Jeremy Tyler to dropout of High School, Play in Europe then NBA
Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 01:29PM In 1958 Pele was the best player in the World Cup at 17-years-old. He scored the only goal in his team’s quarterfinal win, a hat trick in the semifinal and two goals in the final. At 17, Boris Becker became the youngest man to win Wimbledon in 1985. At 16, Martina Hingis became the youngest player to gain a number one ranking in tennis, winning three grand slam titles and losing in the final of the fourth. To the best of my knowledge, neither of these athletes attended a day of college. Sports, for the most part, have always been a meritocracy. If you are good enough, you are old enough.
Not every child whose parents think he or she is a prodigy will reach these heights, in fact the odds are firmly against it. But if you have an opportunity to achieve your dream of success at the highest level it’s worthwhile to chase it. Yesterday Yahoo! Reported that 17-year-old Jeremy Tyler
Boom or Bust? Only time will tell. will drop out of high school to pursue a professional basketball career in Europe. Tyler doesn’t need it, indeed he didn’t even ask for it, but he has my blessing. He could have exercised a little patience, finished high school, played a year of NCAA basketball and, if he was good enough, enter the NBA draft. However, if Tyler and his family believe he is ready to play professionally in Europe it is their decision to make. It won’t be an easy transition. I know from experience that being black in Europe, especially Spain where it is reported that Tyler is likely to play, is no picnic. I also know that the experience is a great opportunity to grow as a person, possibly more so than four years of college, and hope Tyler and his family surround themselves with people who will help him with this transition.
It is possible that Tyler may become a cautionary tale like Korleone Young, James Lang, Leon Smith or Lenny Cooke. So, too, any teenager who decides they want to make it at the highest level on the WTA, ATP or in Major League Baseball. This risk is inherent in the decision and one that should be left entirely to the player and his or her family. Yahoo! reports that Tyler is projected as the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft so there’s a good chance he has the requisite talent to make it on some level professionally. We can be critical and wonder if Tyler’s decision devalues education. More often than not education is essential in anything you do and if Tyler is smart he will put away enough money so he can attend college one day if he doesn’t make it as a basketball player. Most likely, though, Tyler’s decision means he will miss out on the college experience, the best four years of my life, but college isn’t for everybody.
There is a sociological reason why we respond the way we do when a young black man says he is dropping out of high school. When anyone decides to drop out of high school it should set off alarm bells. This is especially so in the case of African Americans where the dropout rate is depressingly high. The distinction here, though, is that most high school dropouts don’t have a million dollar alternative. Tyler’s decision to chase his dream isn’t one that elevates sports over education and it shouldn’t be viewed that way. The decision is one that places the desire for excellence above being mired in mediocrity. It is precisely what Pele, Becker and Hingis would have done.
Boris Becker, Hings, Jeremy Tyler, NBA, Pele, Wimbledon, Yahoo 
Reader Comments (5)
i'm trying to figure out what i think about this.. personally, i have no issue with young athletes getting their money.. i have a bigger issue w/ the hypocrisy that is the NCAA and all the money they make off of these athletes.. being that Tony Parker, Ricky Rubio, Drazen, Dirk, etc have been playing pro ball since 14, i def' don't see an issue..
Tyler is huge and will just mop up next year as a senior.. let him get his money..
i just hope he has a good support system when he makes that leap.. he will arguably get a better education (culturally and academically) overseas than at his local high school, and i'm sure he'll get his GED.. but, in 2 years, he'll have over $2 mil in his account, and i can't knock that.. if he plays well, he'll be a top 10 pick in 2011.. so that means, he'll be alright as a player and as a business brand..
like i tell ppl, had someone offered me a nice 6 figure job out of high school, i would've skipped NU as well.. lol..
I’m torn on this issue. I can appreciate and respect the argument that we should allow athletes to reap the benefits of their talent, but I wonder where we draw the line. If a 14-year-old male is 6’2”, a star at basketball and is allowed to play in a foreign country for a large sum of money, would that be socially acceptable? I value education and can make an argument for skipping college to make a buck, but I think secondary education is different. We, as a society, send the wrong message when we condone large sums of money to be valued over a high school degree. Sure, this one male will be okay and he’ll have the support necessary, but what about a 12-year-old kid who can rap like Biggie and has seven-figure deal from Bad Boy? Should he drop out of Earth Science? More importantly, should I work on my cross-over or do my homework?
I think the new realities may require a reconsideration of the current model. They could look to European soccer teams for a model that may work. Currently, young players, often times under 15, who go to a team have their secondary education as a part of their training at the club. Under this model, you provide classroom education in conjunction with, instead of in lieu of, the player's sporting development. Not sure if this will happen but worth considering. Thanks for commenting!
How can you call Korleone Young a cautionary tale? He skipped college, made a few million on a guaranteed contract and then fizzled out of the league. The odds are that if he had gone to college his flaws wouldve been exposed and he may have not even been drafted. Then what? Get a degree in sociology? The real cautionary tales are the ones who leave early because they get awful advice from their handlers (i.e. Victor Page or Omar Cook) and really end up with nothing to fall back on. Of course college is a great four years but Tyler has prob already done everything you did in college without any fear of repercussions and is bored (read his quotes in NYT article) - to me I'm all for him breaking rank and forcing the NBA and NCAA to look into changing their business model. Prep school basketball is already more corrupt than South American and African politics that it really needs a way to reform itself. Kids are being prostituted to the highest bidder by handlers and shoe coMpanies and this is just one way of breaking the mold. I hope Tyler sets a great precedent for the sport.
Michael Jackson was gettin bread since he was 7..Stevie was a wonderchild....Frankie Lyman was also a git... Soulja Boy has grossed probably more than 8 million dollars before the age of 18.... The one thing that is guaranteed in life is that nothing is guaranteed...5 years ago Tyler dreamed of playing professional ball.. And he has an opportunity to live the dream...I think people are focused on him being payed a large some of money puttin a ball in a hoop...And over looking that this is one of the rare moments where somebody's dream actually came true...We should encourage people, especially a generation where many kids dont have much to dream about, to dream as big as they can..And when the opportunity comes...GO FOR IT.....