I get this question all of the time and honestly its a difficult question. Personally I think and know that anything is possible these days depending on talent and who you know. In the case of Brandon Jennings a player that I recently discovered is doing what many high school seniors would love to do after graduating from high school and that is straight pro. The NBA in recent years has made it difficult for high school players to come out directly to the NBA, however there is no restriction for the overseas market.

Brandon Jennings may be only 19 years old, but he has the mindset and playing skills of a potential Hall of Famer. Jennings a 6-2, 165 pound All American point guard that played his junior and senior years at Oak Hill Academy, located in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Oak Hill Academy has produced many of the NBA’s greatest players such as Carmelo Anthony, Rod Strickland, Jerry Stackhouse and many more players that made a name for themselves on the pro level. Jennings a native of Los Angeles, California is one of the greatest point guards in the game since Allen Iverson made his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jennings is known for his flashy style of play that includes excellent passing skills and the ability to score on many defenses. In high school Jennings averaged 38.7 points, 11.5 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 13.0 steals per game in his senior year at Oak Hill Academy. Jennings has many awards under his belt such as the Naismith National High School Player of the Year, EA Sports Player of the Year and the Gatorade Player of the Year. Jennings had narrowed his college choices down to two schools, The University of Southern California and Arizona. However Jennings opted out of going to college he decided to become the first player out of high school to jump to play professional basketball overseas.

The 2008 #1 high school player in the United States transition from high school to professional international play

He is currently playing in Italy for Lottomatica Roma in the Italian Basketball League. Jennings decided that he will play international basketball for a year and then enter the NBA Draft the follwing year. Jennings has received endorsement deals from major companies such as Under Armour Jenning is noted to be in the top 10 players to be selected at the 2009 NBA Draft being held June 25, 2009 at New York’s world reknown area, Madison Square Garden.  So for videos and more on Brandon Jennings look below

Recently I wrote an article about how the recession and it is effecting the most prestigious universities and colleges. However, I accidentally deleted it so hopefully this will turn out OK. So last week there was an article in the USA Today how the recession and the economy is causing universities to cut budgets. Many universities are looking at athletic departments to start cutting big budgets. During the last 6 months many programs have been feeling the pressure. Facing questions like, will scholarships get cut, travel get cut and other salaries.  Many universities during the past have had the luxury of flying out across the country for a non conference game, luxury tournaments in such places as Hawaii and recruiting outside of the USA. All of this is included in the budget and each penny counts however now athletic departments will have to cut some place. Many don’t want to cut scholarships which is a big percentage of the budget. Possibly jobs will be cut and salaries lowered a bit to allow more athletes to join programs with scholar ships.

I honestly believe that travel will limited and possibly reverting back to busing to many places. Many teams will rethink which tournaments to take part in and which to host. During the next recruiting season I’m sure many universities will stress and look for more athletes who may qualify for a partial scholarship and academic aid. What does this mean for you? Well I think the recruiting will remain the same however the rewards may not be as lavishing as before. 2009-2010 you will see a change in recruiters and possible offers. I wonder if this will affect players from abroad and overseas?

Well we shall see. What do you think?

You know something interesting? I have been flying since 1993 when I took my first flight to New Mexico. It was great but of course very nervous. Everything about flying was different including the chance to earn a free flight by being a frequent flier. When I went to college I really became a frequent flier with my college basketball team and I used my US Air mileage account which was fairly new. There were no rules at the time that governed the NCAA and earning free miles for flights. Now there is a penalty if collegiate players do use miles for personal flights. Earning mileage points and frequent flyer bonuses is easy only if you remember. Not only can you earn miles on flights that you’ve taken but as of today 2008, if you have a bank account or visa credit card that allows flyer bonuses on every dollar spent it could had up to great free flights worldwide. Not only that, car rental, hotel night stays, purchases at particular online shops.

Also, if you have a business or company it is best to get a credit card like American Express or Visa to accumulate miles on your large purchases. I have some friends that sell on Ebay.com and purchase equipment up to $15,000 and over. You can imagine the amount of points that they gain using this method. There is nothing illegal about it, just smart ways to earn free flights or award gifts. The best thing about earning gifts is that you can donate the miles if you feel fit or transfer miles to family and friends. However, the worst thing that you could do is go without using the miles and any miles unused, normally cannot be carried over. Some frequent flyer programs only allow miles for a year and some many more years.

Here are my top 5 frequent flier programs

1. Delta Airlines (SkyMiles)
2. Miles and More – Star Alliance Partners
3. Flying Blue
4. Discover Miles
5. One World (British Airways and partners)

To conclude, keep track of your airline miles and if you have some expiring without usage don’t think about only flights there are other awards like rental car (to escape the weekend) , gifts and donating to charities and of course family or friends.

When you cross the ocean and play in different parts of the world you are normally introduced to different cultures, sports and other activities. If you are a person who likes to see new things living and playing basketball overseas is your cup of tea. Playing in Europe has allowed me to see many different sports and how they are played different in each country. Many sport competitions in the world that I didn’t pay attention to when I played college basketball are interesting to me now because I’ve been introduced it them.

For example, the ICC World Twenty20 is an international cricket tournament where 12 top teams in the world compete for the title. In countries like India, England, Australia, New Zealand cricket is huge and it can be compared to the fans and followers of American NFL football. But on a bigger level and internationally seen and known. Even trying to get ICC World Twenty20 Tickets is difficult and should be booked a year or several months in advance.

Speaking about NFL football another international sport which is big across the water is Rugby which is quite similiar to American football but I consider it a lot more brutal. These guys don’t wear much of equipment like American Football. Many have missing teeth..A big rugby competition in Europe called the Six Nations Championship consist of six teams that fight (literally writing) in a five week rugby championship. Again buying RBS Six Nation Tickets is just as hard as getting an NBA Finals Ticket!

One thing that I like playing basketball overseas is seeing new things and taking lots of pictures. Yes the memory is great but traveling and seeing sports that are uncommon from your homeland is interesting and educational. Some of my favorite sports that I’ve seen and purchased Tickets for in Europe are the following:

• Finnish Womens Baseball (Very different than any baseball I’ve seen)
• Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer (Battle of the Surfaces)
• Padal (similar to squash in Spain)
• Rugby
• Ski Jumping
• Formula 1 Car Racing
• European Soccer/Football
• Surfing Tournaments

I suggest that you take the time to see other sports and find something new. As we saw at the Olympics the NBA players support other Summer Olympic Sports with an appreciation of the work of athletes such as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt take their relative sport. It is not easy being great but everyone has the chance!

Summer is right around the corner and if you’re playing in any type of organized basketball team this summer, I’m pretty sure you have to raise money for traveling and lodging I suppose? Its been a long time since I’ve had to do any fundraising, but I sure did love doing it. I believe that I wrote an article previously of how I got started when playing AAU basketball but I won’t bore you again. Right now I’m going to explain more in detail a website which offers unique fundraising ideas and products for anything your group needs. If you’re starting sports fundraisers for basketball or any type, you should have a budget and an idea of what type of people you would like to target.

Of course, if you’re trying to target youth or kids, the easiest is candy. For elderly, it would be smarter popcorn, nuts or fruit baskets. At EZFUND, which has been around since 1996 helping with all types of fundraisers has many products and ideas to get you started. For funding sports here is list of products that they offer:

• Sports Pops Lollipops - shape of sport balls (basketball, football, soccer ball etc)
• Gourmet Snacks - trail mix, nuts, caramel corn etc
• Popcorn - comes in theme bags
• Chocolate bars - this is more common for any type of fundraising

I like this website because it offers a wide variety of fundraising products and ideas all at one. Its not limited to only sports, but if your group such as a church fundraising or school fundraisers, you’re able to use this company. When you head over to the site, each product has in red the amount of profit that you are expected to earn. So get your budget together and think of ways to promote your fundraisers. If you’re not in a group, you can still benefit for any occasion, especially to help with kids or someone ailing with medical bills!

Good luck!

During the summer there are many basketball camps and the latest exposure camp that I wrote about in Italy will be probably be the furthest after the annual Slammers Basketball Camp in Germany. Getting overseas for these camps aren’t difficult because the transport system is so much easier these days. I recommend getting cheap airline tickets by searching one recommended low fare company around. Depending on your location you might have several layovers just for that cheaper flight. Also, if you’re in a big metropolitan area such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago or Boston it might be a little bit easier and cheaper overall.

But instead of second guessing you should visit LowFares.com for some of the cheapest airline tickets available. Why is it so cheap? Well when you visit the website you’ll see a list of companies to your right side and after you choose your destination and departure site you are given options from those company. You can choose a maximum of 3 online companies and compare the pricing for each. This is a BIG time saver. Today I was actually looking for international flights and luckily I use Firefox tabs but it still gets unorganized. However, using Lowfares you’re able to find the cheapest option without toggling windows and view it very clear. Any restrictions that may apply you should check with that particular company.

Remember to have the following:

• Passport and 1 copy
• Flight ticket
• Correct baggage allowance
• Frequent Flyer Card

Now that the end of the college basketball season will be officially over next week after this weekends NCAA Final Four, there will be many basketball exposure camps on the way. No matter where you live and you’re invited to any pro basketball camp or similar you should take great interest because it could be the start of your professional career. If you are not local by any chance and need to take cheap flights to your destination, it would be recommended to check out a website that I recently discovered, Flights.com.

Once you get to the website you’ll notice that its quite clear to get around and find your flights. On the right side you’ll notice the hot deals of the day and they are updated daily. Unlike other travel companies online, you can find Hostels and it is good if you’re looking for cheap accommodation during your road trip for any type of basketball tryouts. Cruises, Eurorail and other activities are easily located on the website as well. I’ve always loved traveling but honestly, I have been tired of surfing through several websites and toggling between Internet Explorer and new windows. I guess my impatience something I have to work on. But finding a discount airfare is worth it and it beats traveling to your local travel agency. In the recent years it has been easier but with top competition there are hundreds of companies online.