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Duke79UNLV77
05-28-2019, 08:59 AM
R.J. Hampton skipping college to play professionally in New Zealand for a year, showing again that there already are and have been options other than college, even though the large majority of players have concluded that college is the best option.

JasonEvans
05-28-2019, 09:16 AM
R.J. Hampton skipping college to play professionally in New Zealand for a year, showing again that there already are and have been options other than college, even though the large majority of players have concluded that college is the best option.

It will really be interesting to see if other follow this path. So long as the NBA continues to artificially inhibit the marketplace for your basketball players here in the US, kids are gonna search for other options.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26836790/hampton-skips-college-new-zealand-pro-ball


Hampton signing into the NBL on a multi-year deal, with NBA out clauses, is a major boon to the league. The groundwork for this move was laid by Terrance Ferguson forgoing attending college at Arizona to sign with Adelaide, and eventually becoming the No. 21 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. That caused the NBL to launch the "Next Stars" program last year to attract more players in Ferguson's mold. Hampton will not count against the New Zealand Breakers' league mandated quota of three import players, and will also have part of his salary subsidized by the NBL.

"The NBL is looking to do this more and more now with players in my situation," Hampton told ESPN. "I'm being put in a situation that is centered around me being successful and accomplishing my dream of getting to the next level. The Breakers were the best team for me. Their owners played in the NBA, and they told me their goal is to help me have a great experience in New Zealand and ultimately a great career in the NBA. The fact that I'll be able to play two preseason games against NBA teams in October was very attractive. I'll be able to get a little taste of the atmosphere and how NBA games are played, which should expedite my development."

-Jason "whatever happened to that G-League option where kids could get $125k for a season before going into the NBA draft? The G-League is still trying to get that system worked out, I guess" Evans

mattman91
05-28-2019, 09:23 AM
It will really be interesting to see if other follow this path. So long as the NBA continues to artificially inhibit the marketplace for your basketball players here in the US, kids are gonna search for other options.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26836790/hampton-skips-college-new-zealand-pro-ball



-Jason "whatever happened to that G-League option where kids could get $125k for a season before going into the NBA draft? The G-League is still trying to get that system worked out, I guess" Evans


Hampton would’ve been eligible for the new NBA G League venture, which would pay him $125,000 next season while he awaits the 2020 NBA Draft where he’s a projected lottery pick. High school players must be one year removed from high school in order to become draft eligible under the current rules.

A source with knowledge of the situation told USA Today Sports that Hampton’s contract in New Zealand is “well beyond the G League’s $125,000 salary” and he has “multiple offers from shoe companies,” one of which will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Link: https://usatodayhss.com/2019/r-j-hampton-opts-to-play-professionally-in-new-zealand-over-college

UrinalCake
05-28-2019, 09:38 AM
-Jason "whatever happened to that G-League option where kids could get $125k for a season before going into the NBA draft? The G-League is still trying to get that system worked out, I guess" Evans

That option still exists, but nobody chose it. The top level players who would be eligible for this all decided, as we expected, that going to college is worth more. Also I heard a snippet on a random podcast recently where the father of a player said they considered it but that after taxes and expenses it was more like $80k that the player would receive and they are just better off going to college and getting the scholarship and stipend and, most importantly, the exposure.

Will be curious to see how things work out for Hampton. The other players to do this that I can recall were Brandon Jennings and Terrence Ferguson. Jennings described his time in Europe as being really difficult and he didn’t get drafted as highly as expected based on his high school rank, but he has done well for himself. Ferguson I have no idea.

scottdude8
05-28-2019, 09:45 AM
Wow. Big big development...

https://www.facebook.com/147262525292598/posts/2861024017249755?s=1256327029&v=e&sfns=mo

This hurts Kansas most, since they were the front runner for Hampton. It also makes more sense now why Boogie chose Memphis if Hampton wasn’t in play.

Potential side effect: Jaylen Wilson, the top 50 recruit who decomitted from Michigan in the wake of Beilein’s departure, was a close friend of Hampton’s and it was thought he might follow him to Kansas. Now the possibility of him returning to Michigan or (blech) seriously considering UNC have both received a large bump.

subzero02
05-28-2019, 09:51 AM
How will the level of competition he faces in New Zealand compare to what he would've faced in the ACC or Big 12(pac-12 is being ignored)? How does the NZBL compare to the NBA from a stylistic standpoint? Do they enforce the same freedom of movement rules in the NZBL as they do in the g-league and NBA?

Bluedog
05-28-2019, 09:51 AM
Several quotes from his father, Rod, found here, explaining their reasoning:
https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/RJ-Hampton-pro-deal-New-Zealand-Breakers-132369179/



"It’s never been a dream of his to play college basketball, it’s been a dream of his to use college basketball as a vehicle to get to the NBA ... I kept it on the backburner,” Rod Hampton said. “I want the public to know this isn’t a fly by night move. RJ could get in to Stanford. He has a 1280 on the SAT and a 3.7 GPA. We aren’t doing this for financial reasons or he has to do this, he could have gone to college.” “He’ll definitely be more prepared for NBA life than if he went to college, and don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t for everybody,” he added. "He knows this isn’t going to be a cake walk."

I actually think his father's explanation and reasoning is well thought out and reasonable unlike many parents of these kids. And, yeah, that is an impressive SAT score for such a highly touted b-ball recruit who probably didn't get any extra tutoring or anything because his SAT score didn't really matter.

scottdude8
05-28-2019, 10:11 AM
Several quotes from his father, Rod, found here, explaining their reasoning:
https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/RJ-Hampton-pro-deal-New-Zealand-Breakers-132369179/



I actually think his father's explanation and reasoning is well thought out and reasonable unlike many parents of these kids. And, yeah, that is an impressive SAT score for such a highly touted b-ball recruit who probably didn't get any extra tutoring or anything because his SAT score didn't really matter.

Agreed. If we are moving towards a system where those who don’t have any real interest in playing in college don’t have to in order to have a legit shot at the NBA, I think that’s a step in the right direction. In an ideal world there should be options for a kid like RJ that aren’t halfway across the world, but hopefully that’s in the near future.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
05-28-2019, 10:13 AM
I also agree that this is a positive move as a whole. I'd love to see college ball go back to being large about kids who want to be in college playing ball, not kids who feel a year of college is their only option. If this is a step in that direction, then great.

Truth&Justise
05-28-2019, 10:21 AM
It will really be interesting to see if other follow this path. So long as the NBA continues to artificially inhibit the marketplace for your basketball players here in the US, kids are gonna search for other options.

I feel like we've asked this same question every time a kid has gone overseas rather than play college ball: Brandon Jennings (2008, Italy), Jeremy Tyler (2009, Isreal), Emmanuel Muddiay (2014, China), Terrance Ferguson (2016, Australia), LaMelo Ball (2018, Lithuania).

Will others follow Hampton's path? The answer seems to be: not really, about one player every two years.

JasonEvans
05-28-2019, 10:22 AM
I feel like we've asked this same question every time a kid has gone overseas rather than play college ball: Brandon Jennings (2008, Italy), Jeremy Tyler (2009, Isreal), Emmanuel Muddiay (2014, China), Terrance Ferguson (2016, Australia), LaMelo Ball (2018, Lithuania).

Will others follow Hampton's path? The answer seems to be: not really, about one player every two years.

And in 2022 the NBA will supposedly reopen the draft to high schoolers, meaning any trend here is a trend that is soon to end.

Dukehk
05-28-2019, 10:32 AM
I wonder how much input his father has in this decision.

It really sounded like his father was controlling much of the recruitment and decision making for RJ.

Hope it works out for RJ but most American kids who play overseas come back sorely underdeveloped and out of the spotlight in regards to draft buzz and raising draft stock. I can never understand why you wouldn't want to play on national television versus playing in obscurity somewhere for minimal pay. Crazy decision for someone as talented as him.

golfinesquire
05-28-2019, 10:32 AM
The cynical side of me feels that the Hamptons knew that RJ would not be playing college ball for a while. If I am right, it would have been nice had they let the programs recruiting RKJ know so they did not waste their time.

Dukehk
05-28-2019, 10:34 AM
I feel like we've asked this same question every time a kid has gone overseas rather than play college ball: Brandon Jennings (2008, Italy), Jeremy Tyler (2009, Isreal), Emmanuel Muddiay (2014, China), Terrance Ferguson (2016, Australia), LaMelo Ball (2018, Lithuania).

Will others follow Hampton's path? The answer seems to be: not really, about one player every two years.

Don't forget that kid Darius Bazely who decided to skip basketball altogether. Not surprising considering his agent is rich paul, who is basically Lebron James's best friend and has no clue how to manage players. Crazy.

Dukehk
05-28-2019, 10:35 AM
The cynical side of me feels that the Hamptons knew that RJ would not be playing college ball for a while. If I am right, it would have been nice had they let the programs recruiting RKJ know so they did not waste their time.

Didn't we stop recruiting him immediately after he announced he would reclassify? I think K knew pretty early something was going on.

Truth&Justise
05-28-2019, 10:44 AM
I feel like we've asked this same question every time a kid has gone overseas rather than play college ball: Brandon Jennings (2008, Italy), Jeremy Tyler (2009, Isreal), Emmanuel Muddiay (2014, China), Terrance Ferguson (2016, Australia), LaMelo Ball (2018, Lithuania).

Will others follow Hampton's path? The answer seems to be: not really, about one player every two years.


Don't forget that kid Darius Bazely who decided to skip basketball altogether. Not surprising considering his agent is rich paul, who is basically Lebron James's best friend and has no clue how to manage players. Crazy.

Yeah, I didn't include Bazely or Latavious Williams, who went straight from high school to the (then) D-League in 2009. Williams was a second round draft pick, but never played in the NBA. With Bazley opting to "train in private" rather than play in the G-League, I believe Williams remains the only high school player to go directly to the G(D)-League.

CDu
05-28-2019, 10:46 AM
Didn't we stop recruiting him immediately after he announced he would reclassify? I think K knew pretty early something was going on.

Tre Jones' decision to stay, Hampton's decision to reclassify, our intensification of recruitment of Stanley, and the fading of our recruitment of Hampton all happened around the same time. I think both parties knew it wasn't to be once Tre Jones decided to stay.

UrinalCake
05-28-2019, 11:04 AM
I actually think his father's explanation and reasoning is well thought out and reasonable unlike many parents of these kids. And, yeah, that is an impressive SAT score for such a highly touted b-ball recruit who probably didn't get any extra tutoring or anything because his SAT score didn't really matter.

Agree that the father's explanation is reasonable and honest. But there's no way you're getting into Stanford with a 1280 SAT.

NSDukeFan
05-28-2019, 11:29 AM
Agree that the father's explanation is reasonable and honest. But there's no way you're getting into Stanford with a 1280 SAT.

It might depend also on how good you are at basketball or football.

Bluedog
05-28-2019, 11:37 AM
Agree that the father's explanation is reasonable and honest. But there's no way you're getting into Stanford with a 1280 SAT.

You're definitely getting into Stanford being a top 5 basketball (or football, or several other sports) recruit with that SAT. Yes, he wouldn't get in as a "regular student" but he would absolutely qualify academically based on his athletic excellence. (Yes, sounds a bit funny saying he would qualify academically based on athletics , but that's where we're at. Stanford still has certain admissions standards for its athletes.) I think that's the point his father is making. That it's not like he's borderline NCAA-eligible and that's why he's choosing another route because he doesn't have a dedication to academics. Heck, he could easily get into Harvard with that score based on his athletic merits.

UrinalCake
05-28-2019, 11:48 AM
The implication that I read from his father was that he was smart enough to get into a school like Stanford on his own merits, even without basketball. Everybody knows he could go to Stanford as a player.

kAzE
05-28-2019, 11:49 AM
What a completely baffling decision. I assumed RJ's main motivating factor in his recruitment process was to get to the NBA (as a point guard). This move doesn't seem to help him. He could have gone to Duke or Kansas and been on national TV for 30+ games, but chose instead to play on the other side of the Earth, where hardly anyone will see him play?

I guess getting a paycheck was important to him. Then again, I'm sure Sean Miller pays more than any club in New Zealand. I'm so confused.

NSDukeFan
05-28-2019, 11:51 AM
There isn’t a whole lot wrong with spending a year in New Zealand. What a beautiful country!

CameronBornAndBred
05-28-2019, 11:57 AM
Brian Bowen took the same path, but less than voluntarily. He's the guy that first got caught up in pay for play scandal that took out Pitino. Instead of spending the year at Louisville, he went off to Sydney.
Bowen was eligible for the NBA draft last year, but pulled out and went to Australia. This year, he is back in the draft, and not expected to go until mid to late first round.
Two different stories, with likely two far different outcomes.

Dukehk
05-28-2019, 12:10 PM
What a completely baffling decision. I assumed RJ's main motivating factor in his recruitment process was to get to the NBA (as a point guard). This move doesn't seem to help him. He could have gone to Duke or Kansas and been on national TV for 30+ games, but chose instead to play on the other side of the Earth, where hardly anyone will see him play?

I guess getting a paycheck was important to him. Then again, I'm sure Sean Miller pays more than any club in New Zealand. I'm so confused.

The crazy thing is that he actually quoted Luka Doncic when explaining his decision making process. How Luka never went to college and was ready for the NBA from day 1.

The only difference is that Luka played at the highest level in Europe (2nd best to the NBA) and RJ is going to play in New Zealand...where NO ONE plays basketball..at all. Rugby is the sport there followed by Cricket and then Soccer/Football.

I hope he is getting paid well, but I doubt it considering the popularity and level of basketball over there.

left_hook_lacey
05-28-2019, 12:23 PM
Brian Bowen took the same path, but less than voluntarily. He's the guy that first got caught up in pay for play scandal that took out Pitino. Instead of spending the year at Louisville, he went off to Sydney.
Bowen was eligible for the NBA draft last year, but pulled out and went to Australia. This year, he is back in the draft, and not expected to go until mid to late first round.
Two different stories, with likely two far different outcomes.

The decision to go this route makes a lot more sense now that I've read their reasoning. It was good of him to explain in detail that getting into college or struggling with the work wasn't a concern because that's exactly what I thought when I first read this headline. I figured the kid was struggling to make the grade, and didn't want that distraction in college. I mean, it makes sense, if you're only going to be in school for 8-9 months and getting to the NBA is your sole endgame, why burden yourself with meaningless classwork? There is the argument to be made about national exposure, but if you're good enough, the scouts will not forget about you.

Zion going to Duke increased his marketability and position for the draft, but if Zion had foregone Duke and played in China, we'd all still be wearing Shanghai Sharks Jersey's with "Williamson" on the back and drooling for him to get to the NBA. Fame and a lottery pick would've followed Zion regardless of where he landed after high school. That's an extreme example, but the point is, if you're good enough, the NBA will find you.

With all that said, I can still understand why this move isn't the right move for every high school senior in the one and done era. Some may fear living in another country, language and culture barriers, etc. I think some of them fear the unknown of how their game would translate to foreign leagues with slightly different rules/strategy, or if they're really even ready for the next level in any country. I think it shows extreme confidence in yourself to make this move vs. college or G-league.

Duke79UNLV77
05-28-2019, 12:27 PM
The decision to go this route makes a lot more sense now that I've read their reasoning. It was good of him to explain in detail that getting into college or struggling with the work wasn't a concern because that's exactly what I thought when I first read this headline. I figured the kid was struggling to make the grade, and didn't want that distraction in college. I mean, it makes sense, if you're only going to be in school for 8-9 months and getting to the NBA is your sole endgame, why burden yourself with meaningless classwork? There is the argument to be made about national exposure, but if you're good enough, the scouts will not forget about you.

Zion going to Duke increased his marketability and position for the draft, but if Zion had foregone Duke and played in China, we'd all still be wearing Shanghai Sharks Jersey's with "Williamson" on the back and drooling for him to get to the NBA. Fame and a lottery pick would've followed Zion regardless of where he landed after high school. That's an extreme example, but the point is, if you're good enough, the NBA will find you.

With all that said, I can still understand why this move isn't the right move for every high school senior in the one and done era. Some may fear living in another country, language and culture barriers, etc. I think some of them fear the unknown of how their game would translate to foreign leagues with slightly different rules/strategy, or if they're really even ready for the next level in any country. I think it shows extreme confidence in yourself to make this move vs. college or G-league.

I think if Zion had spent the year playing in China he probably would still be the top pick, although it could have been more difficult to judge him against that competition and that far away. I very much doubt he would have been as famous and marketable coming out of the gate as he is after a year at Duke.

Truth&Justise
05-28-2019, 12:32 PM
The only difference is that Luka played at the highest level in Europe (2nd best to the NBA) and RJ is going to play in New Zealand...where NO ONE plays basketball..at all. Rugby is the sport there followed by Cricket and then Soccer/Football.

I hope he is getting paid well, but I doubt it considering the popularity and level of basketball over there.

While he's going to New Zealand, he'll be playing in the NBL, which has teams from Australia and New Zealand. The closest comparison is probably Terrance Ferguson, who was #13 in his class, committed to Arizona, but then left to play in the NBL. After one season he was picked #21 overall by the Thunder and has become a starter. Similarly, Brian Bowen went to the NBL and is now projected to get drafted this year.

Truth&Justise
05-28-2019, 12:35 PM
I think if Zion had spent the year playing in China he probably would still be the top pick, although it could have been more difficult to judge him against that competition and that far away. I very much doubt he would have been as famous and marketable coming out of the gate as he is after a year at Duke.

Disagree a bit--at the start of the season Barrett was seen as the consensus #1 pick. Zion was projected somewhere in the #2-6 range, mostly because he hadn't played as much against higher level competition. Going to China would not have addressed that issue--if he'd dominated in China, would you have been certain that would translate to the NBA? But going to Duke helped Zion because he showed how he could dominate at the highest level of college ball, which is much more indicative of NBA success.

If Zion had gone to China, Barrett would probably be the #1 pick, though there's a chance Ja Morant could have played his way there.

sagegrouse
05-28-2019, 12:37 PM
What a completely baffling decision. I assumed RJ's main motivating factor in his recruitment process was to get to the NBA (as a point guard). This move doesn't seem to help him. He could have gone to Duke or Kansas and been on national TV for 30+ games, but chose instead to play on the other side of the Earth, where hardly anyone will see him play?

I guess getting a paycheck was important to him. Then again, I'm sure Sean Miller pays more than any club in New Zealand. I'm so confused.

Also, lots of air travel. New Zealand plays in Australia's National Basketball League, where the other seven teams are in Australia.

MChambers
05-28-2019, 12:40 PM
The only difference is that Luka played at the highest level in Europe (2nd best to the NBA) and RJ is going to play in New Zealand...where NO ONE plays basketball..at all. Rugby is the sport there followed by Cricket and then Soccer/Football.
Hey, our main man Nick Horvath played in New Zealand! Maybe he can give Hampton some tips, especially about pick up games.

Dukehk
05-28-2019, 01:24 PM
While he's going to New Zealand, he'll be playing in the NBL, which has teams from Australia and New Zealand. The closest comparison is probably Terrance Ferguson, who was #13 in his class, committed to Arizona, but then left to play in the NBL. After one season he was picked #21 overall by the Thunder and has become a starter. Similarly, Brian Bowen went to the NBL and is now projected to get drafted this year.

Ferguson was highly questionable in terms of qualifying academically to play D1 ball.

Brian Bowen was "NCAA'ed" otherwise he would still be at louisville.

Totally different situations considering RJ has impeccable grades and looks every part a student athlete.

Im sure Ferguson and Bowen would have been drafted much higher had they been given more exposure on the national level.

RJ is making a mistake on his part in my humble opinion. Someone is making this decision for him.

JasonEvans
05-28-2019, 02:17 PM
What a completely baffling decision. I assumed RJ's main motivating factor in his recruitment process was to get to the NBA (as a point guard). This move doesn't seem to help him. He could have gone to Duke or Kansas and been on national TV for 30+ games, but chose instead to play on the other side of the Earth, where hardly anyone will see him play?

Well, the NBA will certainly come watch him play. NBA teams have scouts all over the globe at this point. Still, common folks won't get to see him play at all and his endorsement value will take a hit, at least in the short term. There is also an advantage in playing for a large, rabid fan base like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and so on in that the community there will always pay attention to you and want to look out for you. Plus, there is a community of basketball professionals (players and coaches) associated with the larger programs who can be a resource to you during your early NBA career. RJ Hampton will not have any of that support structure. I'm not saying he is doomed to failure or to make mistakes, but the odds of things going wrong with his early career just went up significantly.


Brian Bowen took the same path, but less than voluntarily. He's the guy that first got caught up in pay for play scandal that took out Pitino. Instead of spending the year at Louisville, he went off to Sydney.

Bowen was eligible for the NBA draft last year, but pulled out and went to Australia. This year, he is back in the draft, and not expected to go until mid to late first round.
Two different stories, with likely two far different outcomes.

Worth noting that Bowen was never the level of prospect that Hampton is. There's a fairly significant difference (from a NBA draft standpoint) in a top 15 kid and a top 5 kid. Also worth noting that most mocks seem to have Bowen going late in the 2nd round or perhaps even undrafted. I have not seen him in any mock first rounds.

-Jason "I wish RJ good luck... but I think he just made a pretty large mistake" Evans

scottdude8
05-28-2019, 02:32 PM
I also have to think that playing in New Zealand, where the caliber of competition is at best not as clear as in the NCAA (and at worst probably clearly inferior to power conference college basketball) will make evaluating RJ, especially comparisons to other similar caliber players, more difficult. That could be a concerted play by his camp (i.e. since he's already projected to be a Top 5 pick, it'll be harder for him to lose that status than if, say, he had a disappointing year at Kansas), or it could backfire horribly (if he is just a massive bust in New Zealand).

This will be a fascinating decision to analyze in hindsight, and I think could end up being a bellwether of the future of top-tier recruits not interested in playing college basketball, regardless of what happens with OADs.

CameronBornAndBred
05-28-2019, 02:33 PM
Well, the NBA will certainly come watch him play. NBA teams have scouts all over the globe at this point. Still, common folks won't get to see him play at all and his endorsement value will take a hit, at least in the short term. There is also an advantage in playing for a large, rabid fan base like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and so on in that the community there will always pay attention to you and want to look out for you. Plus, there is a community of basketball professionals (players and coaches) associated with the larger programs who can be a resource to you during your early NBA career. RJ Hampton will not have any of that support structure. I'm not saying he is doomed to failure or to make mistakes, but the odds of things going wrong with his early career just went up significantly.



Worth noting that Bowen was never the level of prospect that Hampton is. There's a fairly significant difference (from a NBA draft standpoint) in a top 15 kid and a top 5 kid. Also worth noting that most mocks seem to have Bowen going late in the 2nd round or perhaps even undrafted. I have not seen him in any mock first rounds.

-Jason "I wish RJ good luck... but I think he just made a pretty large mistake" Evans

Typo on my part. Yes...mid to late 2nd. None have him in the first. Bleacher Report (who I have actually grown to respect for giving some really good in depth stories) had a nice piece on his journey a couple weeks ago.

duke79
05-28-2019, 04:44 PM
I also agree that this is a positive move as a whole. I'd love to see college ball go back to being large about kids who want to be in college playing ball, not kids who feel a year of college is their only option. If this is a step in that direction, then great.

AMEN!

lotusland
05-28-2019, 08:49 PM
How will the level of competition he faces in New Zealand compare to what he would've faced in the ACC or Big 12(pac-12 is being ignored)? How does the NZBL compare to the NBA from a stylistic standpoint? Do they enforce the same freedom of movement rules in the NZBL as they do in the g-league and NBA?

Idk. If Jack Salt is the typical New Zealand baller, RJ is going to get a ton of shots.

roywhite
05-28-2019, 09:20 PM
RJ can also learn that Haka war dance sometimes performed by New Zealand teams. It's fairly awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDucvQYlWj4

subzero02
05-29-2019, 12:40 AM
Idk. If Jack Salt is the typical New Zealand baller, RJ is going to get a ton of shots.

Jack Salt, Aron Baynes, Steven Adams and Nick Horvath are the players I associate with New Zealand basketball. None of these guys would ever be described as trigger happy.

lotusland
05-29-2019, 06:09 AM
The crazy thing is that he actually quoted Luka Doncic when explaining his decision making process. How Luka never went to college and was ready for the NBA from day 1.

The only difference is that Luka played at the highest level in Europe (2nd best to the NBA) and RJ is going to play in New Zealand...where NO ONE plays basketball..at all. Rugby is the sport there followed by Cricket and then Soccer/Football.

I hope he is getting paid well, but I doubt it considering the popularity and level of basketball over there.

New Zealand’s National hoops team is the “Tall Blacks” which is actually not politically incorrect. Their vaunted rugby team is named the “All Blacks” and all their national teams wear all black and are named similarly. The chant is awesome.

lotusland
05-29-2019, 06:13 AM
I think if Zion had spent the year playing in China he probably would still be the top pick, although it could have been more difficult to judge him against that competition and that far away. I very much doubt he would have been as famous and marketable coming out of the gate as he is after a year at Duke.

I think he’d be the most popular man in China which is a pretty sizable market for his brand. I loved Zion’s year at Duke but, for some reason, the idea of him playing in China is awesome.

Neals384
05-29-2019, 09:06 AM
The decision to go this route makes a lot more sense now that I've read their reasoning. It was good of him to explain in detail that getting into college or struggling with the work wasn't a concern because that's exactly what I thought when I first read this headline. I figured the kid was struggling to make the grade, and didn't want that distraction in college. I mean, it makes sense, if you're only going to be in school for 8-9 months and getting to the NBA is your sole endgame, why burden yourself with meaningless classwork? There is the argument to be made about national exposure, but if you're good enough, the scouts will not forget about you.

Zion going to Duke increased his marketability and position for the draft, but if Zion had foregone Duke and played in China, we'd all still be wearing Shanghai Sharks Jersey's with "Williamson" on the back and drooling for him to get to the NBA. Fame and a lottery pick would've followed Zion regardless of where he landed after high school. That's an extreme example, but the point is, if you're good enough, the NBA will find you.

With all that said, I can still understand why this move isn't the right move for every high school senior in the one and done era. Some may fear living in another country, language and culture barriers, etc. I think some of them fear the unknown of how their game would translate to foreign leagues with slightly different rules/strategy, or if they're really even ready for the next level in any country. I think it shows extreme confidence in yourself to make this move vs. college or G-league.

ole Roy recruiting talking point?

elvis14
05-29-2019, 09:54 AM
Idk. If Jack Salt is the typical New Zealand baller, RJ is going to get a ton of shots.

If Jack Salt is the typical NZ baller, you're right that RJ will get a ton of shots. Shot to the head, shot to the ribs, elbow to the....

HereBeforeCoachK
05-29-2019, 10:59 AM
I think he’d be the most popular man in China which is a pretty sizable market for his brand. I loved Zion’s year at Duke but, for some reason, the idea of him playing in China is awesome.

Wow....the China market is not relevant here at all (regarding sports stars)...thus Yao Ming coming here from China. We didn't know Yao until he did that. Zion would've disappeared in the US for a year had he gone to China.

lotusland
05-29-2019, 12:45 PM
Wow...the China market is not relevant here at all (regarding sports stars)...thus Yao Ming coming here from China. We didn't know Yao until he did that. Zion would've disappeared in the US for a year had he gone to China.

Yeah but Chinese buy a lot of merch. Idk if a year in China would have moved Zion ahead of RJ in the draft but, ultimately, that’s not going to determine how much money he makes on his NBA contracts. Zion’s going to sell himself in the NBA. Barring injury he’s going to be huge. He had a huge YouTube following pre-Duke. He would pick up what he gained at Duke after a couple months in the NBA by just being Zion on and off the court. Bringing the Chinese market with him would be huge. I’m really glad Zion played at Duke and I’m not an NBA guy anyway. I just think it would also have been fun to watch Zion mania in China. The kid is a phenom with or without Duke. I think Zion does far more marketing of his brand by just being Zion on and off the court than any marketing geniuses could accomplish.

awhom111
05-29-2019, 09:50 PM
The interesting thing about him ending up with New Zealand out of all the teams in the NBL is that they share ownership with the people at Barstool Sports. Hampton has already been making the rounds on their media platforms and they are supposed to keep attempting to market him all season long.

This will be also be fascinating to watch from a playing time perspective. The team can still sign three foreign players besides Hampton (and in theory an Asian player if that rule holds, although no player signed under it has been an NBL level player yet). The team already has a decent scoring guard in Corey Webster and another New Zealand national point guard in Shane Ili. When Ferguson played his year in the league, it generally seemed like he got more playing time than he actually deserved and stayed in the starting lineup even though the other guards were playing better. Bowen came off the bench this season and was relatively solid in his minutes, playing about what was warranted based on performance.

907bluedevils
05-30-2019, 02:08 PM
Anyone know the contract terms? I know they have a soft cap and his NBA buyout is 800k. My assumption for their short season he is getting around 500k?

duke79
05-30-2019, 02:24 PM
Anyone know the contract terms? I know they have a soft cap and his NBA buyout is 800k. My assumption for their short season he is getting around 500k?

I probably would have skipped my freshman year in college for $500K too (and I'm sure my father would have supported me, especially if there was the likelihood of a much bigger payday in a year or two!).