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Top Arizona basketball recruit fails to qualify
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Prized University of Arizona basketball recruit Brandon Jennings did not receive a high enough score on his standardized test to enroll at UA, so will instead play professionally in Europe next season, a source told the Tribune.
UA spokesman Richard Paige said the school had not been notified yet of the qualifying SAT score and did not expect to learn anything “until next week at the earliest” even though Jennings was expected to learn of his score Thursday.
“There has been no change in Brandon’s status as of right now,” Paige said. “The answers to the questions that are out there will come later rather than sooner. We'll let the process play out and see what happens.”
Jennings’ attorney, Jeffrey B. Valle, told the Tucson Citizen the test scores “are not in yet.” Jennings’ mother, Alice Knox, told ESPN.com that his scores will not be officially released until July 5, adding that Jennings may choose to play in Europe regardless of his SAT results.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Jennings' tests, there could be a delay before the scores are verified by the NCAA. Jennings told ESPN.com he had to take the SAT for a third time earlier this month because he was red-flagged for a jump in his score from his first test to the second.
“The first time I took it I didn’t try, the second time I did so I had to take it a third time,” Jennings said.
Jennings, a McDonald’s all-American point guard from Compton, Calif., who attended Oak Hill Academy in Virginia last school year, was considered the top recruit in Arizona’s 2009 class and a top-10 player nationally. His loss would be another blow for the Wildcats, who saw freshman Jerryd Bayless leave after one year for the NBA draft and also had another top recruit — Abdul Gaddy — rescind his commitment.
If Jennings plays next year in Europe, he is expected to declare his intentions for the 2009 NBA draft.
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