 As
hot as Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings has been on the
basketball court, that’s how cold he has been off of it. That should
not come as much of a surprise since Wisconsin winters can be harder
to adjust to than life in the NBA for native Californians.
"It’s always cold,"
Jennings says with a wry smile. "I’ll never forget getting up
and seeing that it’s snowing and 1 or 2 degrees out. I always have
the heat on."
Whatever he’s done to stay warm, the
Bucks hope he keeps doing it. More than halfway through the season,
Jennings has strung together one of the most memorable rookie seasons
in Bucks history. Not bad for a 20-year-old who didn’t play in
college and spent last year in Italy putting up average numbers in
limited minutes for Lottomatica Roma.
When the Milwaukee Bucks selected
Jennings with the 10th pick in the NBA Draft, there were questions
about his jump shot and maturity. Jennings quickly demonstrated that
he should have been at least a top five pick. With the Green Bay
Packers in midseason, the Bucks usually have trouble garnering
attention in November. But Jennings dramatically increased the Bucks’
cool factor, locally and nationally, with his play early in the
season.
In his NBA debut, he nearly recorded a
triple double against the Philadelphia 76ers (17 points, 9 rebounds, 9
assists). But that was just a warm-up act. On Nov. 14, Jennings scored
55 points in a 129-125 victory over Golden State. This broke the Bucks’
rookie record previously held by one Lew Alcindor, who later changed
his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The last rookie to score that many
points in an NBA game was Earl "The Pearl" Monroe in 1968.
All of Jennings’ points came in the final three quarters.
Golden State boss Don Nelson, who
coached the Bucks from 1976-1987, did not hold back when asked about
Jennings. "Probably the best rookie performance I’ve ever
witnessed in 30-some years of coaching," he told reporters.
After the game, Bucks coach Scott
Skiles had trouble putting Jennings’ performance in context. "I
don’t know exactly what to say," Skiles said. "I was in a
game when Michael (Jordan) had over 60 once. We gave the ball to
Brandon and let him get to work. A very impressive performance for
anybody, let alone a rookie in his seventh game."
Ahead of Schedule
When it comes to basketball, Jennings
has always been ahead of the curve. From almost the moment he learned
how to dribble, he was playing with older kids. After two seasons of
high school basketball in Compton, Calif., Jennings transferred to
national power Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
Transferring made sense on a number of
levels. Compton is one of the most dangerous places to live in the
entire country and Oak Hill Academy was a chance to break way from
that. When Jennings was in grade school, his father committed suicide.
He credits his mom, Alice Knox, with forcing him and his younger
brother to stay on the right track. "She didn’t want me to get
caught up in negative stuff," he says. "I could handle
things that other kids can’t. I get my strength from hers."
In his senior year at Oak Hill Academy,
the lefty sensation averaged 35 points per game. He was originally
going to play for the University of Arizona but he did not have the
required SAT score. In 2006, the NBA made a rule that players were not
eligible to apply for the draft until they were one year removed from
high school.
As a result, it appeared as if Jennings
was destined for a junior college. Instead, he made national news when
he became the first American high school player to go directly to a
European team. "It was a great opportunity for me and my
family," Jennings says. "Why not go to Rome for a
year?"
Jennings moved to Rome with his mom and
brother. His transition to life in Rome was surprisingly smooth.
People watching and soaking up a new culture were highlights.
"There were small cars everywhere and people driving
reckless," he says. "There were coffee shops, nice
restaurants and lots of beautiful women."
Jennings, who loved walking the famed
Spanish Steps, described the shopping as "crazy amazing."
But there was only so much time for sightseeing. His main focus was
basketball. He says his new teammates treated him very well. Was there
a language gap? "I picked up a lot of bad (Italian) words because
of my teammates," Jennings jokes. "Everybody on the team
knew English and we all got along."
The basketball did not always go as
smoothly. Jennings played less than 20 minutes a game and averaged
about 8 points. "It’s more of a half-court-type game,"
Jennings says. "It humbled me and made me realize what I had to
work on."
Focused Buck
In September, before training camp
began, assistant coach Kelvin Sampson’s cell phone buzzed with text
messages from Jennings. "He always wanted to come to the gym and
get extra shots up," Sampson says. All of that work paid
immediate dividends. At the midway point of the season, Jennings was
averaging about 17 points and 6 assists per game.
"He’s energetic and plays hard
every night," center Andrew Bogut says. "He doesn’t take
things for granted. He’s going to be a special player."
Jennings dreamed about playing in the
NBA for most of his life, and he wants to make the most of his
opportunity. That is one reason why Jennings chose to live in St.
Francis, less than a mile from the Bucks’ practice facility.
"It’s a low-key area," he says. "There’s not a lot
to do and that’s good for me. I can just focus on basketball."
After the Golden State game, Jennings
was focused on how to celebrate. So how did he live it up on the town?
"I went out with my cousin to Carnevor," he says. "I
had a nice dinner and went home."
There will be plenty of time later in
his career for more elaborate celebrations. And if he continues to
play at this level, there will be plenty for him to celebrate.
The Jennings Insider
Biggest NBA perk: "Flying on a
private plane you get spoiled. It’s so easy to get in and out. After
you fly like that, you don’t want to fly any other way."
On Facebook and Twitter: "I enjoy
that a lot because it connects me with fans." Jennings has more
than 49,000 Facebook friends.
On his changing hairstyles: "I
might as well play around with it. When it’s gone, it’s
gone."
On his personality: "I’ve been
told that people are surprised by how laid back I am."
Favorite Web sites: Facebook, Twitter,
NBA.com, Worldstarhiphop.com
Favorite hobby: Shopping
Typical game-day meal: Soul food at Mr.
Perkins’ Family Restaurant
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite Italian food: Risotto and
pasta. What about gelato? "Never did like it."
Favorite athlete growing up:
"Allen Iverson. I used to watch his highlights all the
time."
Favorite athletes(nonbasketball
players): Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams.
Favorite television show: "‘SportsCenter,’
of course."
Favorite movie: "Recently, it’s
got to be ‘The Hangover.’"
Favorite actor: "Denzel
Washington. I got to know him when his son played in our AAU
(program). He’s been really cool. He told me to stay focused and
keep doing my thing."
Goals beyond basketball: "I want
to be an entrepreneur like Magic Johnson. I’d like to own a coffee
shop and a 24 Hour Fitness." m
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