When Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie offered a scholarship to eighth-grader Michael Avery of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and he accepted, the NCAA recruiting world flipped its lid.
Nevermind that other schools have done the same thing, nor that Avery was already playing AAU tournaments across the country, like many kids from ages 10 and up. No, somehow this was the straw that broke the Camelot's back.
This isn't to say there aren't reasons to look more closely at the situation, or to legimiately questions the system. It's just that it seemed a little convenient that Kentucky was the lightning rod for criticism. So be it.
Back to the task at hand, though, what is the kid up to?
Avery, who had not as of his commitment to college decided which high school he was going to attend, settled on Crespi High in Encino, Calif. Thus far, Avery seems to have fit in nicely in his new home.
Avery scored a team-high 19 points, including 17 in the first half, of a Crespi win in a loaded summer high school tournament in Los Angeles, the Nike/Fairfax of Los Angeles tournament.
He followed that up with 14 in a loss in the fifth-place game.
Summer before his freshman year and he's alreayd in the spotlight. It's a long time until Mr. Avery (the younger) sees the floor in a Wildcats uniform, if he ever does. It'll be fascinating to see what happens between now and then.