LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Only at Louisville, right?

Only at Louisville do you sign a five-star basketball prospect, have him on campus for much of the summer, see his family move to one of the nicer neighborhoods in town, see them accept NIL money and other benefits, see his brother get set to play basketball for a local high school then see them bolt for a pro deal in Australia the week before school starts.

Earlier this month, heralded freshman Trentyn Flowers was playing in a kickball tournament with rapper Jack Harlow. On Monday, he kicked the Louisville basketball program to the curb.

He took the money and ran, by all appearances. Both from Louisville-connected NIL sources — and good luck recouping that money — and from a team in Australia, where he'll play professionally in preparation for what he expects to be an NBA career. G'day mates.

The latter is a decision that many players might make if given the opportunity. I don't know the dollar amount he was offered, but let's face it, most of us probably wouldn't turn it down. I'm not here to bash the player. If you get an offer of that magnitude, you take it. Coaches can take the money and move. Why not players? Fair is fair.

Coaches have buyouts. Maybe players should, too (though current regulations don't really permit that in NIL deals, because that's more of an employment provision).

It's just a problem for Louisville, and I'm not only talking about money. There's perception. There's marketing. People already are blaming Kenny Payne for not keeping Flowers in the fold. They're whispering that Flowers didn't have confidence in Louisville or its staff. They're referencing a post saying, "I'm going over there to be a point guard, to learn how to run a team, and be a player like LaMelo Ball or Josh Giddey."

If that's the case, it would make some sense. And it makes sense that a player this young, who played point guard for much of his life before a growth spurt, would rather do what he's comfortable doing in a position where he won't be at quite the physical deficit he might be if he were playing a 2 or 3 in college.

We don't really know what's in Flowers' mind, exactly. But we know Payne anticipated the grumbling over his departure when he said, in a statement released after Flowers' announcement, "We fully believe in the University of Louisville's ability to help student-athletes reach their goals, including to play at the highest levels of professional basketball – and we're confident that Trentyn could have achieved his dreams by making Louisville his home."

As the NBA becomes more globalized, players are going to see less risk in playing overseas. There's a feeling that the NBA will find you, wherever you are, if you're talented enoughc. And that's a good thing.

In general, however, you're not going to be worth more — from a marketing standpoint — as an NBA rookie coming from Europe than you are if you've played for a high-profile college program in the U.S. It's one reason the NBA likes its age limit right where it is. There's more name recognition for Anthony Davis, Kentucky All-American, than Anthony Davis, high school phenom.

There are exceptions, but not many.

After a year at Duke and wall-to-wall coverage on ESPN, Zion Williamson was worth far more in terms of endorsements and marketing than he would've been after a year overseas, or when coming out of high school.

Those are easy calls to make. Even I can do the math.

It gets tougher when you're talking about a year at Louisville. Nobody is fawning over Louisville players. Not even Louisville fans, not yet. Yeah, you're going to have some big stages and you're going to be on ESPN a lot, but are you going to be seen enough, in a favorable enough light, to make you more valuable? (This is where it has to be interjected that neither Louisville basketball nor ACC basketball are today what they have been in this regard.)

So it's hard to say whether a season of college basketball at Louisville is more or less valuable — from a numbers standpoint — in the long term. It depends on your team and its success. It depends on how well you play. There's always the risk, especially for a reclassified freshman, no matter how talented, that you get exposed. And then you're exposed on national TV.

And mainly, it depends on the numbers being offered by the Australian team. And on whether you and your family are willing to invest the time in college for a bigger potential payoff in marketability, or whether you want the bigger money now.

Either way, those are things that are largely out of Payne's hands until he can get a successful season under his belt at Louisville. I suppose Louisville NIL sources could've tried to match the Australian offer. I don't think they were presented that chance, and I don't know if they would have if they had been.

And make no mistake, Louisville is using these players to rebuild its brand as much as the players are using the university for their purposes. You could argue that in this case, Louisville needed Flowers more than Flowers needed Louisville.

Regardless, we live in a time when individual college players have more leverage and bargaining power than many individual pro athletes. Their ability to exercise free-agency is unlimited and has few restrictions. Whether they have to live up to contract conditions isn't clear.

In fact, you have more bargaining power (and income) as a Power 5 college basketball player than as a reporter covering college basketball, in many cases.

This is the world we live in. A player can string Kentucky along all season, derive benefits from being around the program without having to actually play in games, then go into the NBA Draft. Players can make draft decisions at the last minute.

And now, without prior notice or any sign of a problem, they can leave a week before school starts if a better offer comes along.

But the phrase still applies — don't hate the player, hate the game.

It is the Wild West. But at Louisville, you have to forgive fans — and even coaches — if they feel Down Under.

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