Youngest Player Ever Commits To College Basketball Program

Source: TimesOnline

Now I’ve heard of players being drafted straight from college into the league, or even high school like the phenom Lebron James but this latest draft will set a new precedent. A 6-foot-4 eighth-grader out of Lake Sherwood, CA is the youngest person ever to commit to a college program. Michael Avery was spotted by Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie playing at a basketball tournament alongside other phenoms when he was showered with praise by the coach for his talents. Unable to actively recruit him though, Gillispie could only send word through the tournament staff that he was impressed with the youngsters skills. After catching wind of this, Avery’s father contacted the coach and got the ball rolling.

Avery said, “I got a contact number for him and left him a message, but didn’t hear back from him. I started wondering, does he really like my son? When I got in Los Angeles Monday morning, I decided to try again, and he answered the call. He told me he remembered my son, and that he was really glad that I called. He explained that he wasn’t allowed to call me back, so it had to be me that initiated the call…We talked for a while and he said, ‘I like your son. In fact, I like him so much I want to offer him a scholarship here at Kentucky.’ I was like, ‘You’re joking, right?’ He said, ‘Nope. I’m serious. I really love the way he plays.”

The teen, who has yet to decide on a high school is also fielding offers from rival school programs who are now suddenly interested in the eighth-grader. For the rest of this story CLICK [HERE]

~ by streetknowledge on May 9, 2008.