Father of 5-star recruit Kevin Knox says they turned down $1.4MM to play in China

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BleedGopher

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per CBS:

Kevin Knox, the nation's No. 8 recruit for 2017, is a highly sought prospect considering Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida State and Missouri.

In addition to his college recruitment, he's also getting recruiting pitches from overseas.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Knox turned down a lucrative offer for $1.4 million from a professional team in China, an option that would allow him to make money for one year before becoming NBA draft eligible.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...hey-turned-down-1-4-million-to-play-in-china/

Go Gophers!!
 


Plus no homework or test taking at UNC!
 

Outside of the lucrative opportunity to be THE man on campus with the ladies for a year, I don't understand why kids wouldn't take the money and travel the world for a year. If that reported contract is guaranteed, he could lose a leg and be pretty well set up for the rest of his life.
 

$1.4 M doesn't come close to setting a person up for life. Could he get by? Sure. I wouldn't call it flush though.
 


diehard said:
Plus no homework or test taking at UNC!
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Build greater name recognition for future endorsement contracts by playing in the NCAA tournament, oh wait UNC isn't going to be eligible for that.
 


Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
A year at UK, UNC, or Duke must be potentially more lucrative. Sorry, couldn't resist.
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Sounds like there's actually a decent chance he joins Michael Porter Jr at Missouri. They could end up with an incredible first recruiting class for Cuonzo Martin.
 

Cayman said:
Sounds like there's actually a decent chance he joins Michael Porter Jr at Missouri. They could end up with an incredible first recruiting class for Cuonzo Martin.
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Porter, Knox and probably Tillman. That would turn mizzou around pretty quickly
 



Brandon Jennings went to Italy for one year for similar $. Drafted 10th, All-Rookie team, but has mostly fizzled out since.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Brandon Jennings went to Italy for one year for similar $. Drafted 10th, All-Rookie team, but has mostly fizzled out since.
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That's because Jennings is widely known as a moron. He didn't work at improving his game. Not saying going to Italy had anything to do with that.
 

Didn't SMU have a recruit who went to China and wound up getting drafted by the Nuggets
 

This is the other guy I remember trying the overseas route around the same time as Jennings. If my memory serves me correctly there was a lot of stuff from his teammates in Israel talking about him being too immature and soft to be playing pro.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Tyler
 



bemidjigopher said:
Didn't SMU have a recruit who went to China and wound up getting drafted by the Nuggets
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Emmanuel Mudiay went 7th in the 2015 draft. He committed to SMU but ended up playing a year in China instead. I think it was between him and Tyus Jones for top point guard in the 2014 recruiting class, though D'Angelo Russell got drafted before both.

In this upcoming draft, Terrance Ferguson was a 5 star who committed to Alabama but didn't sign a letter of intent, flipped to Arizona, then went to play a year in Australia and is projected to go in the teens.
 

Not all, and I would expect most, 18 year-olds are ready to live in a completely different culture and language situation for the most part on their own. College gives a little transition into adulthood. The young man also is most likely eligible for the high end insurance policies that would replace that $1.4M if he was injured an couldn't play again. I know I couldn't have lived in China for a year at age 18 no matter how much they paid me.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Brandon Jennings went to Italy for one year for similar $. Drafted 10th, All-Rookie team, but has mostly fizzled out since.
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If fizzling out is earning $40mil over 10 years in the NBA, I'll think most people would be ok with that haha
 

Not really sure why someone would turn this down. You get more money, more luxuries, no grades to worry about, completely taken care of, big time exposure, gain tons of popularity in China that would pay off even more in future shoe deals.
 

Former Goofer said:
Not really sure why someone would turn this down. You get more money, more luxuries, no grades to worry about, completely taken care of, big time exposure, gain tons of popularity in China that would pay off even more in future shoe deals.
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And you have to live in an entirely new culture where you don't know the language, among other things. I'd imagine that would be a really difficult transition for anyone, let alone a teenager. This isn't as simple as you're making it sound.
 

I think there might be a hesitation to play in China because the level of play is so inferior. Knox and his father have probably wisely chosen development over quick cash.
 

I wonder if Nigel Hayes is aware of this whole idea of playing outside the US for big money. He seemed to be under the impression that his only option was college, and that he was stuck with that option for 4 whole years! Poor guy, if only he had a clue.
 

Keyser Söze said:
And you get to live in an entirely new culture where you don't know the language, among other things. I'd imagine that would be a really difficult transition for anyone, let alone a teenager. This isn't as simple as you're making it sound.
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Fixed it for you. Some people like to experience news things.
 

DLguy said:
I wonder if Nigel Hayes is aware of this whole idea of playing outside the US for big money. He seemed to be under the impression that his only option was college, and that he was stuck with that option for 4 whole years! Poor guy, if only he had a clue.
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Totally agree with this. I wish someone would have told him! The tragedy!
 

BarnBoy said:
Fixed it for you. Some people like to experience news things.
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Right. I wasn't saying a new culture is bad. He couldn't think of any downside in going over to China, and I was just providing examples that would give some people pause. Transitioning to a new culture obviously isn't bad, but it can be difficult, especially for a teenager who is doing it while presumably leaving friends and family behind. I personally think learning an entirely new culture and language as a teenager would be pretty overwhelming and the thought of it gives me anxiety. Everyone is different.
 

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