Jennings mounts a quiet revolution while Madness reigns

Instead of helping the resilient Arizona Wildcats maim the No. 1 seeded Louisville Cardinals on Friday, my favorite teenage ballplayer and best pro prospect will be toiling somewhere in the Mediterranean, which, in March basketball terms, is no different than floating in the ether. Forget Stephen Curry. The real injustice is that I don't get to watch Brandon Jennings out-flair and out-strut competition in the NCAA Tournament, all while resurrecting some retro haircut from the '80s just for the Madness. (Instead, I'll have to settle for Levance Fields and his cornrows. Not a bad Plan B, I guess.) Jennings, as we know, chose to go be a sports pioneer with a squad you probably never heard of in a country on the other side of the world. Some have likened the young cat to Jackie Robinson. We'll see.

For a pro basketball zealot like me, college basketball's main function is to sift through the glut of players and key in on the professional talent. It's a platform for me to conclude that, no, DuJuan Blair may not be Larry Johnson, but, yes, he's a pro talent; it allows me to determine if Hasheem Thabeet will more likely be a Dikembe Mutombo or Patrick O'Bryant.

In 1995, Kevin Garnett shook up decades of convention when he skipped the "college showcase" and jumped straight to the NBA. Others followed. But then, in 2005, commissioner David Stern, the owners and the Players Association put the young fellas -- no matter how precocious -- on ice and told them to go ball in college for a year before they came knocking at the league's door. Technically, there were other options, like prep school, the NBA D-League, etc. But we all know the unpaid realm of the NCAA was the true farm system. That was until Jennings took his ball, showmanship and evolving game to Italy to play for Pallacanestro Virtus Roma. His point guard peer, Jrue Holiday, will likely leave college after this season with barely a year's worth of college credits and relatively empty pockets. Jennings is reportedly being paid $1.2M to get a pro basketball baptism. His decision is groundbreaking in its defiance of the "system."

Rome is where ESPN writer Chris Broussard shadowed the youngster last summer and documented some of his struggles acclimating to a new societal and sports culture. Italy is also where Bryant Gumbel caught up with Jennings for a revealing segment on this month's Real Sports on HBO. Gumbel -- a journalist as venerable and serious as they come -- referred to Jennings as a "reluctant revolutionary." At one point he asked Jennings if playing in Rome was like "purgatory"; somewhere he was stuck because he wasn't "allowed" to go to NBA Heaven. Jennings shrugged, with a smile too honest, and said, "I guess. Yeah." Then Gumbel -- on a whim, but in hopes of casting some perspective -- added, "could be worse." "Yeah, it could be," the youngster said after a beat. "I could be in college ... I could be in class right now." It made Gumbel reel in laughter. I just sat in front of the TV, smiling, pumping my fist like I was Arsenio Hall or something.

For anyone that wants to get into wrangling about that comment's perceived lack of respect for education, and the deeper truths it reveals about the ambivalence that undoubtedly fuels the education gap facing the black community, it speaks to a more condemnable idea -- the sham of the "student-athlete" in big time college basketball. "One and done" is the new "straight to pro," only now the young savants don't get paid and end up flouting any real semblance of an academic mission. It has anti-establishment, pro-player antagonists like Sonny Vaccaro -- the man responsible for the rise of high-profile AAU ball and Jennings' broker in his deal with Roma -- excoriating the NBA and NCAA's relationship as an "unholy marriage" and old-school NCAA guardians like Bob Knight calling for the league to raise the age minimum.

Apparently, a one-year restriction is not enough. Some folks, including Stern, are seriously considering raising the league-mandated age minimum to 20 when the collective bargaining agreement is up in 2011.

I spoke to the Commish last season about a range of topics, focusing on how the league handled challenges and potential problems, only to come out years later in better shape than many of us predicted. With the NBA's image troubles in the rearview, I asked Stern why he would cause another potential uproar by challenging the age limit. Again. So soon.

He said, matter-of-factly, that he's not going to lose sleep over it, that it's always a negotiation, but that it's also something that he feels is in the owners' best interests. I won't argue that. But what about the young dudes?

With a possible lockout looming and players searching for areas of concession, it seems like denying access to non-union members and competition for finite roster spots might be among the first issues addressed. And, at that point, the legal precedent of Maurice Clarett's failed suit against the NFL and its three-year eligibility rule is an ominous sign for any teen looking to immediately put his talents to work in their "industry's" most financially rewarding and viable organization.

That's why Vaccaro would say, with a straight face, that Jennings has the opportunity to be a trailblazer on the level of The Trailblazer, Jackie Robinson. But that's only if Jennings' successors follow his lead.

This week's Newsweek cover story professes to be "The Thinking Man's Guide To Populist Rage." It details ways for government to harness the angst and outrage at all the bailouts and bonuses and private jets and other linchpins of greed and excess. Part of the umbrella question asks, "Do populist outbursts like the one sparked by the AIG bonuses represent a threat to capitalism?"

Ahhhh, the old Marxism threat of proletariat uprising. Obviously, I'm not advocating a hostile revolt. I don't realistically envision a mass exodus of athletes off college campuses to the D-League or overseas.

But, boy, would I love for a critical mass of "reluctant revolutionaries" to Be Like Brandon. Change the culture. Change the options. Do you, on your terms. After playing against grown men for the past few months with a pro contract, Jennings is already hundreds of thousands of dollars richer and a much tougher and prepared player for the competition and rigor of American professional basketball. And it's tough love overseas, too, with coaches like Jasmin Repesa and players calloused by everything from circumstances to previous failures.

It all rides on Jennings and where he falls in the Draft. While his peers are facing the high stakes of win or go home, Jennings faces a more selfless burden (albeit indirectly) of a Movement. If he's drafted high, his decision to play overseas will be a more attractive and feasible option for the John Walls and Jordan Hamiltons and any other brave soul.

So, yeah, I feel ripped off that I can't watch Jennings on the NCAA's grand stage. But I'm never one to begrudge a could-be revolution.

Vincent Thomas writes "The Commish" column for SLAM Magazine and is a contributing commentator for ESPN. His "From The Floor" column appears weekly on NBA.com. Vince invites your feedback at vincethomas79@gmail.com.