Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
The only known picture of Avery
OK, we just received a commitment from an eighth-grader…good?…bad?…creepy?…
This much we know, Michael Avery is humongous 14-year old. No matter what you think about the ethics of gaining a verbal from a middle-schooler, there’s no denying that this kid is a beast.
However, the rest of the nation will see the headline, “UK locks up an 8th grader,” or something of the sort, and lose their collective mind. As usual, there’s a lot more to the story.
First of all, this is nowhere near as demented as Bobby Knight’s recruitment of Damon Bailey. Frequenting a seventh-grader’s basketball game was different when there was no AAU. Avery has been a force amongst kids much older than he, often playing with high school sophomores and juniors. If it’s OK to recruit them, why not nab the kid that’s showing them all up?
Secondly, it’s not like Gillispie jumped into a four-square game at recess, called no “popcorns,” dominated, and traded this kid Nutty Bars for a commitment. We get it, he’s really young. Apparently, he’s also really good. Despite what will be discovered about Avery’s game, the only thing people will talk about is his age.
Third, and more will come out about this in due time I presume, but it remains to be seen how much recruiting Gillispie and his staff did. While I don’t think that there has been a complete “changing of the guard” in terms of recruiting, but now, more than ever, young kids are recruiting colleges. I’m not suggesting that Gillispie hadn’t shown interest in Avery, but I don’t think locking-up super-young kids is necessarily his go-to tactic (holy hyphens!). It seems more like this kid already knew he wanted to play for Kentucky, and that’s never a bad thing.
So, when you troll around the blogs, newspapers, and message boards for the next few days, realize that most of the criticism that you will read/hear about this move is bunk.
OK, just had to get that off my chest. Now, we wait for the next commitment, presumably occurring in the next 5-9 seconds.
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May 1st, 2008 at 3:40 pm
outstanding
May 1st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
6′4 power forward in 8th grade? How tall is the Center??
May 1st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
3rd! and wow, I was just reading an article on ASOB about how the USC coach feels forced to recruit younger players because of Kentucky. Tim Floyd better start looking on every set of monkeybars and swingsets if he wants to out recruit BCG!
May 1st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
It is a little creepy but no can doubt how hard this staff is working.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
It says online he is a combo guard
May 1st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Having Eric Gordon as your hero makes feel like a senior citizen.
http://leagueathletics.com/Page.asp?n=7223&org=kingjamesshootingstarss outh.com
May 1st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I posted this in the last thread but I will stick it here as well…..
You’ll probably see more and more of this as parents seek to limit the circus type atmosphere and the inordinate amount of distraction that comes from recruitment of these basketball “Wonderland” by the universities.
If as a parent you are solely concerned about your child doing well, having a somewhat normal childhood and wish him to do well academically then verbally commit early. It will keep the distractions to a minimum through his high school days and you can still change later since you haven’t “signed” a letter of intent.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I was thinking the same thing, Booyah.
Yeah, I think he’s playing guard for that U-17 team. That’s pretty solid coordination, to be that big, that young, and that skilled.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I know this is soon, but it is also good to know that Billy Clyde is recruiting athletic and talented 6′5-6′9 guys, rather than just resting on his laurels and taking on various 7 foot projects whose names need not be mentioned. Truth is, the talent pool above 6′8 is pretty shallow and it seems that coach finds talent more important than height.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I don’t understand science and biology or physiology or whatever, but how tall will this kid be? He hasn’t really hit his growth spurt yet, right? Will he end up being like 23 feet tall? Or like 6-6?
May 1st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Agreed, Mr. Hilbert. It’s normal to react, as even we did, to the age, so no hard feelings to the knee jerk of even diehard UK fans at the initial news.
No doubt that we have fully vetted the issues under the last post, the horse has been beaten bloody. Now that it’s been beaten to death, I say we let it go and focus on the positive direction of our storied program. I have nothing more to say on the topic but “Welcome aboard, Avery.”
It is awesome to see kids wanting to wear KENTUCKY across their chest, and it doesn’t get old watching that happen, even though generations before me had the same pride watching young kids dream of, and finally get to, play for the Universtity of Kentucky. It just doesn’t get old. Very cool.
Avery, you know how hard to work the next 4 years. We’ll be seeing you at hoop events in the state, where you’ll start getting a taste of what fan support really is. We’re looking forward to it, and expect great things from guys like you who are lucky enough to get to wear the jersey.
Good stuff.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Oh, that’s “Wunderkind” in post 7….. duhh..
May 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
THIS KID IS A GUARD. HE is not a PF. So it really doesnt matter if he grows or not IMO. Whoops, its already been posted. I will just post again because i am too lazy to delete and all the Tubby backers are pissed that UK is popular again.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
BG didn’t recruit him. His father sought out BG’s opinion of his son after BG was seen scouting Indiana Elite at a AAU tourny. Ferguson plays for them along with several other potential targets. Avery is so good he plays up in age groups. After several attempts to contact BG Mr. Avery got him on the phone. It turns out BG could not return his calls or texts because of contact rules. BG and Mr. Avery had a great talk and Mr. Avery asked BG to keep them on his radar at which time BG was impressed enough to offer Michael a scholarship on the spot. When Michael found out he wanted to commit immediately but his father wanted to make some calls. After contacting several insiders including the Indy Elite head coach the Averys decided they wanted to commit to UK and did so. Pretty simple.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
10. He’s currently projected to be 27′ 9″ as a freshman.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
15. OK, sweet. Thought so.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:02 pm
When I was in 8th grade I wanted to play for UK too…
May 1st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Matt, any updates on Liggins’ academic situation?
Also, please post something on Bobby Maze and/or Verdell Jones. I know Jones is holding a press conference Monday but from what I’ve heard, he’s Minnesota bound. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I’m afraid to look at that kid’s picture anymore. I’ve never worried so much that a 14 year-old was about to kick my ass.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:10 pm
This really puts into perspective how bad I was at basketball in the 8th grade.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Ranked #45 for the class of 2012 HoopScoopOnline
Ranking middle schoolers is a bit much… I love recruiting as much as anyone but this scares me a bit.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
My wife is pregnant with a boy, I’m calling BCG today to see if he’ll take another committment.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hey, people always complained that Tubby didn’t go after recruits early enough, no one can ever accuse Gillispie of this. I see nothing wrong with this at all. Coach is really working hard on the future, some coaches continue to live off their past. The truth is, the nature of recruiting is changing. The competition for talent has reached a fever pitch, and coaches must show loyalty to a recruit much earlier these days. I’m glad we have a coach who realizes that.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I don’t know if anyone has seen this on Espn.com yet, but as it turned out Chris Lofton played the entire season after having cancer that required surgery and rounds of chemo….Maybe thats why he didn’t set the world on fire.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
24 - Chris Lofton and cancer? Wow, that sucks…
May 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
His father stated in the interview that he may be attending Culver Military Academy in Northern Indiana next year and that they are assembling somewhat of a hoops powerhouse squad there.
That’s only about an hour away from me…. gonna have to check them out if he ends up there!
May 1st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
This kid is indeed a middle school player but he’s obviously more advanced than most kids at that age. He played in the 2008 US Elite camp (17 and under) and came away as the 3rd rated player overall!!!!!! That simply tells me that a 13 year old boy is out there schooling 17 year olds. I also remember Mayo starring in 7th grade and dunking from near the free throw line so give this kid a chance. He sounds very gifted.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
6′4” is not really humongous for a 14 yr old. I remember in 8th grade there were several kids that were 6′2, 6′3”. It’s big for a 14 yr old, but not “humongous.” Derek Character was 6′8” in the 8th grade. Now that is Humongous for a 14 yr old.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
28: You said you remember kids in middle school being “6′2″ or 6′3″ but could they dominate the United States Summer Elite Camp for kids up to 17 years old????
I don’t care how tall Avery is. The proof is in the pudding. He took those boys to school this summer.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:37 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3376961&lpos=spotlight& lid=tab1pos1
May 1st, 2008 at 4:39 pm
28)I say Greg Olden as an eight grader and he was 6′10 - 6′11″.
14)Do you have an inside source on all this? It sounds interesting, how good is your source?
May 1st, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I’m glad Lofton is alright now
May 1st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
#29 now THAT is humongous
May 1st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Shaq was about 6′8” in middle school too I believe.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Does anybody remember TONY KEY from Russelville. I was in the 7th grade and he was in the 8th grade. He had to be 6′8″ tall. He came to our gym and broke the backboard in the 8th grade. Of course he never amounted to anything because he was extremely stupid and I think he got on drugs. This dude was awesome as an eigth grader though. He was not only tall he was thick too. Of course I think he was about 16 years old in 8th grade, but he was still about 6′8″ tall as a 14 year old.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:50 pm
GREG ODEN=skinny
TONY KEY=THICK
May 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
35 Tony actually moved to Compton to go to Paul Pierces HS and then he declared for the NBA Draft despite the fact no one wanted him. He bounced around europe for a bit. Last I heard he was incarcerated
May 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
You think Greg Oden looks like he’s 40 now. Tony Key looked like he was 40 in the 8th grade.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:52 pm
He was huge though #37 and a very talented player. He just wasn’t raised right or something.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
WOW, can you imagine how his parent’s are feeling right now…..Good for him….
May 1st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
31) That info was on a Maggard Podcast interviewing the kid’s father.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Clay Aiken anyone?
May 1st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Speaking of recruiting, this interesting tidbit comes courtesy of Rivals.
Bat Cats have 4 recruits in the Top 78, including (2) 5-star guys. Lets give some props to Cohen & Co.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?SID=1185&Year=2008&ra_key=209 6
May 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
So i guess this means BCG will be here at least 5 more years. What great news!
May 1st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
What happens if by the time this guy is a junior in highschool we realize he never developed?
What if he is averaging 8 pts a game for his highschool team?
What if he finds cars and girls and decides basketball is not all that special?
Do we owe him anything or can we pull the scholly?
May 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
The kid is going to be a 9th grader in about month, so people like Tipton and ESPN can calm down and not get worked up over this,.
Although we all know Tipton will have something stupid to say about it
May 1st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
#45
The kid is already showing up good Junior and Soph basketball players. So at the very least he won’t get worse than that.
I think it is safe to say he is going to be pretty good.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Didn’t JP Blevins committ in the 8th grade or something like that?? That was 10 yrs ago and it’s still happening
May 1st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
My son just turned 14 on Friday and he is 6′3′ 240. Size 14 shoes. Must be something in the water.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Thanks for adding some sanity to the discussion.
P.S. The Cubs still suck.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
anybody notice in this article “UK lands youngest recruit in school history!” at http://ukmadness.wordpress.com/ that it mentions there was another commitment today that doesn’t want to be announced yet?
“Jeff Drummond of Catspause.com noted today when he broke the story that there has been another commitment today but the player does not want to reveal who they are. Drummond said news could be made any minute/day”
wonder if there’s anything to that?
May 1st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
The last time I checked, Tony Key was playing for one of the teams in the same league as the “pro” team in Pikeville, whatever the hell that league is called.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
He looks like Jane, plays like Tarzan!
May 1st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
53, hahahaha. Very nice…although UK’s Jane might have played like Tarzan enough this year to get a decent free agent contract. We’ll see.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:54 pm
#53 - He looks like Jane because he probably doesn’t even have hair on his balls yet. He’s sporting the California surfer hair, the chicks dig, um k?
Just wait, in no time he’ll have the jawline of Dave Bliss and the beard of Conan O’Brien!
BCG FTW!
May 1st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Noted….
May 1st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
46) Tipton won’t say anything stupid about it until he’s told us the minutia at 5 other SEC schools first though.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
[...] seems that Gillispie wasn’t actively recruiting Michael Avery. Young Michael and his father recruited UK and Coach Gillispie. They sold Gillispie [...]
May 1st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
My three year old has some mad skills…He is 3′1″ and plays circles around the four year olds at day care…Also, we are expecting another boy this month…the doctor says his fibula is very long. Interested BCG?
May 1st, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Tony Key ended up playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. Not sure if he is still with them, he may be in the new CBA. But he didn’t go to jail? Where do some of these things get started? I’ve got a 5 foot tall 3rd grader, I’m calling BCG in the morning!
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 am
How did my blog get posted up there? Is that an automated response/post from WordPress?
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:03 am
So basically, those that disagree with this commit think that Gillispie should have told the Avery family;
“Well Guys, he has great skills and he highly regarded. BUT. We’re gonna pass for now. Give us a call when he’s in the 10th Grade.”
You guys must be fans of the Tubby Smith Spring Cherry Picker Recruiting Philosophy. Tubby “I’ll wait until they de-commit from some other school so I don’t have to evaluate talent” Smith.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
[...] light of the slight hubbub surrounding the University of Kentucky’s signing of Michael Avery, an 8th grader who obviously hasn’t started high school yet, I was reminded of this brilliant [...]