http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...0,878344.story
Brandon Jennings' road to the NBA goes through Italy
The prep school standout bypasses college and signs a 'multimillion-dollar' deal with Rome-based team.
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:54 AM PDT, July 16, 2008
Southern California prep basketball standout Brandon Jennings has committed to play in the Italian professional league's Rome-based Pallacanestro Virtus Roma team, his attorney and advisor announced today.
Jennings, 18, last week bypassed the opportunity to be a so-called "one and done" player after committing to Arizona, opting to explore immediate payment for his services in Europe rather than attend a year of college before moving on to the NBA.
Brandon JenningsHis advisor, longtime former shoe company representative Sonny Vaccaro, negotiated in Las Vegas during the weekend with Virtus Roma General Manager Dejan Bodiroga.
Vaccaro described the terms as a "three-year, multimillion-dollar" contract with buyout considerations that will allow Jennings to leave the team and enter the NBA draft when eligible next year. Vaccaro declined to discuss financial specifics of the contract.
Bodiroga "had a comprehensive plan for Brandon that included specific training and education, tutoring programs . . . as well as media training," Jennings' Los Angeles attorney, Jeffrey Valle, said in a prepared statement.
Bodiroga also arranged for Jennings' 13-year-old brother, Terrance, to enroll in an English-speaking school and land a spot on a junior club team in Rome, Vaccaro said.
Jennings' mother, Alice Knox, "was very impressed with the comprehensive planning," Valle said.
Jennings lived in Lakewood and played at Compton Dominguez High before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., for his final two prep seasons. He became a McDonald's All-American and was ranked by many prep basketball observers as the top point guard in the nation this year.
After brokering the deal, Vaccaro said in the news release, "This opportunity will enable Brandon to compete at a very high level in Europe and is also an environment that he and his family will find comfortable."
Vaccaro said the situation was the "best choice," noting Rome is an "international city" comfortable for Americans, with a team directed by an English-speaking coach.
As many as seven European pro teams made contact with Jennings' representatives, Vaccaro said, but Virtus Roma "moved the quickest, and Brandon didn't want it to drag on."
lance.pugmire@latimes.com
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