The first formal step for the basketball prodigy Jeremy Tyler to find a place to play in Europe next season begins this weekend. Tyler, a 6-foot-11 center from San Diego, announced last month that he would skip his senior year of high school to play professionally overseas.
Sonny Vaccaro, who is advising Tyler, will fly to Athens on Sunday for meetings with Greece’s top basketball teams, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.Vaccaro said the talks would be the first formal discussions about where Tyler would play, but interest remains from clubs in Italy, Spain and Israel. It had been thought that Tyler would play in Spain, but Greece has become a top option.
Olympiacos surprised some in the N.B.A. by signing the former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress last off-season.One of its owners, the billionaire shipping magnate Panayiotis Angelopoulos, said in an interview with The New York Times last fall that he would continue to try to make a big dent in the N.B.A. free-agent market. Panathinaikos, the heated rival of Olympiacos, won the Euroleague title last Sunday.
Vaccaro said that he expected a deal with a club by the middle of June and that it was possible Tyler could go to Europe to audition for teams. He said the monetary figure would likely be “mid six figures.” Tyler, 17, said he was eager for the next step in his career. “I have dreams every night about me playing,” he said. “Mentally, I’m pretty ready to go out there and play. I want to show the world that this wasn’t a bad decision.”
Update : People of the administration of Olympiakos and the coaching staff were asked earlier today regarding these rumors. They were asked during the 1st play-offs game against Maroussi and they said they have no knowledge of being contacted about Tyler.
I doubt he'll be able to do much for big European teams at this stage in his career.
ReplyDeleteI can't see a valid reason why Olympiakos or Panathinaikos would sign him. He would have to really impress some people in order to get a contract in Europe..
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