And when that journey officially comes to an end on June 25, there’s no place the 19-year-old Jennings would rather be than in New York, where he worked out for the Knicks on Tuesday in hopes of becoming their first-round selection.

“I really want to come here, I’m not going to lie,” Jennings said. “(Head Coach Mike) D’Antoni’s system is great for all point guards. You saw what he did for Steve Nash for two years when he was the MVP back-to-back. The Phoenix Suns were one of the most exciting teams to watch for those two years. His system is great for me.”

Several other point guards who have visited the Knicks over the past two weeks have expressed the same interest in playing in D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense. But Jennings believes a one-year stint in Italy could give him the edge in being selected eighth overall by the Knicks, who are coached by Italian basketball legend Mike D’Antoni and selected Italian forward Danilo Gallinari in last year’s draft.

“I have experience,” Jennings said. “I think me and Ricky Rubio probably have the most experience out of everybody in this draft just by playing pro ball. Things I’ll see (in the NBA) I’ve already seen before, so it’s easier for me to adjust.”

Named the 2008 Naismith and Parade Magazine Player of the Year as a high school senior at Oak Hill Academy, Jennings originally committed to play Division 1 ball at Arizona before turning pro and joining a team in Europe instead. He signed a one-year deal with Lottomatica Virtus Roma of the Italian League and Euroleague last July.

Jennings, who averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 16 Euroleague games and 5.5, 1.6 and 2.3 in 27 Italian League contests, became automatically eligible for the 2009 draft after signing the professional contract.

“No regrets at all,” Jennings said. “It was a great experience on and off the court. It was good for me to get a year under my belt of pro basketball.”

The 6-foot-1 Jennings believes professional basketball overseas prepares players more for the NBA than college and would advise other youngsters to make the same decisions that he did.

“I was playing against professional athletes, you know, grown men everyday, so I had no choice but to get ready,” Jennings said. “The coaches weren’t just kissing my butt and I had to go out there and earn my spot. It’s a job playing against bigger and stronger guys everyday.”

Jennings admits that there were times when he thought he had made a mistake by skipping college and leaving the spotlight in the U.S., especially when he wasn’t playing much at first, but his draft stock never dropped. He considers himself the top point guard prospect in the draft and is only working out for teams selecting four through eight.

“Those are the only teams that I know right now that need point guards,” he said.

But New York is the one place where the tremendous athlete who handles the ball well in traffic and has excellent court vision thinks he would excel the most. Now he just has to sit back and wait and see what happens.

“I think I’d do great,” Jennings said. “I’m an up-and-down player, I like to run the fastbreaks and I like to get out. (D’Antoni) likes to let his point guards go and that’s something I like to do so I’d be perfect for his offense.”