Jeremy Tyler's story turning quickly into cautionary tale

2009-11-17T21:11:25-05:00

2009-11-09T12:42:55-05:00

2009-11-17T21:11:25-05:00

Mobile Bayor

Houston 870931

9 Who cares about him? He is evidently a greedy, stupid, arrogant immature punk that could not even be bothered to complete high school. My question really though is who would take a gamble on someone that could not be bothered to even finish high school? Obviously, there is neither a sense of commitment here, which is not surprising considering the age. Also, was he an 18-year-old-junior? This is a really, really stupid kid, and his parents and agent(s) need to be in jail. 7689859

2009-11-12T11:23:15-05:00

coaster05

South Bend 517397

8 I am a Notre Dame find, but arguing over which school is more of a power is dumb. One question how many combined national titles do these teams have? For the purdue fans attacking the ND schedule this year, what about last year when we played all 4 number 1 seeds for a combined 6 games. Let it go. Brey made a schedule this year knowing at the most he would have 2 returning starters so he made a schedule that would give them time to find their identity. Purdue fans also seem to be having a hard time remembering how "powerful" there team was as Keady was leaving. I think some have way to much distaste for Martin transfering to ND, I sure didn't hold it against the school when Kartelo transferred to Purdue. 7631692

2009-11-12T08:10:23-05:00

ColoradoIllini

Lafayette 170527

7 What a sad commentary on the current state of affairs in the United States this situation represents. Parents either seeking to fulfill the childhood dreams they could not attain or looking to leverage their children for a quick buck, agents and advisors exploiting the inexperience and naivete` of a young person...is there any wonder our society is filled with failed young individuals whose contribution becomes disillusionment, addition to the unemployment line, and in some cases criminal activity? I know some of these youngsters do make it to a productive life but the ledger overall is not positive. Our society needs to take a good look at itself and stop rewarding the Vaccaros, Tellums, and parents like the Tylers. From sports stars to agents to corporate executives the balance between contribution, pay, and narcissism is out of hand in this country. Politicians don't seem to get it, either. This case is just an example of why the standard of living, economics, and social fabric in this country is drastically falling. How sad. 7628024

2009-11-11T09:04:16-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/480/104/thumb/mORONS.bmp 97 CA

spartanbill

Encino 480544

6 Who is to say this kid made a mistake going overseas? There are plenty of 5-star players who wash out of major colleges because they think they no more than the coach. It also seems like Tyler would never be able to cut it academically in any program not coached by Jim Harrick. Everyone has a purpose in life, and it sounds like his is "bad example" 7614730

2009-11-10T12:01:41-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/910/588/thumb/LCB.bmp 2 IA

cjvogt

Cedar Rapids 911247

5 The NBA should adopt the same rules as mlb and allow them to go pro out of high school but if they go to school they have to go for three years. That would solve alot of the problems currently facing the sport. Because it would allow those who are ready to jump while those who are not could still go to school and get an education. 7604421

2009-11-10T10:44:06-05:00

185

pwmaverick

Euless 41738

4 At least he's got an 11th grade education to fall back on. 7602659

2009-11-10T09:24:49-05:00

libville

New York 751403

3 It's really too bad. It's not about him stepping up and being a man. He's three years removed from grammar school. He's not in the army where he would learn to be responsible and to work with others. He's not in college where he is surrounded by other kids learning to grow up. He's not even in high school being a kid, which is what he is and where he's supposed to be. He's 8,000 miles from home in a foreign country out clubbing and doing what kids do when you give them the run of the place. He's living life full-time the way you did when your parents went out of town for a couple of days and you were too old to have a baby sitter. It's just ridiculous. 7600658

2009-11-09T22:48:02-05:00

alohachris

Honolulu 157969

2 Judge this kid by the "Content of His Character" - especially the kid's parents and blood-sucking, child-abuser Sonny Vacarro and every other adult who jived him. However, the final buck stops with Jeremy Tyler - who is now a pro and should be expected to act like a man and and judged accordingly. If he doesn't grow up fast, Tyler will just be another bad "African-American" hoops wash-out and sadly, another bad athletic role model. Roll those dice, kids! 7598527

2009-11-09T14:35:49-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/886/8/thumb/biggie.jpg 18072 NY

J. HOVA: BROOKLYN

Brooklyn 8888

1 Got to agree that it's looking like Jeremy Tyler has made a mistake, however based upon what you have written and the Times article it's up to the kid to gain that maturity necessary to make it. It doesn't look hopeful that he will, but he's still young. Something has to get through to him. Something... 7593020

<div class="photo_container image_right" style="width: 300px;"> <div class="photo"><img title="Jeremy Tyler" src="http://www.si.com/2009_images/jeremy-tyler.jpg" alt="Jeremy Tyler" width="300" height="410" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Jeremy Tyler's early exit to the pros hasn't panned out as well as expected/AP </div> </div> Hopefully by now you've read Pete Thamel's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/sports/basketball/08tyler.html?pagewanted=1&ref=sports">gripping story from</a> Sunday's New York Times on the struggles Jeremy Tyler, who instead of getting ready to begin his senior season at San Diego High School is struggling while playing for Maccabi Haifa, a professional team in Israel that is paying him all of $140,000 this season. My first reaction to this story was to say thank goodness for newspapers. Thamel has been way ahead of the competition in reporting Tyler's story, and it is remarkable that at a time when many newsrooms (including the Times) are cutting back jobs, his editors sent him all the way to Israel to give this story a proper vetting. So bravo. Second, I did a triple take when I read that Tyler's agents at Wasserman Media Group had the brilliant idea to send Makhtar Ndiaye, who is one of their agents, over to Israel to, as Thamel put it, "help [Tyler] focus." Ndiaye, you may recall, is the former North Carolina forward who <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/events/1998/tournament/men/news/1998/03/29/utah_controversy/">accused Utah freshman Britton Johnsen</a> of calling him the N-word during the Tar Heels' loss to the Utes at the 1998 Final Four. When the accusation rightly caused a major stir, Ndiaye was forced to admit he had totally made it up. Ndiaye played very briefly in the NBA and also spent some time in the NBDL, where he once drew a five-second call on an inbounds play because he was waving at a friend in the stands. This, my friends, is Jeremy Tyler's lodestar. Meanwhile, Tyler's parents remain back home in southern California, as does his sometime-advisor Sonny Vaccaro. That distance is taking its toll, as Jeremy expressed to Thamel that he feels like he can no longer trust his own father. Vaccaro has made no secret of his crusade to undermine the NCAA, and he was more than happy to facilitate Tyler's leap to international basketball, just like he helped Brandon Jennings get a contract to play in Italy. (Vaccaro was also more than happy to facilitate Tyler's signing with Wasserman, where Vaccaro's close friend, Arn Tellem, is the head of the agency division.) But forget about basketball for a minute. Did Vaccaro ever consider that turning professional and playing overseas at such a young age was not in the best interests of Jeremy's psychological and emotional development? There's more to life than learning the drop step. If you thought Thamel was tough on young Jeremy, the view from Israel is even more scathing. I asked my friend Ze'ev Avrahmi, who covers sports (among other things) for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, to provide a local take on how Tyler is doing. Here is part of what he emailed me in response. (Note: Ze'ev's English is good but a little broken, so I've cleaned it up a little): "Jeremy is actually doing very badly. They have a lot of problems with him on and off the court. He is late, has no discipline, goes clubbing, doesn't learn the game. Most players are alienating themselves from him. They see all the global coverage and they don't think he earned anything to grant it. He also refused to turn off the music in his house during Yom Kippur and now the owner wants to throw him out. Plus, he trashed his coach. And worst of all: He produces nothing on the court. Nothing. Yesterday he was thrown out of a game after he head-butted an opponent. Keep in mind there is a silent professional-financial argument here. The man who brought him is the owner of the team, Jeff Rosen, who also purchased the right for Internet streaming of the Israeli league in America. For him, Tyler is a marketing vehicle. By doing that he put his coach, Avi Ashkenazi, in a tough spot because he wants to see results. Ashkenazi is taking the company line, but he told an Israeli newspaper: 'I think what happened to [Tyler] is an injustice. People piled on him disproportionate expectations resulting in him valuing himself wrongly.'" Avrahmi added in his email that while he was watching a game in Israel, a disappointed Haifa fan saw him writing in his notebook and suggested that he write, "At this point, Tyler will not be number one even in the draft of the Saudi Arabia league." As for Brandon Jennings, a lot of people are holding up his strong start with the Milwaukee Bucks (18 points and four assists through five games) as validation of his decision to play in Italy. But it bears repeating –- a thousand more times if necessary –- that Jennings did not have much choice. He had committed to play for Arizona, but as his freshman year approached he still had not been declared eligible by the NCAA because his standardized test store had been flagged. So Jennings's choice was not between Europe and major college ball. It was between Europe and prep school, junior college or somewhere in the NAIA. He may have made a good choice for him, but contrary to conventional wisdom that does not mean the floodgates are about to open with scores of American high school players heading overseas. Look, I am strongly in favor of young athletes getting every opportunity to pursue their dreams, which is why I have consistently argued against the NBA's age minimum, even though it has been a great boon for college basketball. And I honestly hope that someday Jeremy Tyler will have the successful NBA career that Jennings seems to be embarking upon. But it seems quite obvious, at least in the short term, that Tyler has made a horrible mistake -– and there no going back, since he has forfeited his amateur status. He may yet see his dreams come true, but for the moment Jeremy Tyler is not a success story but a cautionary tale, one which any player contemplating a similar path should pay very strong heed.   Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/SethDavisHoops">Seth Davis on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000401200701">click here to friend him on Facebook</a> 85521 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/889/088/thumb/davis_seth.jpg 0 CT

Seth Davis Hoops

Ridgefield 889748