With all of the -- excuse the pun -- hoopla surrounding the NBA playoffs comes word that one of the nation's top high school basketball players is leaving school to play in Europe.

  What makes the story of Jeremy Tyler of San Diego unique is that he is leaving school as a JUNIOR, bypassing his senior year of high school, to turn pro and make himself ready for the 2011 NBA draft. Current NBA rules prohibit players under the age of 19 from being draft -- meaning Tyler would have to wait a couple of years before being eligible. He had verbally committed to Louisville but now will test the European waters before coming back home.

   We work with USA Basketball in Colorado Springs as part of their program that has the top junior players in high school on both the men and women's side compete, learn and grow as part of a camp coached by some of the top coaches in the country. We have provided speaker and media training for these 17-year olds for more than a decade, including players like Dwayne Wade and Dwight Howard. We can attest that while these players have the requisite skills to compete on a professional level, the vast majority are not ready for the scrutiny of the media and public that comes with playing at an advanced level.

   Of particular concern is the so-called "new media" in which we teach caution in dealing with social websites such as Facebook, You Tube, bloggers and talk shows. While many of the stars of the future can nail a free throw with a screaming sellout crowd in their face, they often wilt with a small microphone in their sights. Ironically, a growing number of these high schoolers have said they didn't need communications training -- they get what they need from watching ESPN or reading the internet. It is a misjudgment of huge proportions.

   You wouldn't want to guard Kobe Bryant or Paul Pierce without expert coaching and training; the same situation exists for dealing with the media. Most players like Tyler haven't had to deal with large groups of reporters in high school; even some of the upperclassmen with whom we work at the more than 100 colleges and universities each year buckle under the pressure in our mock interviews and staged post-game news conferences. Someone who has only completed his junior year of high school faces a more difficult task.

   The NBA rule was designed to prevent players from jumping from high school directly into the pros; while some like former prep/shoe guru Sonny Vaccaro argue with some merit that is denying them an opportunity to earn a living; the extra off-the-court experience and training they receive in high school and in college will pay large dividends and often times lengthen a professional career.