Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 junior, dropped out of his San Diego High School and said he would skip his senior year to play professionally in Europe, The New York Times and Yahoo! Sports reported on Wednesday.

Tyler, 17, will become the first player born in the United States to leave high school early to play professional basketball overseas. He is expected to come back in two years, when he is eligible for the NBA draft.

Tyler had made a verbal committment to play for Louisville. Has has not signed with an agent or professional team. He will probably play in Spain, the Times reported, though teams from other European leagues have shown interest.

"Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better," Tyler told the Times. "If you're really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys."

Los Angeles native Brandon Jennings, a point guard, became the first player to graduate from high school, skip college and play pro ball in Europe. He finished his season with Lottomatica Virtus Roma in Italy and is projected as a high pick in June's NBA draft.

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I wonder if this will start a trend? Very smart, as he will at least get paid for two years he would otherwise be playing for free. I am very interested to see how this turns out for the kid.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer