Here is the deal this is one extra gifted athlete who seem to have his parents and family assisting him in his decision to go pro, the problem I have with this commentary is that it lacks balanced substance. College is not for every athlete and it does not make them a better anything if they are doing it for the wrong reason (ie I will go for 1 year because I have to, and after the one mandatory year I will go pro) this is the wrong message we are sending athletes. If they do their homework with a parent who suppose to have their best interests at heart then the decision like going to a specific college is that of the family. Money and fame does of course play a part but it is no different in college right? Just my opinion. I coach girl basketball players I push education first and part of that is research of what is going to help your situation if that means playing/attending college do it, if it means forgoing college do that too.

I would have to agree with C. Bryant. That is always the funny part to me when these posts come like it did last year. You are talking about a very small group of individuals that are incredibly gifted. You talk about them sacrificing their education to go pro. Look once they are done with basketball they can go back and get a degree if they choose. In fact they can go back and get a GED then go to community college and then to a four if needed. A degree is not just earned by 18 to 22 year olds.
"But if you choose to play Division I men's basketball, there are initial-eligibility requirements that must be met. This is no different than any other aspect in life." Actually it is very different he is standards that he will be judged on are physical not if he undersatands algebra. One more question is it really the message the NCAA wants to send that they are a one year farm system for the pros? That is so much better then them going to Europe! Right.

I, too, spend more time talking and writing about the elite athlete. I do this because that's where many problems occur. In fact, the NCAA, Johnson's employer, reached the same conclusion: that more problems exist in basketball than in other sports. And that's why the NCAA convened task forces, created costly partnerships and added enforcement personnel to improve the "culture" of non-revenue sports. Why? I doubt it's because the NCAA "cares" more about basketball players than others.

It's unfortunate that an NCAA official uses his platform to shoot the messenger, rather than address the real issues that would motivate a young man and his family to go to Europe. Seriously question: the NCAA and its membership bear no blame for the problems associated with recruiting, the "one and done" system and also agents?

The NCAA should focus on what can be done to improve the system, not throwing stones at Tyler, Jennings (Johnson writes, "It is unclear if Jennings would've qualified academically to play college basketball.") and Vaccaro.

Most laughable is that Johnson wishes "Tyler all the best." Twice. Of course, if it turns out Tyler succeeds, Johnson's thesis is blown to bits and his article would be even more absurd than it already is.

Certainly, the NCAA wants to protect its golden egg, but in the final analysis, it's premature to determine anything about Tyler's decision other than it is intriguing.

this is part of a longer post I wrote on Jeremy Tyler on the Money Players Blog
http://tinyurl.com/c843g8

First, I'm glad you guys are reading the Double-A Zone.
We obviously disagree on this, but it has nothing to do with what is right or good for college basketball. The whole point of the post is I don't think it is a good idea to drop out of high school and put all your hopes and dreams into one endeavor. I don't think wishing someone luck is laughable. I don't want to see the kid fail, but I believe this is a risky proposition. I don't see education (in high school or even a year in college) as a prison sentence like the Sonny Vaccaros of the world. Our society is enamored with instant gratification. What is the hurry? There's nothing wrong with enjoying your high school or college years and becoming a more rounded person. Someone needs to explain to me why finishing high school and going to college, even for a year in some cases, is the worst thing that can happen to a person.

I for one am not saying that it is the end of the world but it is far from someones only option in life. There are many different avenues to be educated. Like you state what is the rush why do you have to go right to college? "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion." Jack Kerouac