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Agent Selection Scenarios: Connecticut Basketball

Jimmer Fredette is to BYU as Kemba Walker is to the University of Connecticut.  UConn has advanced to the Sweet 16 and fans should be thanking Kemba for the 33 points he contributed to the team in its battle against the University of Cincinnati on Saturday night.  Next up for UConn is San Diego State University, which has a very limited alumni base who have made it in professional basketball.  Here are some of the more recent UConn players who have achieved at the next level, along with their agents of record.

  • Jeff Adrien – Aaron Mintz (Priority Sports)
  • Ray Allen – James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
  • Hilton Armstrong – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
  • Josh Boone – Robert Fayne
  • Caron Butler – Raymond Brothers
  • Rudy Gay – Lance Young (Octagon)
  • Ben Gordon – Raymond Brothers
  • Richard Hamilton – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
  • Donyell Marshall – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
  • Emeka Okafor – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
  • Kevin Ollie – Bill Neff (Saga Sports)
  • A.J. Price – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
  • Hasheem Thabeet – Ugo Udezue (BDA Sports)
  • Charlie Villanueva – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)

Jeff Schwartz is keyed in at Connecticut.  Other than Schwartz, it looks like Raymond Brothers has some nice pull at UConn.  But if I had to place a bet on which agent Kemba Walker will be picking, I would put my money on Schwartz.  Walker is a guaranteed lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and I cannot see the Junior coming back for his Senior year.  Alex Oriakhi is a talented 6’9 power forward on the current UConn squad, but the Sophomore is still too raw to be drafted.  Look for his stock to rise over the next year or two.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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