Europe still option for recruits, but hardly a vacation

So this Brandon Jennings Experiment isn't going quite as planned.

That's what you've heard, right?

Brandon Jennings (left) has struggled some to keep up while playing in Europe. (Getty Images)

That while his classmates -- like Georgetown's Greg Monroe, UCLA's Jrue Holiday and Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu -- are here in the United States making serious impacts on possible Final Four teams, Jennings is over in Europe struggling with the adjustment, averaging only 8.9 points per game and turning the ball over just as much as he's recording assists.

Consequently, you've heard the European clubs have become skeptical of signing more American prospects interested in avoiding college while they wait the mandatory one year post graduation to enter the NBA Draft. And you've heard the market has been diminished for the crop of current high school seniors curious to see whether there's a paycheck waiting in Italy, Greece, Israel or Russia.

That's what you've heard, right?

Well ...

"That's not true," insisted Sonny Vaccaro. "I can tell you, none of that is true."

Vaccaro answered the phone Monday night with the same excitement he always possesses. He explained how he and his wife, Pam, are looking forward to attending President Obama's inauguration next week, then he transitioned right into his favorite topic, i.e., the inner-workings of the basketball world that have featured his fingerprints for decades. Yes, the Godfather of summer hoops turned anti-NCAA crusader is still very much involved in the sport, as the world learned last summer when Vaccaro helped broker the historic deal that made Jennings the first American to choose Europe instead of college. And now Vaccaro is likely just months away from helping secure a similar deal for a similarly heralded high school star, which was the focus of our late conversation.

Here's the gist of it:

• Vaccaro said he had breakfast Monday morning with a table of people working on behalf of or in association with European clubs, and that there are "six or seven" clubs considering offering a contract to an American more interested in spending at least one season in Europe than college. Furthermore, Vaccaro said there are people "right now" scouting various high school players, and that this will continue through March.

"They will make offers," Vaccaro said. "They will make offers (to players) they think can play."

• Though Vaccaro declined to name names -- "Now is not the time for that," he explained -- the 69-year-old legend was very specific about the number of prospects interested in exploring a jump to Europe. He said there are exactly "five" high school seniors who have either contacted him or had somebody working on their behalf contact him, and that there are "eight" underclassmen (juniors, sophomores and/or freshmen) who have also reached out.

"I can say this," Vaccaro said. "(According to) the recruiting things you look at, all of these kids would be considered top 10 prospects in their class. These are kids who are interested in playing professional basketball, and (ones who are) capable of doing it."