College isn't for everyone. New option for 1 & dones.

[hawkin]

Halfway down the article. He states that he will sign 5 of the top 25 guys this year.

"
Option for one-and-doners?: A California-based group says it will offer 2015 McDonald’s All-Americans $700,000 to play for an independent pro team called the Las Vegas Dealers.

The team owner says it will play 35 games in Las Vegas against European League teams and would also go on a 15-game tour of Europe.

Team owner Cerruti Brown told Las Vegas FOX 5 TV that some current McDonald’s All-Americans are being contacted to sign up for the 2015-16 season, to begin in October.

“We don’t see any problems in landing the right kids. Now, I’m not going to say we’ll have 10 of the top 25 kids this year, but I’m going to go on record as saying we’re going to have five,” Brown told the TV station.

On the league’s Website (lvdbasket.com), it says McDonald’s All-Americans will earn $700,000, underclassmen with college eligibility $400,000 and free agents $100,000 for the upcoming season.

“College is not for every young man that is trying to use basketball to provide a better situation for their families,” says owner Cerruti Brown. “Our innovative model targets the McDonald’s All-Americans who are projected first-round prospects by NBA scouts and general managers. This concept allows for the highly touted player to bypass college and immediately become a paid professional. We are able to offer competitive salaries averaging around $700k to the highly touted McDonald’s All-Americans who are typically ‘one and done’ players and $400k for college underclassmen. The Dealers’ niche will be based on giving basketball players a different option than what is presently offered in America. Before this, underclassmen had to either play college ball or go overseas. Venturing to Europe will not be a necessity when a U.S.-based organization will play top European teams.”

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/may/07/kansas-will-face-strong-schedule-15-16/?sports

 

[TNCatfanforever]

This will really hurt the college game. I am sure there are some agent connections to this

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Damn that would be brutal to the college game...

 

[O C-A-T-S 06]

This could start a forest fire for sure. If this guy makes money off this, which he most likely will, other wealthy opportunists will follow suit.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Oh lawd

 

[Orville Boggs]

Damn!

 

[Rhavicc]

Now you have one-and-doners, the players who think they're one and done and go to this team, but actually aren't one-and-done, and then you have the players who go to college not intending to be one-and-done, but find out they're good enough to be one-and-done, and become one-and-done.

 

[reignof cats]

It will also kill the ncaa. Ncaa gets a ton of cash from march madness. They will have a watered downed product to sell soon if that semi pro league works out. This and the afam scandal at unc cheat will be the final nails in the ncaa's coffin. GBB

 

[Bombur]

Damn that would be brutal to the college game...

How do you figure? The kids that choose to play for this Vegas team are the same kids that would have gone to the NBA draft prior to that stupid NBA age limit. This won't be any more "brutal" for the college game than all those years prior to the NBA age limit.

The NBA age limit was instituted for one and only one reason. NBA front offices continued to reach for the next Kobe or Garnett by drafting unproven high schoolers, and most ended up being busts. So the age limit was put in place to protect those NBA teams from themselves. Now they have an extra year to scout those kids.

Frankly it is complete BS that if a talented kid wants to go pro out of high school, the only place he can earn a good paycheck is overseas. I say kudos to whoever came up with this Vegas idea, and I hope it works out. If talented high school kids want to go pro and earn a paycheck after high school, they shouldn't have to go overseas. They damn sure shouldn't feel forced to spend 6 months in college.


In any event, this is no different than all those years when the Kobe Bryants and Amare Stoudamires and Kevin Garnetts chose to skip college. That didn't ruin the college game and neither will this. All this means is that schools relying on one-and-done players will have to adjust to the idea that those one-and-done recruits may never show up on campus.

 

[Federal Cat]

Wow, that will hurt, but then coaches will go after the next best player, so I guess that will weaken the college game but across the board, so then everyone will even out, level the playing field, damn I hate this idea already.

 

[CELTICAT]

Who would buy tickets? Who would broadcast? Might fly for a season but dude and his investors will lose their hat and this will fall by the wayside.

 

[catsfan70]

Nightmare waiting to happen to this Las Vegas team,.....can you imagine traveling through Europe with 15 -20 18 year olds who are part of an independent group? Much less in Vegas.... Now suddenly they have will have pockets full of money and running around the globe? I predict epic fail.

 

[Bombur]

Who would buy tickets? Who would broadcast? Might fly for a season but dude and his investors will lose their hat and this will fall by the wayside.

Elite American prospects playing against European prospects at a centralized location in the USA.

NBA scouts and general managers will buy tickets. Shoe companies will dump money into it to try and land the next Lebron or KD. Vacationing tourists in Vegas will come to watch the next overhyped superstars.

 

[catfaninsc]

This is doomed from the start.

 

[CELTICAT]

5 MCDs would be 3.5 million at 700k a pop. I don't think they'd sniff that much money in revenue, and that's only 1/3 of the team, doesn't include staff, venue, etc. someone with more money than sense came up with this.

 

[Bombur]

5 MCDs would be 3.5 million at 700k a pop. I don't think they'd sniff that much money in revenue, and that's only 1/3 of the team, doesn't include staff, venue, etc. someone with more money than sense came up with this.

I think you are underestimating the competitive nature of shoe companies who desire to beat each other for the next elite superstar.

Shoe companies dump a ton of money into the AAU scene. There are AAU coaches making 6 figures right now. Why do shoe companies dump so much money into sponsoring AAU teams and tournaments? For the CHANCE that they might sign a Rose or a Durant when they go pro. This Vegas venture will be no different. Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour will be all over this venture. They will happily pour money in for the chance to sign the next big name in hoops.

 

[DY9ASTY]

Wait....is this guy saying that he honestly believes he is going to sign 5 of the top 25 players from this year's class??

I wonder who he's been talking to? He must have talked to at least a few guys he feels good about. I could definitely see Malik, Jaylen and Zimmerman as likely candidates.

Really hope this idea isn't successful though. It will suck for college basketball.

 

[mj2k10]

How do you figure? The kids that choose to play for this Vegas team are the same kids that would have gone to the NBA draft prior to that stupid NBA age limit. This won't be any more "brutal" for the college game than all those years prior to the NBA age limit.

The NBA age limit was instituted for one and only one reason. NBA front offices continued to reach for the next Kobe or Garnett by drafting unproven high schoolers, and most ended up being busts. So the age limit was put in place to protect those NBA teams from themselves. Now they have an extra year to scout those kids.

How may times do people have to debunk the "unproven high schoolers ended up busts" BS mythology?

Look it up. The guys drafted out of HS succeeded at a level far, far, far, far beyond other draft picks. It's true that NBA wanted to minimize risk, but the idea that they were just flailing around at any available high school player is completely wrong.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

True dat, there were a good handful of kids that didnt make it and probably 40 that did

 

[jrpross]

Wait....is this guy saying that he honestly believes he is going to sign 5 of the top 25 players from this year's class??

I wonder who he's been talking to? He must have talked to at least a few guys he feels good about. I could definitely see Malik, Jaylen and Zimmerman as likely candidates.

Really hope this idea isn't successful though. It will suck for college basketball.

If they got Newman, Zimmerman, and Brown to forgo college and play in this league I would freakin laugh my nuts off.

 

[loublue22]

I don't understand how this works as a business venture. If he were to get his goal of 10 McD AAs, that's $7 mil. Add the rest of the team + coaches + all the other costs associated with this, you're looking at around $15-20 million. How do you make that back?

 

[kats23]

This is the XFL, NBA style. Think it comes down to risk over reward. What type of coaching are they getting. Instruction, competition, facilities and injury risk. What happens if a guy gets a huge injury? Would this league be able to pay him another year while he rehabs. At least in college you have scholorships. What if a guy doesn't get drafted? Does he fall into abyss. Nice idea but so was areana football.

 

[kybassfan]

How does this even affect college basketball? So some kids don't go to college. You just recruit the best of who's available. ESPN will hype those kids same as before. This just sounds like a shoulder shrug to me.

There is one potential statistical impact. Say you cut the top 30 individuals out of the population, in theory the next thirty should be closer in skill level simply because they are a bit closer to the mean (nearer the middle of the bell curve). This makes parity an even greater factor than today which helps the game. This impact would be really small though unless you are a gambler, but then who cares.

Much worry over nothing.

 

[BBBLazing]

I don't understand how this works as a business venture. If he were to get his goal of 10 McD AAs, that's $7 mil. Add the rest of the team + coaches + all the other costs associated with this, you're looking at around $15-20 million. How do you make that back?

Great idea if he could make any money out of it. He must be making kids hire him as an agent when they get to the league. Otherwise, this will fail. Who will go to Vegas to watch this? Someone said NBA execs? Do you think you can fill an arena with them? If so, do they even buy tickets? The kids that sign the first year are winning the lottery by getting paid instead of spending a year in college, but it will fail after that. The D-League has better players than will play in this league and how many people have ever actually been to a D-League game?

 

[BIG BLUE GURU]

Will not have an affect on the college game. Fans watch because they love their team. At least that is why I watch. So we start recruiting more 4 star recruits to compete against the other top programs 4 star recruits. Pretty much what we do now but with 5 stars. I actually think if it takes out the kids who do not want to be in college and are only biding their time for the draft it will improve the college experience. You will have kids who go to a school because they want to and truly play for the name on the front of the jersey vs going through the motions. I prefer that. I loved all of our top recruits and appreciate what they brought to the program and the publicity but I would rather have kids that want to be here for the right reasons and because of our history and program vs being here for Calipari because they think he can get them to the league faster. just my opinion and I know it will not be popular because we have so many fans who take more pride in a #1 recruiting class vs a top team. Its almost like in their eyes it is a popularity contest or makes us more relevant. If it takes us 4 years to build and coach a team up and in the process we win a title or maybe even two I am more about that philosophy than our current course. Hopefully this years team and the misses on some of the top recruits was planned by Cal and he has seen this as well. Go UK

 

[JohnBlue_]

I could see the kids getting played instead of paid. No one in America gives a crap about oversees basketball. Shoe companies aren't going to sink as many millions into unknown kids playing a game no one watches. College kids will have the advantage as they get free advertising for a year building their brand. Going to school and making a name for yourself would give you far better leverage with shoe companies than in a euro league, enough that it would probably be a bad ideal not to go to school if you're a highly touted player.

 

[hawkin]

I'm guessing Newman isn't going to be at MSU next year.
This could explain some of the weird choices some of these kids have been making this year. They've had more than just guardians & coaches in their ear.

 

[Lumpy 2]

I think you are underestimating the competitive nature of shoe companies who desire to beat each other for the next elite superstar.

Shoe companies dump a ton of money into the AAU scene. There are AAU coaches making 6 figures right now. Why do shoe companies dump so much money into sponsoring AAU teams and tournaments? For the CHANCE that they might sign a Rose or a Durant when they go pro. This Vegas venture will be no different. Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour will be all over this venture. They will happily pour money in for the chance to sign the next big name in hoops.

Shoe companies also dump a ton of money into college programs and I'm not sure Nike or Adidas would risk alienating all those college programs for the chance to sign a couple of players to shoe contracts. If a school switches shoe brands, the shoe companies will lose the entire athletic program, including football and the companies would know they would likely piss off a lot of athletic programs by sponsoring a team that is competing for their best recruits.

 

[mj2k10]

How does this even affect college basketball? So some kids don't go to college. You just recruit the best of who's available. ESPN will hype those kids same as before. This just sounds like a shoulder shrug to me.

There is one potential statistical impact. Say you cut the top 30 individuals out of the population, in theory the next thirty should be closer in skill level simply because they are a bit closer to the mean (nearer the middle of the bell curve). This makes parity an even greater factor than today which helps the game. This impact would be really small though unless you are a gambler, but then who cares.

Much worry over nothing.

You couldn't get more short-sighted if you poked your eyes out.

There are about 20 players drafted into the NBA every year, on average, who go on to play 500 games in their career. About 10 get over 800 games. Those 10-20 are the face of basketball at the highest level for the era they play in. It's a very, very, very big deal for the college game if a large percentage of them are never setting foot on a college campus. College basketball has its own fan base, but that fan base is generally small and local. College basketball only succeeds on a broader level because people are interested in seeing the future stars. Without that draw, college basketball becomes college baseball.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Vacationing tourists in Vegas will come to watch the next overhyped superstars.

No they won't. I've gone to four straight McDonald's All-American games - in Chicago no less - and they've yet to have a sell-out with these next "over-hyped superstars". This year, the gym was at about 60% capacity. Lower-tier recruiting classes like the current one will doom this Las Vegas team.

Also, before they moved the game to Chicago, the Mickey D game was drawing pitiful crowds. Chicago has been the best location for the game, but it's far from satisfactory even there.

This Las Vegas team will fail. Those thinking otherwise probably haven't been paying attention.

 

[Halsteadkid]

Math doesn't work. With that kind of players' salary, the Dealers would still have a close to $5 million player budget. Most minor league sports (hockey, soccer, indoor lacrosse, indoor football) run players' salaries anywhere from 40-55% of the total budget. That means the overall yearly budget would be $9-14 million dollars. Without television, tickets would be the major source of revenue. Even at 30 home dates averaging $25 per ticket (half of the average NBA, twice the average WNBA) with average attendance of 12,000, you are still looking at a $4-6 million shortcoming per year. Advertising, concessions and souvenirs wouldn't close the gap.

The budget being the biggest issue. The second would be who the Dealers play for 30 games. Would the D-League want to support a competing league? How much more would the budget increase to pay for the expenses and appearance fees for the D-League and European teams to fly into Vegas? And if not, would fans pay that kind of money to watch the Dealers play a Washington General-type of team?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

No one in America gives a crap about oversees basketball.

No one in America gives a crap about paying to watch glorified high school basketball players either, and I can assure you no one will consistently pay to watch a bunch of bumbling 18 years-olds throw errant alley-oops into the stands in Vegas.

This team might find success if there is a LeBron-type playing on its roster. Sadly, for the entrepreneurial minds involved in this process, those types of players are the exception, and not the norm. The sustainability of this venture will be a short-lived one.

 

[BlueRunner11]

Damn that would be brutal to the college game...

I honestly think it will have little to zero effect on the college game. I have no problem with it. If an 18 year old can go to war, then an 18 year old can play for pay. With that being said, my guess is there is a certain "type" of player that this will initially attract and historically that type of player has had little effect on my college basketball fan experience.

 

[UKGrad93]

If the idea works, I think it will have an impact on the college game. At least it is sort of innovative, unlike the NCAA. I could see this working, but they would have to cut the salaries in half. So $350k for a Mickey D. $50k for an average undergrad b-ball player. Still not bad $$.

 

[jrpross]

If it were to actually work, yeah it would suck for college ball. But this just feels too much like the XFL. Flashy, gimmicky, not enough draw.

 

[JohnBlue_]

I'm not worried about it's potential effect on the college game, all the best players are in the nba. The best of what comes to school will always make up the best teams.

 

[wildcatdonf]

Boys, this idea is just not feasible. It might torment the college coaches for a little while, but the numbers will not work. When the money man loses his ***, he will change his tune. Don't lose any sleep over this venture.

 

[Lightbringer123]

Have to agree, I'm no parent but before I'd ever sign my son up for this I would wait and make sure he's good on his money. if I was a high level player this almost sounds like a "too good to be true" situation. I'm not too sure this venture will even make it off the ground because of these doubts that might come up...

 

[kybassfan]

You couldn't get more short-sighted if you poked your eyes out.

There are about 20 players drafted into the NBA every year, on average, who go on to play 500 games in their career. About 10 get over 800 games. Those 10-20 are the face of basketball at the highest level for the era they play in. It's a very, very, very big deal for the college game if a large percentage of them are never setting foot on a college campus. College basketball has its own fan base, but that fan base is generally small and local. College basketball only succeeds on a broader level because people are interested in seeing the future stars. Without that draw, college basketball becomes college baseball.

Really? I think the thing that is short is your memory.

There was basketball before one and done. There was basketball before a 12 or so 19 year old children started going to the NBA. There was basketball when the vast majority of the NBA was made up of 4 year players. The NCAA tournament grew to the field of 64 under these conditions. I've never EVER seen college basketball mistaken for college baseball on a fanbase, TV interest or by any other realistic measure. One and dones did not build Rupp. While I have really enjoyed our transient freshmen, they account for very recent part of our overall legacy.

I don't fault you for having such a unsubstantial view. ESPN tells way too many sports fans what to think these days. Regardless of what the talking heads make you believe, Its the teams, not the players. They get their five and we get our five and we want to beat them and will show up in buses to watch it happen.

Now you say, but, before one and done those very best players were actually in college? Yes. And most college fans have NEVER seen one of them play in person. There's only very few teams that can land the popular few and of those few, not all of those remain in the spotlight. No, it's about the teams and the game. Go watch the blue fog in an arena outside Lexington. I've seen them in Nashville when we dropped out our first game 3 years ago. We had more fans in the stands the day before KY played than anyone else. We had nearly all the fans in the stands on the day we played. We probably still had majority of the fans in the stands the day after we went home. I'm sorry, this game is not predicated on 10 - 20 kids every year. They would never be missed.

Last point, I agree with the comments about the business model this train wreck is based on. Its SUUUUUUUUCKS. If it was attractive, I think we'd see these children that you claim are the very life blood of college basketball going overseas by the plane load only to return in a year. That's not happening. I'm just hoping not too many of these kids get careers trashed because some guy was impressed when KY was beating up on those international teams last August and thinks he can make money on it.

Given this last observation, we're arguing about strings and ceiling wax. This will die on the vine but college basketball will stand strong whether its dead or alive.

 

[BBBLazing]

Let's assume the top 50 high school players did not go to college. Would that make any of you less UK fans and cause you to be less avid in your support for UK basketball? If not, who cares what this dipshit does with his money. He will fail. In the meantime, I'm still watching the Cats and cheering them on, no matter who is wearing the jersey.