brianstl Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Of 8th graders! Maybe it shouldn't borther me like it does, but this kind of stuff just doesn't sit right with me. http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6938958...HPHCP>1=10136 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 >>For the second straight year, USC basketball coach Tim Floyd has received a verbal commitment from an eighth-grader. Ryan Boatwright, a speedy 5-foot-10, 145-pound rising freshman point guard from Illinois ... .<< This is a joke, right? A quick scrawny 8th grader? It's an article from the Onion. Has to be. If true, Tim Floyd will crash down the slippery slope he has chosen until he eventually offers scholarships to parents of their unborn children based upon genetics alone. I'm sure Tim is willing to gamble that the ultrasound was correct in determining the sex for a high value set of genes. Otherwise, the USC women's program will have to step up and honor Tim's commitments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 "It shocked me," Mike Boatwright said of the offer. "But Ryan loved it there and he decided on his own." Shocked you, no kidding. You think this is a decision an eighth grader should make on his own? "I'm tremendously concerned," he admitted. "It could get ugly as far as kids getting jealous. I also don't want it to get to his head. I want him to stay humble." It doesn't really sound like he is worried about him staying humble to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTIME Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 8th graders get invited to Nike and Adidas camps, so I dont know why this is a surprise. Ever heard of OJ Mayo ro Lance Stephenson "AKA" Sir Lance-A-Lot. Congrats to Tim Floyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 What about Tyler Griffey? We were on him prior to high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 That Brad did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I definitely understand your point. I'm torn on it because I hate to see kids get big pressure on their shoulders before they can even develop, but it's become the unfortunate nature of the beast. What if we had let Mizzou be the only one to get after him at an early age? Maybe that's not the best example because of the fallout there in the meantime, though. Brad always got criticized, probably rightly so, for waiting to long to really go hard after recruits and give offers; in Tyler's case it was the opposite and he made it clear that SLU wanted him and would be watching him closely throughout high school. It's a risky thing to do when you don't know how much a kid will grow and develop his skills, but all signs show that it's going to keep happening. I don't like that it's come to that and think it should be reserved to high school kids, but I also understand not wanting to be in the game too late because of the pressures to outrecruit and perform. The funny thing is, with coaching tenures becoming shorter and shorter, how many of these coaches are actually going to be around the whole time from when a recruit is in 8th grade to when he starts college? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 to watch his progress, and you really want him to be a Billiken when that time comes. I got a problem with a kid getting the scholarship offer when he hasn't even started taking high school classes yet. Maybe I am behind the times on this, but I just don't like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I'm with you Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Don't get me wrong, I'm not comfortable with an 8th-grade offer, either. But I understand the pressure to get ahead in recruiting, too, and some of these kids are obvious talents who are growing like weeds. What do you see as the earliest a coach should give a scholarship offer to a kid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMA Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 The "official" date to extend formal offers to the Class of 09 has just started. I don't have a problem with the "unoffcial" offer prior to that time, because the coach has to couch it, to stay away from the NCAA invistigatory process. The kid who gets a VERY early offer will be getting lots of attention - AAU, shoes (come to Addidas, NIKE, Reebok camps - but pick one), as well as colleges, so they get savvy fast. The NCAA is taking a look at extending the "acceptance" periods. (Something Bruce Weber wished was in effect last year, I'm sure. Once Eric Gordon said yes, he could have signed an LOI, with a rule change) If a kid could say yes and hold the school to its promise by immediately signing an LOI, would the offer be extended as early? For mid major programs especially, I think that rule change would be of great benefit. Which is why the top flight BCS programs (Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, etc)in both football and basketball don't like it. They get to "slow play" recruits to make sure they get the ones they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.