College Sports

Obviously, that headline is written with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But don’t be surprised if you are reading it in your local paper in the not-so-distant future.

University of Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie has offered three scholarships this spring… one to an eighth grader, and the other two to ninth graders.

Here are the bones of the story:

Recently Gillispie attended an AAU tournament in Akron, Ohio. He offered scholarships to three players that he saw… eighth grader Michael Avery, and ninth graders Vinny Zollo and Jeremiah Davis, III.

Avery committed to UK, although he is four years away from entering college. On the other hand, he is three months from starting high school and has yet to decide which school to attend.

Zollo also committed to the Wildcats, although Davis is waiting to think it through with his family.

UK President Lee Todd, when initially told of the recruitment of eighth grader Avery, blurted out, “An eighth grader?” He was incredulous.

Not anymore.

Seems Todd is back in line with the thinking in the land of the bluegrass. Gillispie has explained to him how kids are ranked as early as sixth grade, how eighth graders can be 6′4. How recruiting them early takes the pressure off the kids and families.

Todd goes on to state that, although the scholarship offers aren’t binding, he hopes that coaches will keep their promises. Sure, he thinks that now, but what if one of these recruits ends up not living up to billing, and better player, a difference maker, is available. Will Gillispie give his last scholarship to the kid he promised four years earlier, or to the one that will make his program better? Is there really any question?

Who can even say if Billie G. will still be at UK in four years. Do you think a different coach would be bound by these offers? Not a chance.

But lets say that each of these players is the real deal, and four years from now they choose other universities. Will they be despised in Wildcat nation for a decision that they made as 15 year olds? Do you remember the decisions that you made when you were 15? Would you like to have been held to those?

Where are the parents? Are they so incredibly wrapped up in their sons’ talent that they can’t put the brakes on? Gillispie and others claim that this takes the pressure off their sons. Not so fast, according to Steve King, the pressure just shifts from recruitment to living up to the hype and maintaining the scholarship offer.

And Steve King knows what he is talking about. His son, Taylor King, committed to UCLA in eighth grade, reopened his recruitment as a sophomore, signed with Duke and is now transferring to Villanova. He believes that the decision his son made as an eighth grader was more emotional than pragmatic.

And does anyone — ANYONE? — think for one minute that this will stop other universities from writing, calling, emailing, texting, you-tubing, facebooking, etc.? No way. In fact, the players have been invited to other universities’ elite basketball camps, and still plan to attend.

Don’t let the term “Elite Basketball Camp” fool you. The ordinary kid can’t get into this type of camp. These camps are nothing but a glorified way to get top rated players onto a university campus and do a sales job, without having to claim an official visit. These kids will be getting the hard sell, whether they have “verballed” or not.

NCAA President Myles Brand is not happy about the trend, and hopes that the recruitment of kids who can’t even drive yet will end.

“I find that very unfortunate, and indeed troubling” Brand said in an interview with the Lexington (Ky) Herald-Leader. “It’s nothing we want to be widespread.” He has hopes that the National Association of Basketball Coaches will look into the issue.

He may hope, but he had better be prepared for reality. First of all, the NABC can’t make it’s members do anything. Bill Self, head coach at NCAA National Champion Kansas, is on the Ethics Committee of the NABC, which will most likely look into the situation. Self is also Gillispie’s mentor. While he agrees that eighth grade is too young, he cautions against banning the commitments.

“I don’t think we should necessarily have a knee-jerk rule because USC and Kentucky have gotten a couple,” said Self.

Ivy League comissioner Jeff Orleans has weighed in by saying that the recruiting of middle schoolers works against the NCAA’s effort to strengthen academic standards. The feeling is that the emphasis on success will be removed from the classroom and focused on athletic accomplishments.

Look into the Crystal Ball

We have all heard the story about Michael Jordan and how he was cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore. Bill Russell, the winningest player in the history of team sports, didn’t crack the starting lineup of his high school until his senior year. And Stephen Curry of Davidson was passed over by big time schools as too small. But this past season he led Davidson to the Elite Eight.

Now for the other side of the coin. As an eighth grader, Demetrius Walker was featured in Sports Illustrated (Jan. 24, 2005 issue). At age 14, he was 6-3, 175 lbs. His mom brought his birth certificate to games to prove his age. SI said Walker was, “14 going on LeBron.” Three years later, he isn’t listed in the top of any prospect list for the class of 2009. He is considered a marginal top 100 player. “He peaked early,” said analyst Brick Oettinger of the Prep Stars recruiting service. “He hasn’t grown, maybe an inch, since then. He really hasn’t improved his game that much.”

In other words, recruiting is a roll of the dice, at best. Far from an exact science.

So where will that leave Avery, Zollo and Davis? Will Billy G. honor these scholarship offers, even if it means the Wildcats may become the “Mildcats?” Is he willing to risk his won-loss record to take the higher road?

Don’t hold your breath.

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