Bluegrassrivals

By Jerry Tipton
[email]JTIPTON@HERALD-LEADER.COM[/email]

As the propriety of recruiting younger prospects gets debated nationwide, Kentucky has offered a scholarship to another high school freshman.

On Sunday, UK offered a scholarship to Jeremiah Davis III, who is completing his ninth-grade year at Muncie (Ind.) Central High School.

"I was honored," Davis said Monday about the offer. "I don't know if I'm going to take it yet. I'm still a freshman."

Indiana, Ohio State and Tennessee are among the schools that also have expressed a recruiting interest in Davis. None has yet offered a scholarship, the player's father said.

UK Coach Billy Gillispie saw Davis play in the same recent Akron, Ohio, basketball event that led to commitments from eighth-grader Michael Avery and ninth-grader Vinny Zollo. Davis played on the same AAU team, Indiana Elite.

Davis said he was not sure whether or when he might accept the UK scholarship offer. When asked whether college seemed far off into the future, he said, "Pretty far, right. I still have to go through high school first."


http://www.kentucky.com/276/story/403203.html

I think Billy G needs to look at some kids somwhere other than the Indiana Elite. Theres no way theres that much talent on one team.

colts12 Wrote:I think Billy G needs to look at some kids somwhere other than the Indiana Elite. Theres no way theres that much talent on one team.

I think we should let Gillispie look wherever he wants to look! He seems to have a better idea of what he's doing than we do.

I think Billy G is getting a little ridiculous with trying to sign all these younger kids he should atleast wait untill they are a junior before he trys to get them to commit because anything can happen to a player between 9th grade and the time he goes to college. I'm a huge UK fan don't get me wrong I'm all for anything that can make the team better but I would just hate to see these players not turn out to be as good as they was expected to be and that means a scholarship would be wasted so like I said he shoud atleast wait before he offers.

If you look at the top rated lists of players in the nation, you will see that UNC is recruiting alot of young players too. That seems to be the trend of these Nationally Top rated schools. They are trying to get as many commits as soon as possible from the younger kids. I see it as a risky offer, but that is just about what you have to do to be able to land the top recuits, just show a little interest early in their high school career.

I think Billy G is doing great. It is risky, but if it all works out, think of the GREAT Kentucky team we will have in the future. Billy G is gonna bring home more NCAA Championships to the Bluegrass. Keep up the work Billy G!

HawksRule Wrote:I think Billy G is getting a little ridiculous with trying to sign all these younger kids he should atleast wait untill they are a junior before he trys to get them to commit because anything can happen to a player between 9th grade and the time he goes to college. I'm a huge UK fan don't get me wrong I'm all for anything that can make the team better but I would just hate to see these players not turn out to be as good as they was expected to be and that means a scholarship would be wasted so like I said he shoud atleast wait before he offers.

I agree completely. Some of these kids might dominate the competition when they are younger but when they finally get to play some of the best that college basketball has to offer they could become disappointments.

I'm afraid that there could be a player in one of these classes that is the next Lebron or Kobe and he don't really start coming out untill he is a junior or senior and then UK will not be able to sign him cause they may be out of scholarships.

HawksRule Wrote:I'm afraid that there could be a player in one of these classes that is the next Lebron or Kobe and he don't really start coming out untill he is a junior or senior and then UK will not be able to sign him cause they may be out of scholarships.

Good point

Unless you have seen these players for yourself your opinion is based on incomplete information. Billy G however has seen these players and knows better than all of us put together.

Indiana is headquarters of AAU. So that means all the best basketball players play there and most come from there.