Why not get a jump start on his career which will, barring injury, make him far more money in a shorter amount of time than 98% of St. John's graduates will make.
But sadly there's a good chance he will make less money than 98% of St. John's graduates over the course of his life.
Probably not true. Phil Missere was making over 100k per season playing in England.
If Phil could net that, I'm sure JaKarr can match or exceed it playing in Europe. Honestly, I think it would be a waste of time for him to toil in the NBDL. Look at DJ Kennedy and Justin Brownlee. They consistently put up solid numbers and never get a chance.
How long was Phil making 100k and what did he do after that? If nothing else, Phil can fall back on his STJ degree. Jakarr can't.
And Euro ball is not the haven most think it is. Aside from the top tier clubs, it's a rag tag barnstorming group of teams along the lines of the ones STJ played last summer. Clubs fold left and right. If you're lucky you have a one-year contract that's honored. More than likely, you're just living game to game, paycheck to paycheck.
That's not necessarily a bad life when you're young and single. But those days are finite. Then what?
If Jakarr wants to he can get his degree after he is done playing. He will likely be making more money next year than the value of his scholarship. He definitely will be making more than tuition at a state school would cost. College isn't for everyone. Especially with the advancement of distance learning it really isn't a big deal if he doesn't have a diploma at the age of 22. Why waste 2 years of potential earnings when you can get the same degree, that you won't need until your career is done, 15 years down the road.
You took the words out of my mouth. There are a lot off un and underemployed college graduates. Whether he would have been on on NBA team if he stayed another year is any ones guess. Like others have said, he can always finish his degree.
It's not always that easy for everyone. If his career overseas fizzles out, is he really going to be able to afford to go back to school full time for 2 years? what if he has a family at that point and needs to support them? He seemed like a really bright kid with a good head on his shoulders, so I'm really hoping it pans out for him.
The easiest time to go to college, money or not, is when you are younger and don't have FT job responsibilities or family. I delayed grad school for a few years, and it was tough just taking 6 credits at night. To me, he's made a big mistake not hacking out a 4 year degree. Career opportunities in Europe would still have been there. The likelihood is that he will have limited earning potential playing overseas - certainly enough to live on, but not enough to coast when his playing days are over. To start a career at 35 without a college diploma will definitely limit your earning potential.
Jakaar couldn't even graduate HS w good enough grades to qualify. For all we know maybe the college workload is difficult for him and not his cup of tea. He had all the facts and made the decision he thaught was best for him. Whether it works out or not is another story.
To be fair, graduating HS and graduating St John's in some majors is about the same thing. I think all of us pretty much agree that poor academics figured into his decision to declare. Perhaps kids like him shouldn't be subjected to the rigors of playing a major sport and trying to tackle academics they aren't equipped to handle.
Your comments just described half of the college football players in America yet both sports and the kids that play them are subjected not by the colleges as many believe but by the NFL & NBA that use American colleges as their minor league at no cost to them to evaluate players.
I also think your comment "To be fair, graduating HS and graduating St John's in some majors is about the same thing" is condescending to our SJ students. Our kids may not be Ivy Leaguers but they likely have work harder to get their grades and will likely have to work harder at life because most people have that perception. I have worked with many Ivy Leaguers who majored in History who felt entitled once they got the job yet had to go through the same training process as the Iona or St. John's kid but they certainly did not work any harder.
Is it really worth discussing the 365th best college in America, and who brags about it in TV ads? Do you really think that SJU students work harder than those tackling an Ivy league curriculum? Do you think their curriculum is the same, therefore SJU students are outworking them? Or that somehow the 40% of Pell eligible students that comprise the student body compare with students at Fordham. Half of our discussions regarding a new university president were centered around a goal of seriously upgrading the competition to at least be in the same discussion of a school like Scranton or Loyola MD, which would seem like a reasonable goal. If administrators don't identify the school for what it is right now, no improvements will be forthcoming.
To be certain, to your point, academic capability isn't everything. It's widely reported that Mike Repole struggled through St. John's, and I don't think there are many people who would doubt the talent he has achieving the career success he has had to date. Thomas Edison is quoted as saying genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.
