Here we go: Brandon Jennings makes history for officially signing with a Euroleague team straight out of high school. His team: Virtus Roma. Since I spent the last year in Rome, I’m not sure this city is a good environment for Brandon; basketball-wise, it could be a good fit, though. From Roma’s official statement, it seems Brandon is bringing over his entire family!
Roma will play against Spanish top club Tau Ceramica, Fenerbahce Ulker from Turkey, Olympia Ljubljana (Slovenia), DKV Joventut (Spain), and Alba Berlin (Germany) during the group stage of the Euroleague season.
Why is Roma interested in Jennings? Well, they just lost Roko Ukic to the NBA, but still has Ibrahim Jaaber at the point guard. It is more than obvious that Brandon wants to prove himself in Europe and then leave the club for the NBA.
Personally, I am excited … well, curious. I know that most Americans don’t think the Euroleague is competition for ANY American player, but this year’s Euroleague will be on a whole other level. What if Brandon doesn’t succeed – don’t forget this guy is still “only” a high school star – as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Garnett have…?
(Thanks to “name” who provided us with the link within our comments.)