If there’s one certainty about the future of Jeremy Tyler, the first American to leave during high school to play basketball professionally overseas, it’s that everyone has an opinion. Here’s a sampling of opinions that I wasn’t able to include in my profile on Tyler for Sunday’s paper. Our esteemed N.B.A. writers Howard Beck and Jonathan Abrams helped me compile these.
Olden Polynice, 15-year N.B.A. veteran who has helped Tyler work out in San Diego:
“This A.A.U. stuff is totally out of hand. It starts so young. What’s next? The fetus and the embryo? They’re getting lower and lower.”
Jeremy Tyler on his own journey overseas:
“If I go to college and fill up an arena with 30,000 people, I don’t get a penny. In my profession with what I’m doing in my life, it doesn’t need a full college degree. I’m definitely
going to take classes over there. I want to be there, have fun and learn stuff that I don’t know. I’m going to study the culture, study the language and how their lifestyle is different than mine.
I don’t know another language. I want to learn something else.”
A Western Conference general manager on Tyler and Brandon Jennings going to Europe. (He couldn’t speak because of the risk of being fined for commenting on a player not yet eligible for the draft):
“Why wouldn’t a player want to earn income as early as they can?”
An N.B.A. executive who also couldn’t be named because of the risk of being fined:
“In reality, we pretty much know who the special players are by the time they’re 18. So am I going to get better by playing against guys my own age, with all the time restrictions on practice? Or go to Europe and play against men? I can practice with a professional coach and I can practice 8 hours a day.
“For that young player, if he’s giving himself two years to get ready for the draft, you can obviously make the case for (Europe) to be more beneficial.”
Yet another N.B.A. executive, who yet again could not be named:
“I don’t like putting race in it, but it’s amazing how the rules are made prohibiting all these black kids from going to the draft. In hockey and baseball they can turn pro. I’m trying to figure out why every time it can benefit these young black kids going pro they put rules in. If the kid is good enough, he should be able to go. Put in a rule that makes kids who go to school stay for two or three years. I have no problem with that. But this all comes from kids not being able to come out of high school.”
Craig Robinson, Oregon State’s coach who played professionally overseas:
“I think there are other ways to skin the cat, having lived over in Europe and played over there and watched kids come along the junior ranks, it’s a good experience for them. Would I tell my son to do it as a junior and not play his senior year in high school? Boy, he’d have to be really good to do it. Some kids aren’t prepared for college. This route may be better for them. I can’t speak to Jeremy’s situation. But if college isn’t in your future for whatever reason, it sure is a nice alternative to have other than working at the post office.”
Fran Fraschilla, ESPN college analyst who also analyzes international prospects for the N.B.A. Draft:
“He’s going to learn more in the first week of a pro practice in Spain or Italy than he has in his entire lifetime so far.”
Tony Bland, former college player at Syracuse and San Diego State who played overseas for eight years. He has worked out Tyler in San Diego:
“To be honest with you, the way that the Europeans do it, it’s better for them. They grow up in a basketball program. Some of them don’t go to school. They play basketball eight hours a day, so of course it’s better. That’s why you see these guys that can pass and shoot. Here, we look to be Kobe and LeBron. We don’t aspire to be Dirk. But skill wise, the European route is better. Me being a trainer, it’s hard for me to say that.”
Bland on Tyler’s decision:
“I think he’s a terrific player. I think he’ll be ready for any obstacle thrown in his way. I don’t think he’s far away mentally. I think it’s a great idea for him. He has the support of his family. And to be honest with you, tomorrow is never promised. He aspires to be a pro and has the opportunity to achieve his dream right now.”
Sonny Vaccaro on the critics of Tyler, who have included ESPN’s Dick Vitale and Doug Gottlieb:
“The critics who will criticize him are all people who earn a good living on commenting on amateur athletics. That seems to me to to be a contradiction.”
Comments are no longer being accepted.