes. The 1 year rental players make a complete mockery of that ideal. If the 1 year rule remains as is, the NCAA needs to incorporate "rental" players into the APR penalty; any players that leave prior to the completion of 2 academic years should be penalized.. You can't tell me these players attend classes in the 2nd semester or take any classes of substance in the first semester. To me this is a much bigger issue than risking not seeing 10 players/year pretending to be students and their respective universities buying championships by playing the game.
 
tante said:
Jennings was picked 10th, how bad did it hurt him?
Click to expand...
He was the #1 HS prospect in '08 & played for a big Euro team where his minutes were limited
10th was lower than where he was expected to go & there's big $$ differences between 5th-6th slot & 10th slot
He's outperformed the the two PGs taken ahead of him, Flynn (6th pick) whose stock was inflated by a strong tourney run, but is a categorical bust & Rubio (5th pick) who just played his 1st full legit NBA season last yr--5 yrs after the draft.
Had he played big minutes for Arizona, there's no way Flynn gets taken ahead of him & probably not Rubio either

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...jennings-path-to-nba-help-or-hurt-draft-stock
http://www.sbnation.com/2009/11/2/1111693/the-meaning-of-brandon-jennings

SECOBuffsFan said:
Don't know how it hurt Jennings. He was a high draft pick and just hasn't played like a #10 draft pick.

I am more in favor of the college baseball rule myself...but don't see that happening
Click to expand...

I was speaking of his draft stock & not his playing career. However, he has 19+ win shares over his 5 yr career which is well above average for the #10 slot
http://www.hickory-high.com/a-brief-history-of-value-in-the-nba-draft/
 
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Going to China for $1.2

@WojYahooNBA: Emmanuel Mudiay's one-year deal with Guangdong of the China Basketball Association will pay him $1.2M, source tells Yahoo Sports.
 
bombay said:
Going to China for $1.2

@WojYahooNBA: Emmanuel Mudiay's one-year deal with Guangdong of the China Basketball Association will pay him $1.2M, source tells Yahoo Sports.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of cheddar when compared to what he'd make at SMU.

I can't fault the decision.

Now, what I do fault is that he's risking his future for far less than market value. If he could sign a free agent contract with an NBA team right now, he'd be worth a lot more than $1.2 MM this year and have multiple year guarantees.

Is it the federal status as tax-exempt charitable organizations that allows our sports leagues to avoid the standard anti-trust and restraint of trade issues that other business enterprises deal with? I don't think, for example, that an 18-year old who developed some brilliant programming could be told by US software companies that they couldn't employ him and he'd have to work overseas for a year.
 
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