Middle Schooler Lands Scholarship to USC!?!?

Discussion in 'College Recruiting and Prospects' started by Midnight Green, Jul 11, 2007.

  1. Midnight Green

    Midnight Green NFLC nflcentral.net Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Tom Boatright has a pet expression he drops on his grandson from time to time: "You still have milk on your breath."

    That's his way of reminding 14-year-old Ryan Boatright that he's a youngster with a lot left to learn in life and on the basketball court.

    "You've got a long way to go," Tom Boatright tells Ryan.

    In recruiting, it's all about being first. If you get in on the kid in eighth grade, you're first.

    But USC has accelerated the young milk drinker into the straight-whiskey world of college hoops, offering him a scholarship last month. And in direct contradiction to Tom Boatright's wisdom, Ryan accepted with his family's blessing and encouragement.

    A few days later, the Aurora, Ill., point guard decided which high school he would attend. East Aurora was the lucky winner.

    If offering a scholarship to a 5-foot-9, 135-pound wisp who has never played a high school game strikes you as perverse, premature and preposterous, you must not be a college basketball coach. Recruiters are going after the adolescent crowd like Joe Camel. </div>

    Source


    This rub anyone the wrong way?
     
  2. P.A.P.

    P.A.P. JBB Fresh Start

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    What the hell.
    1) This kid must be sick. The only other player I've heard of that is his age is J'Mychal Reese.
    2) Even though it's a verbal one, he committed way too early.
     
  3. Moo2K4

    Moo2K4 NBA West Producer

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    <div class="quote_poster">P.A.P. Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What the hell.
    1) This kid must be sick. The only other player I've heard of that is his age is J'Mychal Reese.
    2) Even though it's a verbal one, he committed way too early.</div>Jeff Horner committed to Iowa at the start of his freshman year.
     
  4. fatballer_10

    fatballer_10 JBB JustBBall Member

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    Well, I guess they will bring in a law to make sure this doesn't happen again too, just like the NBA age limit!!!

    The kid must be doing something right. I hope this means he will work his ass off and become great. I bet he never ends up honoring the VERBAL agreement.
     
  5. sunsfan1357

    sunsfan1357 JBB JustBBall Member

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    This has been going on for years upon years so no, there is not a big deal about it. I can understand if someone wanted to stop it when it first started, but its a little too late if you want to cry foul about it now.
     
  6. Moo2K4

    Moo2K4 NBA West Producer

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    I don't see a problem with committing to a team immediately. If you have your heart set to play there, why not?
     
  7. drunkenbarden

    drunkenbarden JBB JustBBall Member

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    So this is Ryan Boatright..

    http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/612334994_14a62a7987_o.jpg">

    IIve only heard of J'mychal Reese getting offers from Arizona,Baylor, and Texas co. but hes class of 2012.
     
  8. Voodoo Child

    Voodoo Child Can I Kick It?

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    Here are some things that stood out to me from this article -

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">• Do the kids actually know what they're doing? Ryan Boatright said USC "has always been my second-favorite school." The favorite is North Carolina, which begs the question: What if Roy Williams calls tomorrow with an offer?</div>

    So basically, he would rather go to North Carolina? Then why does everyone act like he's going to USC? If he's good enough to go to UNC and they're his #1 school, he'll go there. Verbal commitments are non-binding and largely a joke in collegiate recruiting.

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">What if they're misevaluated or peak early, never getting much bigger or much better? Several years ago Maryland had to rescind an early offer to the famously overhyped "Jewish Jordan," Tamir Goodman, when it became apparent that his game was better suited for Towson University than the ACC. Former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith offered West Virginian Adam Williams a scholly as a high school sophomore, and the kid went on to prove he had no business at that level over the next few years. He transferred to Marshall after a brief and inglorious stay in Lexington. </div>

    For a veteran writer like Forde, that was a bad example. The "Jewish Jordan," Tamir Goodman, was a top twenty-five recruit even into his junior year and only decommitted from Maryland because the schedule conflicted with his religious practices, and at Towson he didn't have to play on Friday nights or on Saturdays. It had almost nothing to do with Maryland recruiting him too young though.

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The other hot thing now is for schools to have their own "junior elite" camps, inviting in talented pre-high school players for a chance to learn a few things and fall in love with the host school. Gillispie had a junior elite camp at Texas A&M with kids who ranged from fifth grade to eighth grade. </div>

    That's nothing new. I went to several of those growing up. As a kid playing AAU ball, they had no idea how I would develop, nor did they know how any of my peers would, but they took the ones of us that they saw the most potential in and invited us to select camps. The AAU scene is amazing for networking if you want to get into basketball as a career. I actually helped run a camp here in Memphis not too long ago that was similar. I remember posting on JBB about it, I'll have to dig that up.

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">After playing well throughout the camp, Boatright met with USC head coach Tim Floyd on the final night of camp. Ryan said the meeting took place at the hotel where the campers stayed, the Radisson, across the street from the USC campus. McAllister said the meeting occurred in Floyd's office.

    The discrepancy potentially could be significant, since coaches are not allowed to have in-person contact recruits off-campus prior to their senior year of high school.</div>

    At first when I read that, I thought, "What's the big deal? They're that crazy about these rules that they'd penalize USC for talking to him in a hotel instead of on campus?" Then the more I thought about it, USC should know the rules and, especially in the case of a prospect this young, they should be very wary of them. Where there's smoke, there's fire, and USC is starting to build themselves a reputation in the same vein of schools like Memphis, Cincinnati, etc.

    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> "The day he got home [from USC] he went and lifted. I told him he needs to work even harder, now that he's under the microscope. Two days after that he went and ran 400s.

    "Some kids tend to want to soak up the glory. I told him to stay out of the way and keep working." </div>

    I like that attitude. Hopefully Boatright doesn't catch too much flack from the media, because if anyone deserves blame in this situation, it's USC. Boatright sounds like his head is in the right place though.
     
  9. Master Shake

    Master Shake young phoenix

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    <div class="quote_poster">drunkenbarden Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">So this is Ryan Boatright..

    http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/612334994_14a62a7987_o.jpg">

    IIve only heard of J'mychal Reese getting offers from Arizona,Baylor, and Texas co. but hes class of 2012.</div>

    I wanna play this kid, and stuff him lol. Then when he makes it big (if) I can say, hey I owned that kid who is now winning championships.
     
  10. Pgballer17

    Pgballer17 JBB JustBBall Member

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    If anyone finds any videos of this kid, post them here.
     
  11. David J

    David J JBB JustBBall Member

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    my team bolingbrook raiders played against his in the morris shootout tournament. he is good but he aint all that. he aint quick to me but does have a crossover. they beat us by 2 points cause my team kept trying to score when we had the lead.
     
  12. Manhops23

    Manhops23 Hi Rim my name is Lebron!

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    I don't even think he's the best kid in his city from what i heard.
     
  13. N4S

    N4S BBW Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Blur Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">
    This rub anyone the wrong way?</div>

    Not really. Premier Overseas Footballers get signed to clubs when their 9 years old.
     
  14. amador08

    amador08 JBB JustBBall Member

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    how tall is he?
     
  15. CLos

    CLos JBB=The Originals

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    He's 5'9 135lbs. Why sign a kid this young?
     
  16. Manhops23

    Manhops23 Hi Rim my name is Lebron!

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    My whole thing also is if you sign somebody that young at least let them have height.But from what i've read on the chicagohoops board he isn't all that and. They are already saying floyd made a huge mistake.
     
  17. M Two One

    M Two One Halló Veröld!

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    This kid has been in the local papers a few times over the last few years now. I should go to one of his HS games since I'm only a short drive away.
     
  18. bbwchingy0007

    bbwchingy0007 BBW Member

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    It's a gamble, but a gamble that could pay off. Just like drafting a prospect really. Yet drafting prospects is common place, so why not early recruitments?
     

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