As I was looking for articles
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Apple Valley eighth-grader Tyus Jones is already a starting point guard on the varsity team, and his exploits have caught Tubby Smith's attention."
Think about this for a second. A college basketball player who graduates with his class is on-campus for about three and half years. Given the graduation rate of college basketball players - especially wherever Tubby Smith coaches - it's reasonable to expect players at UM spend a lot less time than that on campus. This means that this boy will have been recruited for almost twice and maybe three times as long as he'll play for the Golden Gophers. Seems like a poor time investment to me.
It can't be easy for a grown man - well into middle age - to sit in the stands and watch a middle school kid knowing that his (the coach, not the player) professional life depends on it. No wonder the stress level is so high for college coaches. I remember 8th grade. It was a long time ago. I have no desire to go back and watch me play basketball. And yet a millionaire coach chooses to do this to as a core element of his job.
And regarding the player, can't we even wait to see if he passes his SATs? Although I suppose it doesn't even matter, as long as he can play, even for a little while.
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