Brandon Jennings (above photo) is boldly going where no basketball prodigy has gone before: straight to Europe, bypassing the Arizona Wildcats to sign a pro contract with Virtus Roma of Italy’s Serie A.

Is this the end for college basketball? Jacob Leibenluft pondered that question for Slate; in his view, a lot will depend on how well Jennings performs in his new environment. Other youngsters should keep their fingers crossed. As basketball spreads across the globe, opportunities open up for skilled players - opportunities that don’t involve taking sham college courses and not getting paid.

College basketball will continue to flourish even if the top high school and AAU players go elsewhere, as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James were allowed to do before the NBA put restrictions on its draft. Ultimately, fans of college sports are rooting for laundry. But maybe the Jennings experiment will give young players the chance to make a powerful fashion statement.