Tim – get the hell outta the playground!

From the cradle to the grave… USC basketball program?

I know most blogging pundits have already had their say on this… but Tim Floyd recruiting Ryan Boatwright is simply deplorable. He’s yet to even select his high school, but we’re expecting him to pencil in where he’s going to go to college?

Yeah, yeah… I know that with this handshake agreement, nothing’s set in stone from either side – but why do it at all then? Do you really think that if the kid barely makes his high school basketball starting 5 that USC will honor the agreement? And if he ends up being a great player in High, and gets an offer from North Carolina – will he stick by a handshake agreement made when he was an impressionable 8th grader?

Basketball camps where a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend make a recommendation to a talented kid… well it reeks of something rather unpleasant.

Really now, the NCAA should step in and do something about this. Some may say “it doesn’t matter, it’s not a set-in-stone agreement”… then why do it at all? At the very least, a kid should be actually IN High School before being able to make even handshake agreements. Or… make these agreements legally binding (at least, within NCAA rulings). I bet that’d stop it.

But seeing as we’re going down that path now Tim, how about considering my kid? He’s big for his age (both height & weight), and is still growing. Doctor says that he’s physically really good… has a good wing-span, good reflexes & strength. I’m sure he’ll fit right in on a full-ride scholarship at USC. Here’s a picture for your file: