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Greedy, Why Wait? Why High School Ballers Are Over College
In basketball today, the almighty dollar rules the world. Take young Brandon Jennings for example. One of the top high school players in the country has recently decided to skip college and go straight to the pros. Maybe your saying "Wait a second AROC, I thought high schoolers had to go to at least one year of college before going to the pros." Well you are correct my friend but only in the case of the NBA. This is not the case when it comes to playing professionally in places over seas where no such rules apply. "Ah yes AROC I think I know where you are going with this."
Over the past decade symptoms of foreign interest and involvement in the game of basketball have been growing. Before the year 2000 if I said "international basketball" you'd probably think "Tony Kucoc or Detlef Schremph?". The US has dominated the sport since its inception but now things are changing quickly. Yao Ming, Tony Parker, and Steve Nash are but a few of the foreigners that are among the best players in the league. The fact that the USA basketball team is even being questioned as the consensus pick to win the Olympics should be evidence enough to convince us all that the game is changing.
Back to Brandon Jennings. The NBA's policy is such that a player is not allowed to enter the NBA Draft straight out of high school. At first this seems like a great idea. Better players in the NCAA, more mature players in the NBA and happy fans across the boards. Besides the 1/1000 players that have a career changing injury in that one year of college everybody wins. Right? Problem is that the kids want or in a few cases need the money and don't want to wait it out. In this years NBA draft many players from overseas were questioning whether or not it was worth it to join a team that may not even garauntee them a spot on the roster. Rookie contracts in the NBA are also becoming a factor as non-NBA contracts continue to grow with the popularity of the sport. Some players might be able to find a more lucrative contracts abroad whereas the NBA limits the amount of money a rookie can make.
In the case of high schoolers like Jennings, possibly the best h.s. player in his class, the difference is very significant. A free year of schooling and college hoops at Arizona or hundreds of thousands of dollars and pro basketball overseas. Well Brandon Jennings has made his decision and will become the first player to give up his scholarship. Dorm rooms and textbooks? No Sir. He will likely play ball in Europe for a year, make a bundle of cash (hopefuly Euros for his sake) and watch college hoops from his apartment in Italy.
This will undoubtedly set the precedent for the future and could even lead to others following suit this year. The whole thing wreaks of Maurice Clarett but it does make sense and will probably work out better for the Jennings. The jig is up everyone. If it wasn't going to be Jennings then it was going to be somebody else. What remains to be seen/heard is the reaction from the NBA and NCAA chieftons who'd be smart to start figuring out a way to stop this from happening. If not, there could be two drafts next year and and a bunch of 6'9 kids signing up for Latin. In basketball today, the almighty dollar rules the world. Take young Brandon Jennings for example. One of the top high school players ... more -
Football star gunned down by gang
It's especially sad since he was attracting scholarship attention from Stanford, Rutgers and other schools. He stayed out of trouble, did well despite his environment and look what happens.
What is there to do to crack down of gangs? The police can't catch them because the neighbors won't speak. What's your view on this. From my view, growing up in this, going to schools in neighborhoods like this, it's hard to say what it takes to keep people out of gangs. There's the underprivileged who become our valedictorians and then there's the underprivileged who join up in these dangerous and violent cliques. For me, I don't get it. What do you think? It's especially sad since he was attracting scholarship attention from Stanford, Rutgers and other schools. He stayed out of trou... more -
Brink of Spiritual Destruction: Losing Indigenous Heritage, Culture, Storytellers
Racism, spiritual terrorism and the loss of Indigenous culture are among numerous social issues targeted by the Turtle Island Project, founded in northern Michigan in August 2007.
Two Midwest pastors started the Turtle Island Project because the world is sitting on the brink of important cultural, economic and religious issues that will either allow humans to prosper in harmony with the Earth or become the only species to cause its own extinction.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard and Rev. Dr. George Cairns say some if not many Christians belittle the knowledge and heritage of Indigenous cultures like Native Americans, Celts and other centuries-old religions/beliefs aligned with nature and the environment.
They believe we can all learn a lot about nature and the environment by listening to Earth-based cultures.
Rev. Hubbard is a Lutheran pastor. Rev. Cairns is an ordained United Church of Christ minister.
Both have extensive backgrounds in interfaith and multi-cultural work.
The Turtle Island Project in Michigan's Upper Peninsula promotes respect for the environment and Native Americans.
Turtle Island Project volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports
On Sept. 25, 2007 Rev. Hubbard spoke to college students, tribal educators and others at the annual United Conference at Northern Michigan University.
Topics included diversity and issues like the abuse and sexual mutilation of girls and women in Africa and racism against Native Americans
Rev. Hubbard said some Christians are too quick to dismiss Native American teachings.
Hubbard said whites can learn a lot from NA storytellers, myths and other Earth-based teachings.
Rev. Hubbard says Native Americans know that not everything can be described in words alone.
On August 11, 2007 - Dr. Hubbard spoke to religious scholars and authors in Ann Arbor - during the kick off of the Read the Spirit project.
Hubbard warned that some Christians think their beliefs are perfect to the exclusion of all others.
On August 28, 2007, Rev. Hubbard was invited to join a national Native American radio talk show conversation on racism by whites who live in towns bordering reservations - the same issue that Nimrod Nation highlighted as Watermeet, Michigan is on the edge of a reservation.
During Native America Calling, Rev. Hubbard told host Harlan McKosato that racism in northern Michigan is insidious.
Turtle Island Project main website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Turtle Island (myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/TurtleIslandProject
Turtle Island Project websites/Blogs:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
http://turtleislandproject.wordpress.com
TurtleIslandProject@charter.net
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Lakota words for God, Creator, Grandfather: Tunkasila Wakantanka Gitchi Manitou
Lakota: Mitakyasi: "all my relatives"
http://www.dlncoalition.org/home.htm
Heraclitus "The essence of things"
http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/heraclitus.html
http://www.spaceandmotion.com/books/philosophy-book-her...
Bishop Rt Rev. Steven Charleston
President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, Professor of Theology
Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.eds.edu/indexDyn.asp
http://www.wfn.org/1999/05/msg00107.html
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty/treaty/NCcharleston.htm...
http://www.anglican.ca/news/news.php?newsItem=2001-07-0...
http://www.bluecloud.org/shiningthrough.html
http://www.thewitness.org/agw/charleston042204.html
http://edoc.vox.com/library/posts/tags/steven+charlesto...
http://www.interfaithcreationfest.org/program.html#keyn...
Jamestown summit remembers Native saints, prepares for future generations:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78695_91767_ENG_HTM.htm
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/hires-image/elo_jamestow...
Photo by Carlyle Gravely
© 2007 Episcopal Life Online
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February 2008 United Nations Report on Racism and Human Rights violations and racial discrimination reported by Indigenous Peoples.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/I_P_I/message/18971
http://www.treatycouncil.org Racism, spiritual terrorism and the loss of Indigenous culture are among numerous social issues targeted by the Turtle Island Project,... more -
High School Teen Saves Referees Life
Just a month after learning CPR training and how to use a defibrillator, a high school teen came to the rescue of a basketball referee who collapsed because of a heart attack during a game. Just a month after learning CPR training and how to use a defibrillator, a high school teen came to the rescue of a basketball referee... more
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Girls Soccer Coach Moons Opponents, Gets Arrested for Indecent Exposure
What an idiot. But still, mooning the opposing team is nothing to get arrested for. I had a coach in high school who punched the ref. Why didn't the cops arrest him? What an idiot. But still, mooning the opposing team is nothing to get arrested for. I had a coach in high school who punched the ref. ... more
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High School Sports
