Novedades:
dic 20 2025The debate is not new, but it gains momentum every summer. Europe or college. Stay or cross the Atlantic. For months, there has been talk about the mass departure of young European players to the NCAA, with opposing views and almost emotional arguments on both sides. Over time, however, the discussion loses its layers and comes down to something much simpler: what actually happens after the decision is made.
The facts are there. Of the roughly 30 European players who chose to move to the United States, most are competing regularly. They play, they are part of the rotation and, in many cases, they have already delivered notable performances. Not all of them stand out, but almost none of them disappear. And for a young player, that in itself is a win.
The contrast appears precisely in two profiles that seemed to have a clear path to leaving… and didn’t.
The first is Sergio De Larrea. His situation is not dramatic, but it is very telling. In the ACB, he has featured in 8 of Valencia Basket’s 9 games, although he ranks eighth on the team in minutes played. In the EuroLeague, the space is even smaller: he has appeared in 10 of the team’s 17 games, but with a steadily decreasing role. 7:50 against Efes, left out of the squad versus Olympiacos, and barely 4 minutes against Maccabi. There is no grievance or punishment here. The team is performing well, and ahead of him are Darius Thompson and Jean Montero. The competition is real, and the context allows no pauses.
The second case is Miikka Muurinen, even more revealing. He turned down offers from virtually all the major U.S. universities, also giving up more lucrative NIL deals, to test himself in Europe. The outcome so far has been limited. Under Obradović, he barely found any space, and the situation has not improved significantly. He has played in 6 of the 8 games this season in the ABA League, averaging 15 minutes, and in another 6 EuroLeague games, where his maximum has been 4 minutes and the usual is to play just 1.
Neither case invalidates the European route. But they do reinforce an uncomfortable idea: here, the margin for error is minimal. Young players do not always enter a development process, but rather an environment driven by immediate performance. And if the team is winning, that space shrinks even further.
Given this scenario, it is hard to imagine the talent drain slowing down in the short term. Not because Europe lacks quality, but because the system prioritizes results over development. College basketball, by contrast, guarantees something essential: continuity.
University or Europe. If the question is where to grow, the data are starting to provide an answer that is increasingly less romantic.
